Heart & Crown - Preston Street — Restaurant in Ottawa

Below you will see a review that I wrote about a week and half ago (a line separates this current commentary from the previous one). I am always willing to offer a local business the chance of "turning things around", that is, addressing a negative experience so that a client feels they've been genuinely listened to and that changes are made to valid concerns.

In this case that is exactly what happened. After the experience described below, I was in touch with Lynda Schaap, Office Manager and Controller for all Heart and Crown pubs in Ottawa. She read my review below and as a result took action to address issues regarding a "special order" item and attitude of staff.

As a result, Ms. Schaap has changed the way "special order" items are charged to the client, making the cost more in line with the value of the food item. I know that she also talked with her employees at Preston St. to improve customer service and the way they interact with clients. Thank-you, Lynda, for the way you responded to my concerns. It is greatly appreciated.

Hi Lynda, I just saw your response below, and yes, I'd offer any other feedback that would be helpful to you. Thanks again.

Today this Heart and Crown has no "heart" and hardly any customers, maybe that's why when my friend and I stopped in for a light lunch today she was charged $18 (taxes in) for a simple BLT sandwich and a small dill pickle, yes, just a BLT sandwich, no side of fries or side of salad. A BLT on white bread, that was it.

Of course she was shocked when she saw the bill for the sandwich, I was too. She complained first to the waiter, then to the manager who didn't take it all that well, and who demonstrated a real lack of PR skills in dealing with the customer. Course 101: the customer is always right, then negotiate something everyone can live with (he could have reduced the cost and I believe that would have solved the issue), and while doing so be congenial and keep your cool. The same goes for the waiter, both waiter and manager became angry and insulting. No "heart" here.

She should have been told the cost of the sandwich before it was ordered. To charge $18 for a simple sandwhich was outrageous. Finally, after quite an animated discussion, the manager finally tore up the bill, but only after a discussion on his part that lacked any logic -- he tried to justify an amount that had no relationship to this meagre sandwich, simply bacause it was a "special...

I’ve been coming to this place for the past six years. My experiences have always been mixed with the staff, but I live in the neighbourhood and enjoy the vibe, live music overall.

I’ve never been asked for ID here before, but last weekend, as I approached the door, the security guard physically pushed me back and rudely asked for my ID while still holding me. I politely asked him to remove his hand while I took out my ID, but he continued to push me back. I showed him my ID and pointed out that his behavior was rude—without using any aggressive language or profanity. He then told me and my friend to leave.

I’M IN MY 30S AND HAVE BEEN A REGULAR HERE, OFTEN BRINGING OUT-OF-TOWN FRIENDS. I’VE NEVER BEEN ASKED FOR ID IN THE PAST SIX YEARS, NOT EVEN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, SO I WASN’T EXPECTING IT NOW.

The security guard wasn’t even looking in our direction. If he had been more attentive, he could have simply asked for our IDs beforehand, and we would have complied. His lack of respect was shocking, and I can’t believe someone would be kicked out for calling out such behavior.

I live in the neighborhood, and this is a local bar, not a nightclub. It’s disheartening to see how this ruined our night.

Additionally, I’ve noticed that other South Asians have complained about disrespectful service, indicating a troubling pattern. I’ve experienced glares and avoidance here, which I usually try to ignore and enjoy my night. However, I can’t help but notice the difference in how our table has been treated when I’m with white friends compared to when I’m with other minorities in the past(Service being slow, avoidance, people at bar not smiling and being welcoming amongst others). Though I typically don’t write reviews about these experiences, the recent incident profoundly affected me, especially as I was with other immigrants when we were refused entry.

After discussing these issues with other minorities following my incident, it’s clear that racial discrimination is evident from my perspective. And I wanted to write about this.

After over six years of coming here, I will never return. I advise South Asians—especially immigrants—to avoid this place and encourage them to share their negative experience of this place. As our community...

My group and I visited on a Tuesday night and we came in fairly close to their closing time for the day (something we were unaware of as it was only 10:30 but fair) immediately we felt unwelcomed by our server she was a blonde pregnant server. We asked to sit on the patio and it took another 10 minutes before we even got waters. She asked if we wanted food and we all said we wanted to just get drinks for the night, but needed more time to decide she seemed extremely mad about it (I’m mostly assuming because we were a younger group ages 19-22 so maybe she felt as if she couldn’t trust us). Two of our friends ordered drinks while the rest discussed leaving as we were feeling anxious about her attitude. When she brought the drinks she slammed them on the table and brought the checks without us asking and said we needed to leave in 15 minutes. She looked over at one of our friends who had her eyes closed for a couple seconds ( no exaggeration) and said “girl at the end of the table you can leave if you’re going to be sleeping” I explained that she was just tired and wasn’t sleeping and was completely sober. She got super mad at my response, we saw her walk into the bar and yell to the bartender (assuming she was complaining about us. My advice to the server would be to just say “hey were closing soon just to give a heads up” if she had a problem with us coming in so late (reminder it was 10:20 who knows if it was their actual closing time or she just didn’t want to serve us cause she seems to hate her job). Super anxiety...