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10:56 pm
November 12, 2010
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So I have always been a fan of Local 44, but I had a weird run-in tonight at the bottle shop next door. I brought my bottle of Victory Golden Monkey up to the counter and pulled my money out of my pocket.
"ID," the guy at the counter said. I chuckled, as those of us who turned 21 before the person asking us for ID was born usually do. I realized I didn't have ID. I live one block from the shop and I'm 45 years old. I have been to Local 44 dozens of times and had never been carded. I hadn't even thought about it. "Sorry dude," the young fella at the bottle shop said.
It was weird. Suddenly I felt like a stranger in my own neighborhood
11:36 am
April 17, 2012
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I haven't been to the new bottle shop yet, looking forward to it. But I have a huge bone to pick with Local 44's service in general. I have been there countless times and always ALWAYS have poor customer service experiences. All of these have come from the waitstaff (not the bar staff). It's like they instruct them to be rude. And I know I'm not alone because I have friends who refuse to even go there anymore because they had such poor customer service. While I have had many, varied bad experiences the last one was when our party of 6 got kicked out of a table at 10pm on a Monday night because not all of us were ordering food (but most of us were) and everyone was planning on drinking. The dining room was not full and they said we had to "keep it open for parties were EVERYIONE was dining." Once again this was 10pm on a Monday night! We left without ordering anything, got take out and went to Dahlak….
10:20 am
April 18, 2012
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They're a little too cavalier about customer relations. I guess that's what a good beer selection in West Philly buys you. I've written off the "restaurant" part. The bottle shop's selection/prices are the only saving grace.
11:51 am
March 30, 2012
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Mike Lyons said
So I have always been a fan of Local 44, but I had a weird run-in tonight at the bottle shop next door. I brought my bottle of Victory Golden Monkey up to the counter and pulled my money out of my pocket.
"ID," the guy at the counter said. I chuckled, as those of us who turned 21 before the person asking us for ID was born usually do. I realized I didn't have ID. I live one block from the shop and I'm 45 years old. I have been to Local 44 dozens of times and had never been carded. I hadn't even thought about it. "Sorry dude," the young fella at the bottle shop said.
It was weird. Suddenly I felt like a stranger in my own neighborhood
I've had the same experience at other bars and clubs in the city, and in other states as well. It is SOP because there are huge liabilities surrounding liquor sales, and the guy who wouldn't sell to you was only complying with the law. Don't take it personally.
12:07 pm
March 30, 2012
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idizzle said
They're a little too cavalier about customer relations. I guess that's what a good beer selection in West Philly buys you. I've written off the "restaurant" part. The bottle shop's selection/prices are the only saving grace.
Seriously?
I think there's a LOT to like about local 44, including a stellar and well-thought out selection of drafts; their all-local beer happy hour; the cask ale selection; and the fact that they have better prices than the other beer bars in our neighborhood.
Put it this way: if I want to get Allagash, Bear Republic, Green Flash, and many other hard-to-find beers on tap, I know local 44 is gonna have it, and I WON'T have to drive to Fishtown, NoLibs, or Fairmount. Plus, I can watch the game.
Other than Dock Street (which by law can only sell their own beer) and Fiume (which deals exclusively with bottles and is more expensive that L44), there is no other place I would go for craft beer in this neighborhood.
I've never had a truly bad customer service experience at L44. It's a busy bar, and the staff has a lot to handle.
8:50 pm
April 18, 2012
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Mike you're 45 years old and come off as a spoiled brat. If you live one block from there just go home and get you ID instead of complaining about it on a community messageboard.
10:15 pm
November 12, 2010
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I'm a young 45 dude.
7:59 am
April 18, 2012
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I've only had bad customer service when it comes to the food part. I understand that they are a busy bar, but that doesn't mean they can't be nice. The beer will always bring me back, but it just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth (figuratively, of course).
12:26 pm
April 17, 2012
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Yes, seriously.
I don't think anyone is taking issue with the bar, the bar staff, and certainly not the beer selection. But I've talked to many people who have had similar bad experiences with rude waitstaff while dining there. I still go there (and eat there) despite this but friendly service would be nice since this spot has so many pluses, as you've pointed out.
brendancalling said
idizzle said
They're a little too cavalier about customer relations. I guess that's what a good beer selection in West Philly buys you. I've written off the "restaurant" part. The bottle shop's selection/prices are the only saving grace.
Seriously?
I think there's a LOT to like about local 44, including a stellar and well-thought out selection of drafts; their all-local beer happy hour; the cask ale selection; and the fact that they have better prices than the other beer bars in our neighborhood.
