Bad treatment at Boombozz Taproom

I ate at the Boombozz taproom last night, and indeed it was (in Brad's words) crazy busy. I sympathize with both sides here. Since the place just opened, the entire staff is new and the mistake of taking an unavailable reservation is understandable, but still wrong. And walking into that zoo with 9 people including kids and finding out there was no "reservation" would send anyone into dire agitation.
I also know that there comes a time when some customers get emotionally strung-out and make demands that simply can't be met. The statement "Look around. I can't do anything for you." sounds like a response to a demand to be seated immediately when simply no tables are available. I'm not saying Barry made that demand, but in the circumstances it easily could have been perceived that way.

What I find suspect is the statement: "I politely introduced myself as Brad from Hotbytes".
What exactly does that mean? Are you a partner with Robin in running the site, or are you, like me, a reader and occasional contributor? Are we going to start having membership cards to flash at servers to make sure that we are given service reflecting our elevated status? I personally am wary of people who drop names or suggest "special" affiliations to get preferential treatment.

I ate at the Boombozz taproom last night, and indeed it was (in Brad's words) crazy busy. I sympathize with both sides here. Since the place just opened, the entire staff is new and the mistake of taking an unavailable reservation is understandable, but still wrong. And walking into that zoo with 9 people including kids and finding out there was no "reservation" would send anyone into dire agitation.
I also know that there comes a time when some customers get emotionally strung-out and make demands that simply can't be met. The statement "Look around. I can't do anything for you." sounds like a response to a demand to be seated immediately when simply no tables are available. I'm not saying Barry made that demand, but in the circumstances it easily could have been perceived that way.

What I find suspect is the statement: "I politely introduced myself as Brad from Hotbytes".
What exactly does that mean? Are you a partner with Robin in running the site, or are you, like me, a reader and occasional contributor? Are we going to start having membership cards to flash at servers to make sure that we are given service reflecting our elevated status? I personally am wary of people who drop names or suggest "special" affiliations to get preferential treatment.

I use my Hotbytes Card regularly.

What I find suspect is the statement: "I politely introduced myself as Brad from Hotbytes".
What exactly does that mean? Are you a partner with Robin in running the site, or are you, like me, a reader and occasional contributor? Are we going to start having membership cards to flash at servers to make sure that we are given service reflecting our elevated status? I personally am wary of people who drop names or suggest "special" affiliations to get preferential treatment.

I didn't get that impression at all. Since Tony P. posts on here periodically, I think Brad was just trying to say "hey, we've communicated before. I'm not a wingnut."

What I find suspect is the statement: "I politely introduced myself as Brad from Hotbytes".
What exactly does that mean? Are you a partner with Robin in running the site, or are you, like me, a reader and occasional contributor? Are we going to start having membership cards to flash at servers to make sure that we are given service reflecting our elevated status? I personally am wary of people who drop names or suggest "special" affiliations to get preferential treatment.

I don't think Brad was requesting special treatment for an "elevated status". What he was doing was fairly letting (who he thought was Tony) know that he was a fan and a regular (he already stated he's been there four times in the short time they've been open). And fairly letting it be known he'd likely let the forum know how this went down.

Tony has apologized AND explained what happened. We all try to train our employees to act as we would in extreme situations. Tony apologized and Brad has accepted his apology and thanked him for his explanation. I don't think Brad should be beaten up for letting management know he was from the forum. YMMV.

Are we going to start having membership cards to flash at servers to make sure that we are given service reflecting our elevated status? I personally am wary of people who drop names or suggest "special" affiliations to get preferential treatment.

You don't have one?

What I find suspect is the statement: "I politely introduced myself as Brad from Hotbytes". What exactly does that mean? Are you a partner with Robin in running the site, or are you, like me, a reader and occasional contributor? Are we going to start having membership cards to flash at servers to make sure that we are given service reflecting our elevated status? I personally am wary of people who drop names or suggest "special" affiliations to get preferential treatment.

I got 3 cents off each gallon at Kroger with my HotBytes card.

