Boo to Tarpon Club at Bud & Alleys

Dave,

Thanks for your reply. I, after being in the service industry for many years, understand that everyone has a night off. I can understand that one employee may have had a bad day, pet died, check bounced, whatever. BUT, pretty much every person that we talked to that night was not friendly (except the new bar back, dont know his name but was nice).
You are saying food until 1:30? I was given 3 choices at around 9:45 which should have taken a total of 5 minutes to plate. They said that they had to share the kitchen with the taco bar and that is why it took so long????
To top it all off the security guy really had some attitude, IMHO. I understand it is his job to be firm with problem customers but he could have cared less when we arrived and left. How 'bout a "welcome to the tarpon club, may I please check your id??? I know you are way over 21😀 " OR "sorry your food didn't come" or "please come again"
Running a bar/rest. can be difficult and it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to be there all the time. I just wanted you to know what our one situation (which seems not to be the first) was.
Thanks,
IBD

Dear Sowallers,

There is no excuse for anyone to experience poor, inattentive and rude service at the roof bar. There is no excuse for anyone to be treated that way anywhere much less the bar and restaurant I own. I want to be very clear that I take any negative experience a customer has at Bud & Alley's very seriously. To say I don't care is simply not true.

Being in the food business means being in the people business and everyone and every place has an off day from time to time. I am looking into this situation and improvements will follow. I value any and all input from Sowallers and all guests. Food should be available until 1:30 a.m. guests should be served promptly and with a smile. Again, thanks very much for your input.


Dave Rauschkolb

😀 I have lived in south walton county for the last six years. I go to bud and alley's at least twice a week. I have quite a few things to say about the original comment. Number one, if you are such a local, you wouldn't have had to give a credit card, they would know you. Second, do you really think it was smart to go to Bud and Alley's on a Friday night at 9:30 in July. And why would you bring an underage girl in there and expect special treatment. RULES ARE RULES!!! Get over yourself! Bud and Alley's is no longer that quiet little local spot on the beach, it's a bar. From cursing to unpaid tabs to fights to people taking there clothes off these guys have to deal with it all. :bang: I have worked in the service industry for the last 15 years and know your type. You come into a restaurant expecting the worse, wanting to be treated bad so you can go blog about it. You will never be happy and I feel sorry for you.

P.S. You can get a drink anywhere but for some reason they are packed every night of the week... they must be doing something right.

That's pretty harsh BB1! They definitely are locals (as if that should matter) and I'll give you that rules are rules for those that are underage but everyone should be given good service when they are out for the evening. I don't believe they were asking for too much.

By the way, these same bloggers were very complementary of the Seaside Repertory Theater on that same evening. ;-)

😀 I have lived in south walton county for the last six years. I go to bud and alley's at least twice a week. I have quite a few things to say about the original comment. Number one, if you are such a local, you wouldn't have had to give a credit card, they would know you. Second, do you really think it was smart to go to Bud and Alley's on a Friday night at 9:30 in July. And why would you bring an underage girl in there and expect special treatment. RULES ARE RULES!!! Get over yourself! Bud and Alley's is no longer that quiet little local spot on the beach, it's a bar. From cursing to unpaid tabs to fights to people taking there clothes off these guys have to deal with it all. :bang: I have worked in the service industry for the last 15 years and know your type. You come into a restaurant expecting the worse, wanting to be treated bad so you can go blog about it. You will never be happy and I feel sorry for you.

P.S. You can get a drink anywhere but for some reason they are packed every night of the week... they must be doing something right.

beachbaby, calm down!!!!

• First being a mother I am not able to nor want to go to a bar twice a week.
• I dont mind giving a credit card and never said that was a problem.
• If they had been busy we would have left. It was a THursday night, not Friday, and it was not busy.
• If an underage person is allowed in Tarpon club until 10:00 then 10:00 it is. I dont think that any special treatment was asked for....just to let her in for a little bit. He (security guy) was not wanting to let her in at all.
• You need to get over yourself! You dont know me or my friends. I have waited tables, bartended, cooked, managed front of the house and have seen it all. I have been able to do all this from a bad attitude. Nothing I have said in my posts are rude. I am just stating what my perception of the night was.
• I am a happy person and do not expect the worse. Come on, we were wanting to go and have a good time. We had just seen a wonderful comedy at the REP and were ready for more good times.
• They are packed b/c of location IMHO......I have received many pm's on this particular subject from people who do not want to post for everyone else to see but who understand my frustration.

TAKE A CHILL PILL!!!

"Locals" who felt entitled to special treatment, tried to get an underage person in/served, and then had poor service and had to use a credit card to start a tab?