Put it this way: if I want to get Allagash, Bear Republic, Green Flash, and many other hard-to-find beers on tap, I know local 44 is gonna have it, and I WON'T have to drive to Fishtown, NoLibs, or Fairmount. Plus, I can watch the game.
Other than Dock Street (which by law can only sell their own beer) and Fiume (which deals exclusively with bottles and is more expensive that L44), there is no other place I would go for craft beer in this neighborhood.
I've never had a truly bad customer service experience at L44. It's a busy bar, and the staff has a lot to handle.
1:16 pm
April 22, 2012
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Hi! I'm sorry to hear anyone has ever left our place feeling like they were treated rudely. It's certainly not our M.O., nor do we give ourselves permission to treat anyone rudely just because we might be busy. Our servers are all pretty damn sweet as pie, I am having a hard time picturing something rude happening, but would love some specifics so that we can address it directly with our staff and keep improving. As for being carded: we card everyone who looks under 40. Being so close to so many college students, it only makes sense to cover our asses and respect our neighbors (and the law) by being uptight about asking everyone who looks under 40 to prove that they're older than 21. My guess is that if we were to loosen up about this, there would be a MUCH longer discussion on this forum about how we serve minors and how we're not doing right by the neighborhood. As it stands, we're happy to be considered overly cautious -- it's what we keep preaching to our staff, and I will defend them to the hilt for doing what we ask on this front. As always, we're happy to chat about any of this directly… if you've got a gripe, we're always available to discuss (and thereby possibly RESOLVE) issues. In person, via email, whatever, we're pretty easy to find. Cheers, Leigh@L44
12:29 pm
April 17, 2012
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Mike Lyons said
I'm a young 45 dude.
See, even you admit it!
2:29 pm
April 17, 2012
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Would you mind adressing the poor service experience I already posted? this happened Monday 3/19/2012 at 10pm at night.
REposted. "the last one was when our party of 6 got kicked out of a table at 10pm on a Monday night because not all of us were ordering food (but most of us were) and everyone was planning on drinking. The dining room was not full and they said we had to "keep it open for parties were EVERYIONE was dining." Once again this was 10pm on a Monday night! We left without ordering anything, got take out and went to Dahlak…."
Local44 said
Hi! I'm sorry to hear anyone has ever left our place feeling like they were treated rudely. It's certainly not our M.O., nor do we give ourselves permission to treat anyone rudely just because we might be busy. Our servers are all pretty damn sweet as pie, I am having a hard time picturing something rude happening, but would love some specifics so that we can address it directly with our staff and keep improving. As for being carded: we card everyone who looks under 40. Being so close to so many college students, it only makes sense to cover our asses and respect our neighbors (and the law) by being uptight about asking everyone who looks under 40 to prove that they're older than 21. My guess is that if we were to loosen up about this, there would be a MUCH longer discussion on this forum about how we serve minors and how we're not doing right by the neighborhood. As it stands, we're happy to be considered overly cautious -- it's what we keep preaching to our staff, and I will defend them to the hilt for doing what we ask on this front. As always, we're happy to chat about any of this directly… if you've got a gripe, we're always available to discuss (and thereby possibly RESOLVE) issues. In person, via email, whatever, we're pretty easy to find. Cheers, Leigh@L44
9:53 pm
April 22, 2012
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Wouldn't mind at all…Our goal is always to give seating priority in the dining room to folks who want to eat. When dealing with larger groups of some eaters/some not, or all drinkers on slower nights, we have to make judgement calls as we see it best working out based on the particulars of an evening. At 10pm on Monday March 19 we were still pouring beer from our Russian River event earlier in the day, we were actively hosting a Victory Brewing Co event AND wrapping up the opening night of our bottle shop… while it might not have been slamming at the moment you and your group were attempting to sit, there isn't anything that suggests to me that it was going to stay un-full for very long. We've got a very small dining room, and a lot of people who want to dine with us. If even half of your party wasn't interested in eating, that's three seats, or certainly one single table, that could have been used by folks who did want to eat. It's just the way we have to do it to help make sure everyone gets a seat when they want to eat. Like I said, on slower nights, parties with some eaters and some not eaters are a little easier to accommodate, and we try to whenever possible. But some Mondays at 10pm are busy. Hope this helps understand where we're coming from. Hope you'll try us again soon. Leigh
11:15 pm
April 23, 2012
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I was in the same party as Travelgirl on 3/19. A group of 4 of us were joining two people who were already dining and drinking. When our group of four arrived, the servers had just cleared the plates of our two friends. They opted to join us so they could finish their drinks. Of the four new arrivals, 3 were planning on eating. The 2 who had already eaten were considering dessert and another round of drinks and gave up their 4 top table before they were ready to leave in order to join us at a larger table. We were refused service even though we required a larger table and there were 4 empty four top tables in the dining room. The waitress was rude and simply couldn't be bothered with us or what we needed. My friends who had eaten before us were angry because they had already tipped her for mediocre service and then were treated rudely afterward. 6 people left that evening with our money in our pockets. Most of us had been planning to eat and all of us were planning on at least 2 rounds of drinks. This was my first impression of your establishment and I will never go back or reccommend it to anyone I know based on how poorly we were treated. I felt foolish that I was the one who suggested we all meet there in the first place. I don't care how great your beer is; If your waitstaff treats people poorly, do not expect rave reviews.
