Steve J.
Yelp
PSA: Don't just leave a review -- file a complaint that actually gets results.
If something shady or aggressive happened to you at The Victorian, don't let it slide.
You can file a complaint with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) -- and it takes less than 2 minutes. Seriously. You could do it while walking to your Uber, sitting on the toilet, or scrolling through your phone on the way home. It's easier -- and way more powerful -- than a Yelp review.
Here's how to do it:
1. Go to abc.ca.gov/contact/file-complaint/
2. Click "Business Complaint"
3. In the search bar, type: "Victorian The" (yes, they have it reversed)
4. Select the one at 2640 Main Street, Santa Monica
5. Fill out the short form
6. Hit submit -- that's it.
Enough reports can lead to inspections, fines, or even license suspension -- and trust me, that hits harder than any bad review.
My Experience:
I was leaving The Victorian with some friends, carrying a cup of water from the bar, when a bouncer suddenly and aggressively slapped it out of my hand and briefly grabbed me just to do it. Another bouncer behind him ripped a water cup out of my friend's hands and tossed it aside, even after we clearly told them it was water.
They responded with, "We don't care," and made it clear we weren't allowed to take anything out -- even though water isn't alcohol, and there's no law preventing someone from leaving with it.
What makes this worse is that their bouncers either don't know the law or think they're above it. And based on other Yelp reviews, this seems to be a pattern. Either they're poorly trained, or they're being encouraged to act this way by management.
This situation could have easily turned into something worse. I'm lucky it didn't -- but even as it was, it was still completely unacceptable. And I don't want this happening to anyone else.
We weren't drunk. We weren't causing problems. We were just calmly leaving. I reported this to management and never received a response. I've also noticed other misconduct at this venue that seems to go unchecked.
So instead of just being angry, I did something about it -- and you should too. If you've ever been mistreated here, take 2 minutes and report it through ABC. That's how real change happens.