Uggh S.
Yelp
...So I am going to address the elephant in the room here and summarize: this social club is all hype, no substance. Great, that it's minority owned, I suppose, but not if it's not that great. And it's not. It's just mediocrity at a price that insinuates otherwise. Supporting the cause is no excuse for settling for less. I'm hoping it will get better over the next few years, simply because I'm rooting for these guys. Honesty, in my opinion is how progress is made, not insincere flattery. There's a lot of opportunities for growth here. I hope it happens.
Hmm. I think my disappointment lies in the fact that I'm not really sure what you're paying for here. What are they selling? What is the membership fee for exactly? It's listed as a social club, but I did not get that feeling AT ALL. The events were a yawn, which is why I imagine a lot of members don't go to them. Is it mainly a space to be rented out for events? Is the fee just for co-working? I wanted to like this place, but I was not impressed. Even the decor wasn't anything special, and if Atlanta has one thing figured out, it's interior design, why doesn't this place look better/cooler/more reflective of being an exclusive members only social club? Please go find someone who's doing it well, put your own spin on it, but learn from them. Find people who KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. People who have big dreams are ready to be assistants, not people in charge of making decisions.
Essentially, as a member, you pay a fee to then go and pay for more stuff --every event, the restaurant, the bar, things 'for members only' are all additional fees. Members don't get anything special, no special treatment, no special perks, no nothing (even a drink or a celebratory bottle of champagne would be SOMETHING). You're just paying a fairly high membership fee, for, again, I couldn't figure out what. Actually, no, when you join, you do get a box with some stuff in it that is all throw away-- not useful, advertisement type stuff. The box did not seem like it was curated by people who care at all. There was no thought or heart put into it, just trash to add to the environment. As a member, you can bring friends here, and I think the membership rate is better for couples (meh...), but essentially, you bring your guest and then you BOTH can pay more money to the organization for things like dull events and food and drinks at the restaurant. You can pay to rent the event space, as well. I wouldn't. It was pricey in my opinion for what you get, considering the decor and lack of taste/style. There are far too many other cool places that Atlanta has to offer.
I'm going to be fair, the food I had here was decent enough, and the staff was nice. To be clear I just mean the food wasn't bad, but there are better bars and restaurants in Atlanta, certainly not worth paying a membership fee for, on top of the cost of whatever you purchase at the bar/restaurant. Again I ask, why is it not more stylish? Trendier? Cooler? Interesting? Appearance should be more important here. This is not an experience. It's a bore. Seriously. People want ambience. Ambience will compliment decent food and that combination is what will make people come. That is what makes it seem more like an exclusive membership worthy experience. This place has no personality.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to join, initially, I mean it sounded cool and I wanted to be supportive, and the member who was telling me about it was vague and seemed to not want to say anything unsupportive. I couldn't find any detailed or thorough reviews. The reviews here sound to me like people who felt obligated to say something nice. So as harsh as this review might sound, I'm telling it straight. I wish someone had told me.