Fortress Melbourne — Restaurant in Melbourne

I went to Fortress Melbourne at the beginning of this month to celebrate my 30th on a Saturday night with my close friends that I haven’t seen in a while. Had booked one of the VIP booths a week prior and was really looking forward to it all week. Until I arrived and went to the reception counter that I was told all of the VIP booths were booked out and mine was double booked. I booked the booth at 7pm and everyone understood and agreed that we would leave and go home at 10pm. The manager offered a VIP booth for 11pm to 2am (which means waiting 4 hours to get it). He also offered a full refund for the booking, free rental on the board games they have (but we did bought our own) and $20 arcade cards for everyone in the group which was nice of him. We ended up sitting at the dining area with the long tall tables. I was sitting on one end while a couple were sitting on the other end and could not hear them for most of the night unless I get up and go over to their end. I also ordered a glass of coke that did not come while the rest of my friends who ordered after me got theirs and their food. I asked the waiter nearby about it and told me to go get it myself at the bar. The bartender told me there was a malfunction with the order machine and my order did not pop up. I was pretty upset for the rest of the night. There was no communication from Fortress prior to the booking, no email, text or call. The manager told me he had communicated with the other group who had my booth about the double book and the group said its for their birthday as well. I wished the manager would have communicated with me about it as well, if not a call, a text or email so at least its in writing and can look at later and at least we could salvage it. But instead, felt like the rug was pulled underneath me at the very last minute when I arrived. I was under the impression when I made the booking online a week prior it was wide open with availabilities, nothing greyed out or restricted and there were a handful of VIP booths. I do not understand how that double booking mistake did not get detected and realised until on the very night. The positives are the food, it is a good range. The games that are available and you can bring your own games as well. Everyone and the environment is great and looks like everyone is having fun. And the arcade cards the manager did gave us really did save the night and we all had a tonne of fun at the arcade. Even though at the end we all walked out with a blast from the arcade, it still left me with a sour taste in my mouth. It feels like I had been tricked. I was happy to pay for a service but it did not deliver. There needs to be fixes or something to help prevent this sort of thing from happening again and improvement of communication to all of the affected patrons BEFORE they arrive. Until then, now I believe, at least with Fortress, that just because I booked the booth and paid hundreds of dollars for it, does not mean its guaranteed that I will get a booth on the night and will hesitate to book a future event/celebration at Fortress. It was on my mind for a while but thought it needs to be said because it was my 30th, it mattered and want Fortress...

I have been going for Fortress since 2021, and had such a soft spot for it. It was our go-to place after conventions and events when we were in the city. Despite the rising prices, overpriced cocktails, and smaller food quantities, we went there every now and then and had a good time.

However, that has changed. This past weekend, a Fortress staff member wearing metal armour shoved a customer in the back as they walked by (they knew each other previously, but it was unprovoked. The patron didn't even realise they knew the staff member until after the shoving when they recognised them and went about their evening) and then said staff member went to the manager claiming the customer made them uncomfortable; they did not mention that they just barged into the patron unprovoked. In response, management: -kicked out the victim despite multiple eye witnesses claiming the customer did nothing wrong -said that "even if nothing happened, I need to protect my staff" -lied to those who posted about it online about checking the cameras, they have NOT checked the cameras as if they had, it would clearly show what multiple eye witnesses have said -deleted comments asking about what happened on their posts and comments from people calling them out -blocked people who have posted about their horrid treatment -now released a statement claiming "nup, we did nothing wrong, don't care to comment", they claim the staff member did nothing and that they were justified in kicking out a patron over a staff member's personal prior history with them years ago, something that had no relevance on the night.

That is abhorrent. That is utterly despicable behaviour. They are refusing to take criticism for one of their staff member, due to a personal history, shoving a patron, and refusing to acknowledge it. Even then, the core issue is that management, instead of relocating the staff member or offering other support such as sending them home or giving them time and space to calm down so they felt better, threw out a customer they claimed they were uncomfortable around. The customer wasn't aggressive, nasty, or anyway involved with the staff member at all. They didn't even know they were there until the staff member shoved them. And yet, management threw out someone who didn't even know they'd done the wrong thing, which was just showing up to a venue with their friends that they loved and had cherished memories in.

I am throughly disappointed; all this could be stopped with Fortress apologising for making an error (that came from the right place, as they genuinely meant to protect their staff but handled it terribly) and moving forward, aiming to be better. Instead, Fortress has decided it would rather allow assault and abuse in their venue than apologise for making a mistake. They would happily throw out people they don't personally like (who have just as much a right to be there as them and have remained polite and courteous) and will get in your face if you dare to challenge them.

So, if you want to go to a venue where you may be kicked out for no reason, the staff are freely allowed to assault customers, and management will block you for criticising them, this is the...

Earlier today, I was denied entry by a staff member—an Indian gentleman—despite providing multiple forms of identification.

To clarify, I presented my passport as well as another form of ID. I even offered to show my visa to further validate my age. This was not my first visit to Fortress, and I was accompanied by a friend who also presented his ID. I understand that age verification is necessary, but I believe I made a reasonable effort to prove that I am over 18. I did not have my physical ID on me, but I had everything on my phone, which should have sufficed in the rare case I forgot my physical ID. Typically, when I don't have my physical ID, my passport has been accepted in the past.

However, the staff member in question was adamant about not letting me in. Despite my clear attempt to reason with him and show my ID, he refused to engage further not even to look at my passport or visa or anything, and at no point did he express willingness to verify my age properly.

I am well over 18, and there was no reason for the staff member to deny me entry, especially on a weekday at 8:45 PM, which was hardly late.

I am extremely disappointed by this experience, as I simply wanted to play computer games, a leisure activity I’ve enjoyed at Fortress before. I expect better service and a more reasonable approach to ID verification in the future.

I hope this issue can be addressed to prevent similar situations from happening again.

UPDATE TO REPLY:

I understand that ID is required, and I had no issue with showing mine. I presented my passport and visa, and I was also willing to show a government-issued digital ID if needed. My main issue was with how your staff handled the situation. The employee didn’t even make an effort to look at what I was showing. He simply stated "physical only" without any willingness to engage or even check what I had. It was incredibly rude, and I felt completely dismissed.

What’s even more frustrating is that I’ve seen other one-star reviews about the same "Indian man" , and it seems the issue isn’t with the policy, but with his attitude and the way he handles situations like this. If he could have just been more professional and taken the time to properly engage, I’m sure your business could get far better reviews. It's not just about the policy, it's about how your staff treats customers.

I usually carry my ID, but this visit was spontaneous, and I would have gladly shown anything required. I find it unacceptable that your staff was so unhelpful and dismissive. I’ve been to Fortress many times before, but after this experience, I don't think I’ll be coming back. The lack of professionalism and respect was very disappointing, and as a business, you should really address this kind of behavior to ensure better experiences for...