I've noticed a lot of service industry folks seem to have "post-4th of July" burnout from dealing w/ all the arses. Hopefully this was all this is.

Never been a bouncer, but not letting in an underage person 1/2 an hour or less before they are not allowed seems like a judgment call. He might have been trying to avoid escorting them out again soon.

😀 I have lived in south walton county for the last six years. I go to bud and alley's at least twice a week. I have quite a few things to say about the original comment. Number one, if you are such a local, you wouldn't have had to give a credit card, they would know you. Second, do you really think it was smart to go to Bud and Alley's on a Friday night at 9:30 in July. And why would you bring an underage girl in there and expect special treatment. RULES ARE RULES!!! Get over yourself! Bud and Alley's is no longer that quiet little local spot on the beach, it's a bar. From cursing to unpaid tabs to fights to people taking there clothes off these guys have to deal with it all. :bang: I have worked in the service industry for the last 15 years and know your type. You come into a restaurant expecting the worse, wanting to be treated bad so you can go blog about it. You will never be happy and I feel sorry for you.

P.S. You can get a drink anywhere but for some reason they are packed every night of the week... they must be doing something right.

At Bud & Alley's at least twice a week, eh?
:idontno: curiously strong "altoids"...

I go to Bud & Alleys quite often and have always been treated great by the staff. I think that anyone who frequents the bar will agree that the staff does a great job of recognizing familiar faces, names and drinks. I also feel that anybody that has worked at a bar with anything near the volume that BA's receives would agree that they handle it pretty well. I think that if you want to go the upstairs, try to keep in mind that it is a bar.

"Locals" who felt entitled to special treatment, tried to get an underage person in/served, and then had poor service and had to use a credit card to start a tab?

I've noticed a lot of service industry folks seem to have "post-4th of July" burnout from dealing w/ all the arses. Hopefully this was all this is.

Never been a bouncer, but not letting in an underage person 1/2 an hour or less before they are not allowed seems like a judgment call. He might have been trying to avoid escorting them out again soon.

Scooterbug

• never said we wanted special treatment
• did not want to serve the underage person
• what is the deal about the credit card? I did not have a server and so the bartender needed one to take my food order.....

can we beat this dead horse any longer????? my dawg is hungry...😀

Are you kidding me?! I am an ex-local who moved away and still get to come down and visit alot. I think B & A's is one of the best places in the world. To say nothing of the staff, who work their tails off to deliver drinks to a sometimes "less than sober" crowd. Sit at the bar sometime and watch any one of the bartentenders, who are busy serving drinks, trying to keep things stocked and smiling, even though they have worked all season long, all night long. I am very impressed with them all. Of course, some are better than others, but everyone of them are working hard to make YOUR visit beter. Quit slamming Bud and Alley's staff.....go have a drink!!!!! Tracy

Are you kidding me?! I am an ex-local who moved away and still get to come down and visit alot. I think B & A's is one of the best places in the world. To say nothing of the staff, who work their tails off to deliver drinks to a sometimes "less than sober" crowd. Sit at the bar sometime and watch any one of the bartentenders, who are busy serving drinks, trying to keep things stocked and smiling, even though they have worked all season long, all night long. I am very impressed with them all. Of course, some are better than others, but everyone of them are working hard to make YOUR visit beter. Quit slamming Bud and Alley's staff.....go have a drink!!!!! Tracy

There is no doubt that those folks work hard and as someone who's bartended and served for years, I would be the first to say I couldn't work there. I would burn out in a second. That said, I still don't like the feeling I get when I'm on the other side of the bar. Just feels unwelcoming. :idontno:

Two statements:

Poor Service

Attitude

I'd rather go spend my money in Grayton Beach. Or if I want the view, I'd go to Old 98. At least THEY always provide:

Great Service

Excellent Attitude

Perhaps B&A has the left-overs who couldn't cut-it in customer service?:idontno:

Perhaps B&A has the left-overs who couldn't cut-it in customer service?:idontno:

That's really harsh. 😱

Just stating the experiences that I have had at B&A vs a multitude of other places on 30A, Sandestin and Old 98...

Just facts......their service and attitude over the past couple of years is going "South" compared to the rest....

May be harsh....but factual.....Truth sometimes hurts...and David NEEDS to hear it....

I wish them well and maybe this will be a wake-up call.....

Was just reading a trip report on Trip Advisor and out of the blue, the guy posting mentioned Bud and Alley's "above average food, below average service".

I am always a bit skeptical of first time posters on any forum who buzz in, drop a post on a local "hot topic", and are never heard from again. Makes you wonder if Dave had a talk with his staff!