The Tax Office — Restaurant in Brisbane City

I have a disclaimer: I won my birthday party from an Instagram competition at the Tax Office in Brisbane. [Apparently did so many other people] I would like to say that there were many issues with my whole experience in having an event at the Tax Office x Boujee and I would honestly not recommend anyone booking an event at the Tax Office. I received a call saying that I have won a birthday party at the tax office. I made sure to ask exactly what I would be receiving so I can plan my event accordingly. I was told that we would receive a complimentary drink for all guests that can include a pre-selected cocktail, beer, wine, and spirit. Complimentary nibbles, 3 canapes per person which was to include calamari, popcorn chicken, and arancini. I wrote all this down from our phone conversation to keep a record. On the night, we received one batch of vegetarian spring rolls and that was it (gluten free people received a taco each instead). After asking the reception hostess when the rest of the food was coming, they said there wasn’t anymore coming out. I was confused but didn’t make a fuss. I then asked at least when my chips were coming out then, because I had pre-purchased 4 bowls of $25 chips. They said oh ok I will send them out. The lack of clarity and incompetence astounded me. After receiving the chips, I would say that they are extremely overpriced. $25 for a bowl that can easily be $6-$10 anywhere else bewildered me. The complimentary drink ticket I was told at the bar, only served a standard drink. I again was confused because I was told it could have been a cocktail. The one spring roll I had was quite nice, and the basic spirit I got was also nice however the glass was very small. The event space was sophisticated and it was a really nice club/bar ambience until the music started getting so loud that you were screaming to the person next to you at the bar. The bar looked very fancy, however, there wasn’t much walking space around the since it took up so much of the room. The staff working that night didn’t seem approachable. None of the bar staff looked happy to be there. There was one waiter who was really nice though. Back to when the planning of the event was happening, the initial call was done with a lady and was told me I could email and ask about anything. I send multiple emails to this person with never any follow-up. I had to call them separately to ask them to reply to my email which is so unprofessional. This occurred 2 times, first time was when I had to ask the second time for the function menu, and the second time was when I was fixing my guest numbers and ordering food. It was frustrating and stressful, as I am a planner, and would expect someone dealing with events to also plan or assist in people wanting to plan their events there. I honestly know that because my event was a ‘free event’, I wouldn’t be treated as well as other paying guests. I just didn’t imagine that things would be so unorganised. If someone says “You should be grateful to have received a free event”, then I would ask you, why would the initial person have lied to me about what was included? What is there to gain from that? I made sure I had clear information so I could plan and order more food accordingly. I would’ve ordered more food if that was the case. However, with the prices and evidence in the bowl of chips, I would be very very reluctant. Looking at other reviews on Google, it seems like this birthday event is a scam and honestly I would agree. There are lots of mixed reviews regarding the birthday parties and perhaps I just drew one of the shorter straws this time. If you ‘win’ one, take it with a grain of salt, and do not expect much. The event was filled with constant disappointments both while trying to plan the event as well as on the actual night. Therefore, if anyone had any sanity of wanting to plan a nice birthday that was relatively simple and worth the price, I would never send them to Tax...

My bestie won the ‘birthday booth’ at Tax Office booked for 9:30pm on February 28th. A few friends arrived early to check on the booth but staff had no idea what they were talking about.

We were under the impression that the package included a booth, table service and free entry for the birthday girl and her guests. However upon arrival we were told there were no booths available. This was extremely disappointing especially since we were told we could bring 10 to 50 guests only to be left standing around a table.

Most clubs that offer birthday booths include a free bottle but instead the birthday girl was given unlimited drinks in a cheap plastic pineapple cup for basics only. We weren’t informed of this restriction until we tried to order at the bar. No vodka redbulls or even a proper birthday cocktail which was again disappointing.

At the door we were also told that the $25 guest vouchers and free entry were only valid until 10:10pm giving us less than 40 minutes to use them. This was never mentioned beforehand making it yet another frustrating surprise.

The service was terrible. We waited over 10 minutes at the bar just to order then another 10 minutes for my cocktail which was left sitting at the end of the bar without anyone informing me. The door girl completely ignored me when I tried to ask a question even as I stood right in front of her. I had to wave and say ‘excuse me’ just to get her attention.

This entire experience could have been avoided if the venue simply emailed the birthday person with clear details about what the birthday booth package actually includes. It’s ridiculous.

I also noticed several similar reviews from three months ago, ten months ago and multiple from a year ago so it’s clear that nothing has changed and management doesn’t care about returning customers. We left shortly after 10pm. Overall the entire experience was filled with constant disappointments and we will not be returning. If someone wanted to plan an stress-free, enjoyable birthday, I would never recommend Tax Office. Please don’t bother replying with your template response Tax Office, instead maybe put some effort into the very sad free events...

Whilst the venue is beautifully decorated , there is minimal consideration for customer service or experience . We were invited to a birthday event which a family member had won on social media however left feeling quite disappointed . The competition requires you to put down a deposit and ensure you have a minimum number of people , the posts online suggest that it is a VIP experience (waiters with sparklers and bottle service etc) however upon arrival there was no designated space for the guests we were told that we could just sit/stand anywhere except for sectioned off booths unless we wanted to buy a bottle of Belvedere vodka (which was 2000$ mind you) . Not once did anyone make an effort to come check in , ask us how the night was going it all seemed very bizarre and just a ploy to get 20 people in the venue rather than having actually won a competition .

The toilets are up two flights of stairs ,which makes the venue highly inaccessible for those who may have mobility challenges . This also is a worry given the venue serves alcohol and there were patrons clearly affected going up and down these stairs .

At one point in the evening I stepped outside to take a phone call , when I tried to re enter the venue they wanted me to line up (despite there being no one in the line) . It just seems as though they are desperate for patrons and will do anything to make it seem as though it is this high end , popular club when in fact it was quite dead at 11 pm on a Friday night .

I won’t even bother commenting on the security’s response to a patron being asked to leave . There could have been serious repercussions given the excessive force used and other staff/ men having to hold one security guard back due to his demeanour .

Overall there is so many other venues in the valley that offer a customer focussed experience that doesn’t leave you feeling...