The Waiting Room — Attraction in Durham

Came here as a group of 9 after a comedy show at the DPAC across the street on July 22nd. Really poor service unfortunately. We had to sit outside at their tables which is perfectly fine with us, however it was the fact that after we put in our order she told us they don’t have outside service and we would need to send someone in to grab our drinks and bring them out? Yet while we were sitting outside, there was a couple sitting at a table next to ours and she brought their drinks out… I don’t know what was going on but that really didn’t sit well with us. She then called out to us that our drinks were ready which 3 of us went in and all of our drinks were on one single tray which she could’ve brought out when she came out to tell us our drinks were ready..??? We were so annoyed we only stayed for that one drink and when we went in to pay there were about 4 people standing behind the bar just chatting and standing around which got us pretty upset at that point. The drinks were good but the service and “rules” made no sense.

How do you not have outdoor service but have tables and umbrellas outside for people to sit, plus you brought out another couples’ drinks right next to our table??? Based on that night we don’t care to come back with such backwards “rules” and...

I had a pretty strange experience at The Waiting Room. I came to the bar for a friend's birthday. Aside from our group of about 10 - 15 people, there were maybe 4 - 6 others in the bar. This did not at all seem like an overwhelming crowd for a bar, especially on a slow, rainy weeknight, however, the bartenders refused to let us open multiple tabs. One member of our party had to pay, and then they printed a receipt for us all to pay her back. I've never experienced anything like this before in a bar. The bartenders kept insisting that we were seated at a table and were provided table service, however, the place was not at all set up like a restaurant and I placed all of my drink orders at the bar...not from a table. The place also primarily serves cocktails, not food, so it seems like most people would assume that it functions like a bar and expect to be able to open a bar tab.

Aside from the very strange experience with paying for my drinks, the drinks themselves were great, the ambience was nice, and the location is good. The staff was polite. Do not recommend going here with a larger party. Perfect for a date night, a catch up with a friend or two, or...

I would go back to give it another shot because the atmosphere was phenomenal and the decor was lovely.

Cons. The service was not great. The host was lovely, but once I put in my order, I watched the ONE bar tender give basically a private wine tasting to two people who walked in. It took about 10 minutes for him to start making my drink. I do not mind waiting that long for a drink when there are many orders before me and bartenders are slinging drinks. This just wasn’t it. I don’t know if the bartender was the owner, but when they say they were opened by two friends who wanted to open a place, it’s definitely dude clubhouse over a hospitality focused cocktail bar. Someone else also mentioned that the drinks are not complex and I totally agree. I ordered something that should have had a massive flavor experience and instead it felt like a shot shaken with ice. If I paid $8-10 for it, it was fine. But for a premium cocktail price? I expect way more.

Anyway, I’m glad we have another cool spot, I hope they work out some issues, love...