National on 8th — Restaurant in Calgary

My experience at this location started off very fun in the rooftop part of the facility, as I was proceeding through the night I became rather drunk (to my own demise) and wanted to ask the bouncer infront of the vip section how to get in, the conversation went a little like this to what I recall Me: “how do I get into the vip section” Bouncer: checks my arm (I’m assuming for a stamp “your not getting in here please leave” Me: “nah I’m just asking how do I get into the vip section” Bouncer: “leave right now your not getting in there” Me: “I’m literally just asking how to get in, do I have to pay money?” Bouncer: “that’s it your out of here”

After this point in time the bouncer grabs me and starts to take me to the exit stairs, I’m very confused and intoxicated at this point (I’m assuming the bouncer disregarded me and what I had to say because of my intoxication) and I’m asking the bouncer if we can stop pushing me very aggressively and if I can clear up the situation as I was asking a question.

Very soon after the bouncer started to be aggressive with me the owner of this nationals or the manager came and immediately started to join the aggressive nature of the bouncer and she started to yell and tell me that I had to go

At this point in time we are in the stairwell and I’m asking if we can stop for a second so we can talk and I can clear up the situation with the manager, she continues to yell at me and tell me that I’m leaving the building, I finally get confirmation with her that we can talk about it and clear it up once we get to the bottom floor and outside, I’m happy with this because it’s my chance to rationally discuss the situation at hand, all be it I’m still very intoxicated, so at this point I believe I stop the small amount of resisting that I was doing because I knew I was getting a fair chance.

The entire way the bouncer and manager were extremely aggressive with me and escalated the situation to an astronomically ridiculous degree to what I asked.

We got to the exit and left the building and I tried to have a conversation with the manager, I tried to clear it up, while she interrupted me consistently and arrogantly pursued this discussion Me: *trying to explain that I was asking him a mere question and was not trying to actively get in Manager: *she replies with “my bouncer tells me you were harassing him and offered him money to get into the vip section” “I believe my bouncer over you”

Making it seem as if I tried to bribe the bouncer and disregarding what I had to say and the validity of my part in the situation. which was extraordinarily embarrassing in and outside of nationals.

And through this conversation it went no where because of the bosses arrogance and ignorance towards me.

I have read other Google reviews of nationals on 8th and there was a specific one addressing the aggressive nature of the bouncers and managers after her friend had passed out in the washroom and the bouncers aggressively kicking them out and dragging the girl causing her injury.

This was met with a response by the manager (whom I assume to be the same manager I met last night) giving an extremely generic unapologetic copy paste reply of an apology. The apology consists of the manager trying to make steps for the future to stop this aggressive nature and stop a situation like this from happening again. I don’t believe after having this experience and witnessing this other google review That the manager is at all concerned with trying to fix that situation and I’m making a guess that she enjoys the power trip of being the manager and kicking out individuals.

I just want to restate that I was intoxicated during this situation so there can be small points where I could have potentially been incorrect. Non the less I would like to here the managers perspective and have a chance to either talk with her in person face to face so we are on the same level and if not that then have a phone...

My guests and I had the worst time for our scheduled dinner. I called National and coordinated with them for about two weeks on a dinner reservation I had for 30 people. They were all cool about it and said we would have dinner inside then move to the rooftop patio after if we wanted. I asked multiple times if it's okay that people are 30 minutes late and they said it was fine.

However, the moment we got to National, there were two huge line ups stretching for blocks. I went to the front and asked the bouncers if I could come inside passed the line to make it for my dinner (I arrived at 7:50 PM and dinner was for 8:00 PM). They said I needed to wait in line. What? You want me to wait in a large line just to get into my dinner for 8:00 PM? There was no way I would make it in time. I was also never told to arrive an hour early or so during the amount of times I talked on the phone with them. I then told the bouncers I have a reservation and how could they expect me to arrive on time while waiting in line? They said I wasn't on the guest list. What?

I called the manager and she said she was going to come down and grab me and some of my guests outside. She came down to let us in, and told us we need stamps to get inside, so we got them. However, as she was leading us she said "your guests have 15 minutes or else their seats will be given away and they will have to wait in line". Seriously? It's 8:00 PM and you are only giving them 15 mins? I messaged all of my guests to hurry to the bouncers and say they were with me and to make sure to get a stamp to get in.