Brad,
I hope to earn your business again. Please allow me to make it up to you and your family. Send me an email (tony@tonyboombozz.com) of when you could come in for dinner with your family so I can personally prepare your favorite dishes.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Best,
Tony

Honestly, as great as it is to see that it wasn't Tony being rude I didn't see much of an apology for the treatment Brad received from the manager other than a defense that he was trying to find him a table. It seems Brad has made it clear that he wasn't, and, was not made to feel particularly welcomed. I only saw a public apology for the mix up on the reservation.

It seems Tony was posting at the same time I was. In fairness that does take some of the edge off my comment. Still nothing public about the manager.

Honestly, as great as it is to see that it wasn't Tony being rude I didn't see much of an apology for the treatment Brad received from the manager other than a defense that he was trying to find him a table. It seems Brad has made it clear that he wasn't, and, was not made to feel particularly welcomed. I only saw a public apology for the mix up on the reservation.

It seems Tony was posting at the same time I was. In fairness that does take some of the edge off my comment. Still nothing public about the manager.

Isn't that the nature of the biz? Tony, as the owner, would have much more a stake than the manager. Seems to me that one of the hardest challenges as an owner is to get people to take the venture as seriously as you do. But, really, there's no way to do that - at the end of the day, it's merely a job for the manager, not a financial investment (and, in Tony's case, a financial investment with his name attached).

I do not know the manager or Tony(or really anybody else on this site) but if I was the owner I would have to seriously consider how long I could keep a manager like this on the payroll; now this is taking for granted that everything said here is true and for certain. The fact is in this economy it is a buyers market both in the sense of vying for consumer dollars and finding employees. People need jobs and I tell my cooks, dishwashers, servers and anyone else who will listen "make yourself as indispensable as possible". I am my executive chefs; sous chef, marriage counselor, secretary, court jester, I baby sit his kids, at 3 in the morning I am the guy he calls to help bury the body! I am all these things because he trusts me and knows that I am loyal to him and my crew and nobody else. I guess their is no clear cut answer on these situations (too many variables) but a manager is someone you have to trust with your life, especially in the restaurant business.

Oh dear! If I can't say "Hi- I'm GaryF from hotbytes" whatever will I do for social interaction?

Seriouly, I think that Brad was justified in this complaint, and that Tony addressed it as an owner should.
It seems to me that the employer/employee relationship between Tony and Brad is none of our business.
Yes, it is a buyers' market for employers out there, but this seems like a good, if painful, learning experience for a fairly new establishment. I'm sure the hostess and Brad have learned their lesson- let's hope this makes them better able to serve their clients instead of unemployeed.

I quote dallas alice's sean hopkins "second chances, sell 'em you'd make a fortune". Their is very little wiggle room for those types of mistakes.

Honestly, as great as it is to see that it wasn't Tony being rude I didn't see much of an apology for the treatment Brad received from the manager other than a defense that he was trying to find him a table. It seems Brad has made it clear that he wasn't, and, was not made to feel particularly welcomed. I only saw a public apology for the mix up on the reservation.

It seems Tony was posting at the same time I was. In fairness that does take some of the edge off my comment. Still nothing public about the manager.

Sorry, but I read both of Tony's posts and I still think there should be more of an apology for the way both the hostess and manager acted. How can you expect to regain someone's business without ever seeming apologetic for your employee's actions?

[Robin Garr]

Sorry, but I read both of Tony's posts and I still think there should be more of an apology for the way both the hostess and manager acted. How can you expect to regain someone's business without ever seeming apologetic for your employee's actions?

Folks, let's give it a break, please. Tony has posted an apology on behalf of his company and offered Brad compensation. Brad has accepted Tony's apology like a gentleman. That really should be the end of it.

If I were Tony, I would certainly be talking to my manager to get his side of the story, and I'd be taking appropriate action. But I don't think I would talk about this kind of personnel matter in a public forum.

I actually give kudo's to Tony for not lambasting his employee on an online forum. My first inclination on reading along with the thread would have been to feed the manager to the lions, but as a business owner, it is better to take care of any issues with an employee in house, and not to air your dirty laundry in a public forum like this.

I was traveling yesterday, and so only got to see the opening part of this thread. As a business owner myself, it was bugging me all night to find out how this one would be resolved. I'm sure Tony prides himself on how his business treats its customers, and to read something like this had to feel like a punch in the stomach. It sounds like Tony is doing the best he can to take care of a bad situation.