Tess Grant
Google
I debated leaving a review, knowing I made some mistakes. But after seeing others share similar negative experiences, I feel I should.
My friends and I were becoming weekly regulars at Tokyo Kitty on Thursdays. I’ll admit upfront that sometimes I had a few drinks beforehand and was tipsy, leading to some missteps.
One night I came in with an empty beer can from Fountain Square because I couldn’t find a trash can outside. Not wanting to litter, I carried it in to throw away. A bartender (a larger balding white guy with glasses) stopped me before I reached the bin, saying testily I couldn’t bring outside drinks. I explained it was empty, apologized, and tossed it.
Another time, I was trying to quickly finish a beer I’d bought there before leaving. We were standing in the mirror/lobby area while I was finishing it. The same bartender approached and accused me of trying to take it outside. I explained I wasn’t and finished it in front of him before leaving.
He later told me to stop getting on the floor during karaoke. I admit I was dramatic in songs, often times kneeling for dramatic effect during particularly belt-out lines, but dancing and movement were common, and my friends got the same warning. I did roll my eyes behind his back after he said this , which wasn’t cool on my part, but I stopped with the kneeling. I was irritated when, weeks later, a man from another group sang while lying on the floor, making suggestive motions.
For the last couple weeks, we've been on our best behavior- we just sat at a table, had a couple drinks, and sang. That same bartender and a DJ kept staring and pointing at us. It felt like they had it out for me in particular. Still, since we were following rules, we kept coming.
On Sept 11, we arrived sober around 9:45–10 p.m. Before we could sit, the same bartender came up, pointed at me, and said he needed to talk “someplace quiet.” As a 5-foot woman, it felt intimidating being "asked" to go someplace alone by a large man with a harsh tone. I asked a friend to come with me; but the bartender said no. In the empty lobby, he listed everything I’d “done wrong” over weeks—accusing me again of trying to take a drink out, exaggerating that multiple staff had told me about the floor thing (when it was also my friends, not just me), and even claiming someone from my group had “passed out in the bathroom.” That never happened.
Being alone in that space while he ran through every misstep—some mine, some not—was unsettling. He said we were “welcome” to stay but it was clear that we/I were on thin ice. I felt humiliated, ashamed of small mistakes I’d already corrected, and angry he was dredging up weeks-old grievances.
When my friends came looking for me because they were worried, I explained what he said, but saw him whispering with the DJ while looking at us. We no longer felt welcome, so we left.
I apologize for my early mistakes, but the way I was treated went beyond fair enforcement. The balding male bartender with glasses- who is pretty consistently mentioned in the other one/two star reviews- was consistently uptight, unfriendly, and snide. My recommendation to management: train staff to handle issues professionally rather than resorting to whispering, staring, singling out, or intimidation.
I won’t be returning.