It got worse when we were actually inside. She told me to talk to the other manager as soon as we were inside to find our table. That was a nightmare. No one was around and it was crowded. The "manager" I finally ended up talking to said we "had the wrong stamps". At that point I got furious and he finally understood what was happening, so he apologized and got another guy to lead us to our table. The problem was people already took our seats! I asked them nicely that we have them reserved and they kindly said that they would leave. Then the phone calls begin.

It wasn't even 8:15 PM yet, and already my guests were calling me saying that the bouncers weren't letting them in despite saying they were with me and that they needed stamps. I had enough. I grabbed my current group and we decided to leave. As we were exiting, the bouncers were like "where are you guys going?" I said "we're leaving because you're making my guests wait outside." The guests that were waiting in the lines came to the front to join the rest of us. The bouncer claimed "I've been letting your friends in" when my other guests interjected and called out the bouncers saying "no you didn't. We asked you guys and you told us to go to the back of the line".

The bouncers started to look ashamed and didn't want us to go. They were nice after and said "listen, I don't want you guys to leave. I will let in all your guests regardless of what time it is. The only problem is that I don't know about the table situation." I let him know that "well that's nice of you, but that was the expectation to begin with. We want to have a dinner not club upstairs or whatever. Plus our tables are taken away anyways". And with that my group and I bid them farewell, and The Metropolitan Grill down the block took us all in right away!

At least our night ended well at The Metropolitan Grill, and I do enjoy National on 10th. However, the location on 8th just deserves a one star after this fiasco. I don't care if you guys are a club or an apathetic establishment that cares little about your customers and what I have to say, but the bottom line is that you're a business. Is this the way you treat your customers? There's no excuses either as I have planned this event with National for about two weeks. The moral of this story is go to National on 8th for a clubbing / bar experience, but never to...

Extremely traumatic experience at nationals on 8th! I have heard many stories of excessive force used at this location, but I witnessed it firsthand this Friday night when I was out with my two friends for a birthday. It was the start of our night and we had just barely started drinking. Suddenly, my friend who seemed completely fine and coherent just moments ago, collapsed by the toilet in the bathrooms and became barely responsive. This was extremely concerning to me as I had drank with this friend enough times to know that the very few drinks we had had that night could not have had this effect! When a manager came to handle the situation it immediately escalated. Having personally worked in the customer service industry for years I was shocked and appalled by the language and tone I was met with. My other friend and I were not being combative at all, simply trying to comply and help our friend. I witnessed staff aggressively and carelessly rip her off the toilet, throwing her over their shoulders, her head clocking back and her feet dragging on the concrete floor. They proceeded to drag her through the kitchen to the stairs. Everything happened very quickly. There was no concern for her well-being. Just to get her out. Any time I would try to touch her or asked to put her shoes on or even simply just look back to make sure she was okay, I was immediately yelled at and told to keep moving. I felt completely helpless and intimidated by staff as I witnessed them abuse, and dehumanized my friend. Thrashing her about like she was just deadweight. Once they got her outside, they threw her on the pavement in a dress for everyone walking by to witness. I voiced my concerns many times about the possibility of my friend being drugged as we had not had much to drink but was quickly and aggressively shot down by the manager saying that she would be incoherent if she had been drugged and she must just be drunk. Even though my friend was in and out of consciousness, and almost completely unresponsive during the whole interaction. However, I still complied. Trying to de-escalate the already very scary situation. The only word my friend was able to say while she laid there was ambulance. The manager refused to call the ambulance telling me she’d be fine. Even after the horrible treatment I witnessed them inflict on my friend, I trusted that they wouldn’t put their own reputation ahead of the life of a young girl. Obviously looking back now I was wrong. Thankfully, we were able to get a ride and get her safely home. However, because of the treatment of the staff at this establishment, my friends feet were left bloody from being dragged by staff and her hair ripped out from being stepped on while she laid in the streets. she will forever remember her 19th birthday not as a night where she went out and had fun with her friends, but as a night she was probably drugged, and then horribly mistreated by staff and left to go home, bloody and wounded. I will never be returning to this establishment and I hope for the safety of yourselves and your loved ones you...