I don’t like Yelp because I feel like people go on there and write bullshit about bullshit, like the time when I got a bad Yelp review for using the house vodka in our $5 Sunday Bloody Mary specials. (I will give you a moment to digest that little nugget.) But sometimes an experience is so bad that I feel the need to go back to the roots of this blog and write a letter to the manager about it. So, that is what I have done. Enjoy. I’d be happy to tell you the name of the restaurant if you also want to have an awesome (read: horrific) dining experience.
To Whom It May Concern
This past Friday night, May 10, my boyfriend and I visited your restaurant for a glass of wine and some appetizers. I had just finished writing my last paper for my graduate degree and was really in the mood to celebrate. We decided, after a long amble north on Fifth Avenue, to try your spot out as we had discussed going in for a while but had never gotten the chance. We were really impressed by the interior and I was excited that you had not one but three Gruners by the glass. Perfect! So we ordered a glass each, figuring if we enjoyed our snacks (which we did, very much — that tomato bruschetta situation was really fantastic) we would stick around for awhile.
Unfortunately, the tastiness of the food and wine was not enough to make up for the truly abysmal service we received. Perhaps I made a gaffe by ordering the Gruner by the price, but I do not speak German so I figured it best not to try to pronounce the name. Perhaps it was that my boyfriend informed the bartender that we were going to just have some appetizers and move on for dinner — I am a vegetarian and lactose intolerant so my food options are quite limited. Or perhaps it’s just that the bartender is an asshole. I have been in the service industry for 10 years — I am a bartender in the neighborhood — and understand that the job can be grating at times. I understand when your customers are rude being cold is the only thing you can do to keep yourself from telling them what you really think about them. The thing is that I am over-the-top friendly to industry people so when I am treated poorly it is really shocking to me.
The gentleman behind the bar did not seem as though he wanted to have a conversation with us or anyone else sitting at his bar, and would rather converse with his co-workers, that’s fine. I certainly cannot fault him that. But if you ask me how my food was without making eye contact and then walk away while I am in the middle of praising it, that is a problem, albeit one I could forgive. What I could not forgive was when he snatched my and my boyfriend’s glasses, mine unfinished, and snapped “can I get you anything else?” without even stopping for a response which was, after our experience, a resounding no. I felt as though I was being kicked out of the restaurant and I could not for the life of me figure out why.
So, we left him a bad tip that, even given the rude treatment, I still felt bad about. Get what you give, I suppose. We will not be returning to your Park Slope location, or any of the other ones, but hope you can iron out whatever staffing problems you have so you don’t lose any more customers. Also, and normally I would not say this except the bartender was really awful, I don’t like to look at my bartender’s underwear or unwashed t-shirt while I am eating. Tell him to buy a laundry card and a belt.
Sincerely,
Rebekah
PS The woman with whom I spoke to get your email address was incredibly friendly.
franklyrebekah 