Kittyhawk, NY — Restaurant in Sydney

Poor customer service.

We had a reservation booked for dinner here last week, and as per their online booking form I provided credit card details for the booking with the caveat that if we did not attend there would be a cancellation fee of $50 per person.

We arrived for the booking on time and gave our booking details to the waiter. Everything seemed fine, we enjoyed our night. However, the following day we noticed our card had been charged for not only our bill for the evening, but an additional $100 fee from Kittyhawk.

Given the lack of phone number on their website, I emailed them to explain what had happened and asked for them to call to arrange a refund, only to receive a curt response of "You did not attend so we charged you the cancellation fee" even though I had already explained that we had attended for dinner. I am now in a back-and-forth with their event manager who has yet to call me at this stage and and is making no effort to rectify THEIR mistake.

So disappointing, and total lack of care on the event manager's part. I get that mistakes like this can happen and I'm fine with that. But if you have taken undue fees from a customer you need to make a better effort in correcting this.

EDIT: A week on from this we're still yet to receive the refund. Second reply from event manager was "show me your bank statement as proof that you attended and we can take it from there". The undue $100 fee I can accept as an honest mistake but the continued rudeness and tardiness to recitfy this is something else. Would have appreciated even just a sentiment of "sorry". Am yet to receive a call back, or a reply to my email from 2 days ago showing my...

Disappointing Experience with Security at Kitty Hawk Bar

I attended Kitty Hawk Bar on Saturday night, 6th July, for a function with around 100 attendees. While the venue itself was satisfactory, our experience was severely marred by the conduct of one security staff member.

First, while we were at least 20 meters away from the establishment on the pedestrian sidewalk, this security lady approached us, rudely insisting we were too close to smoke. This was perplexing and felt unnecessarily confrontational, especially given our location well outside the immediate vicinity of the bar.

Additionally, throughout the night, we were never asked for ID upon entering and exiting the bar. However, when a group of females arrived, this same security lady suddenly prevented us from re-entering and admonished us for not being courteous to the group. Her behavior seemed erratic and inconsistent, and her refusal to check our IDs raised concerns about her priorities and judgment.

To make matters worse, another security man appeared to feel sorry for us, as if even he knew his colleague was being unreasonable. His sympathetic demeanor was appreciated but couldn't mitigate the negative impact of the female security staff's actions.

Overall, her attitude came across as a massive power trip, detracting significantly from what should have been an enjoyable evening. It's unfortunate that one staff member's conduct can negatively impact the reputation of the establishment. I hope the management addresses this issue to ensure a more respectful and professional environment for...

I booked this restaurant for my birthday with a group of 10 people. We knew in advance that the table was reserved for a 2.5-hour sitting, and we arrived within the 15-minute grace period. Still, from the moment we sat down, the staff reminded us at least five times that we’d need to leave by the end of the booking, which felt excessive and unnecessary. We were constantly reminded of the time, which made it really hard to relax and enjoy the evening.

Only two people at the table ordered main dishes, ordered an hour before the end of our booking. The rest of us ordered small plates and entrées, as we were having drinks and celebrating. Despite this, the pressure to leave started early on, making us feel rushed throughout. I caught myself looking at the clock at least eight times and that’s not what a good dining experience should feel like.

I had made it clear at the time of booking that this was a birthday celebration, but the only gesture from the team was a “happy bday” scribbled on the receipt, which honestly came across as a bit of a joke.

The worst part, though, was the attitude of the manager. My husband approached him to clarify some issues with the bill, and the way he reacted was completely unacceptable, defensive, dismissive, and rude. After we left, my husband wrote a review outlining our concerns. The restaurant’s response? “We hope you don’t come back.”

If that’s how a restaurant responds to a customer who chose their venue to celebrate another year of life with friends, then clearly the issue isn’t with the guests it’s with the...