11:23 pm
April 23, 2012
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Local44 said
. It's just the way we have to do it to help make sure everyone gets a seat when they want to eat. Like I said, on slower nights, parties with some eaters and some not eaters are a little easier to accommodate, and we try to whenever possible. But some Mondays at 10pm are busy. Hope this helps understand where we're coming from. Hope you'll try us again soon. Leigh
You did a pretty poor job of "making sure everyone gets a seat when they want to eat" with our group. If you had four empty four top tables, what was the problem sitting our party at the larger table, especially since 2 of our group vacated a four top? By your logic, they were tying up an additional 2 unused seats. The dining room was half-empty and the rush was clearly over.
3:22 pm
April 18, 2012
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I will add that I have left multiple times after trying to patronize Local 44. Once, I was there to sit and eat, but left after no one could be bothered to greet me and the people I tried to flag down were busy. I have also left after being refused a late night (past 10pm) seat in the empty (literally) dining room.
Regardless of restaurant policy, both incidents left me feeling like Local 44 could care less about my business and were more concerned with their rules than their customers. The rules are supposedly there to serve the customers better and so, if this thread is any indication, they deserve to be reexamined in light of their actual, rather than stated, effects.
I love what the Local 44 has to offer, but I am turned off by the way they (don't) offer it.
Then again, I've never run a restaurant, I just choose to spend my money there.
10:51 am
May 8, 2012
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I just have to respond to this post. When Local 44 first opened, I resisted. I missed the dive Kellianne's. However, I have come to really like Local 44! I LOVE their brunch and happy hour. Their waitstaff has never been anything but awesome to me and my group. I eat there about once a week and again, I think the staff is very nice and the food is pretty great too. My only complaint would be that I wish they would keep more of the menu forever and less changing. I still miss the Cubano Empanadas and the bangh steak sandwich!!!
1:58 pm
May 9, 2012
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I recently went in for dinner on a Sunday night with my partner. It took quite awhile before anyone came to wait on us. When a server finally came to take drink orders, my partner ordered a beer and I asked for water. She then asked for our IDs, and I politely said that I wasn't drinking. I had never heard of this and wouldn't normally care but for that I had left my wallet at home. She said it didn't matter, that I needed to be 21 to eat there. She was pretty brusk and said "maybe you can try again another time."
Anyhow, I thought while we were on the carding subject and general demeanor issues Leigh @44, I wanted to ask you about the reason behind policy and suggest you post a sign at the entrance to that effect. It would have saved us a headache. It also should be made clear to families who might stop with kids under 21.
9:06 pm
April 22, 2012
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It's true, you do indeed need to be 21 years old to be inside Local 44, and you need to be able to prove it with valid photo ID, even if you're not drinking. We're so close to 3 college campuses that we do not take any risks. I explained it up above somewhere a while back with all the reasons. Families with kids under 21 is a different story. If we let a couple with their toddler in and find out that they ordered a beer for the kid and let him sit under the table with it so we wouldn't see, then we'll have to rethink our flexibility on this front. I truly hope it doesn't come to that point. We're not trying to make life difficult for anyone, we're trying to prevent a major lawsuit, or major liquor license violation so that we can stay in business. It's what we do to be good members of the community and good employers. It's what we do to protect our considerable financial investment and our own professional futures.
That all said, no one on our staff should ever be anything but polite and kind about letting our guests know this policy. Our staff understands that a person without ID should be treated the same way we treat all of our guests, and that the goal is for that person to return with ID.
The strict ID enforcement is just our way of following the law and protecting ourselves from a whole host of terrible potential liabilities.
9:31 pm
March 27, 2012
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Personally, I love Local 44, but I tend to prefer going during off hours--early dinners, weeknights, etc… it can be hectic when it's crowded. I don't think I've ever had bad service, but there can be a wait when it's busy--just like any busy venue.
I'm a fan of the bottle shop, too! It's nice to have more options for decent beer in the neighborhood. I'm much less likely to bike all the way from Food and Friends with a six-pack in my backpack now!
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