STOCK BAR — Restaurant in Toronto

I’m writing this review about 2 weeks after my actual experience. Our waitress, Danielle was amazing, the management is what ruined our dinner.

I was invited to a dinner in which I was being celebrated, along with a colleague of mine. The party was originally for 10, but we ended up being a party of 13. We’re a group of adults working in the real estate industry, many of us are managers. Our reservation was for 5:30 pm majority of the party was there before 6:00 pm. By approximately 6:20 pm, the table was sat with the exception of 1 person. Several drinks and apps were ordered by this time. A women came to the table and immediately started questioning a friend of mine about the reservation. She did not identify who she was ( later determined a manager ) She also did not ask who made the reservation in an attempt to privately discuss her reservation concerns with that person. However, instead, she spoke loud enough that half the table, and those around could hear her telling us 1) our reservation was too big 2) we have a minimum spend now, and was questioning if we could honour that 3) if we’ll be done in time for other reservations coming in after us. It was awkward sitting there as a guest being honoured hearing this conversation as it was making me, and the other guests who heard this conversation, feel unwelcome and like our night was an inconvenience. For someone in hospitality - a manager- she lacks a hospitable attitude/ personality.

Through out the evening we had several persons pass by our table watching / observing, standing in the corner and pointing at the group which made us all feel unwelcome. I spoke to the hostess after the manager left our table, and that’s when I learned that our last guest was inconvenienced by being told to sit at the bar because “ the table is over sat”. Not sure why they felt it appropriate to inconvenience a guest ? Great service.

Once our plates were cleared, we chatted for a bit ( max 10 minutes ) while waiting for a dessert menu or coffee menu to be offered, but did not get that. What we did get was another manager approaching the table telling us that we had to leave, another table needed to be sat. Seconds later, our bill appeared.

A member in our party approached the first manager and let her know how we felt and that the experience wasn’t great. Her reaction was dismissive of the interaction.

Although we were in a “ time crunch” we only had 1 server, and there was no priority given to the table to bring plates out, but we were made to feel responsible for ensuring we left the table on time.

Danielle ( our 1 server ) though overwhelmed, was pleasant, polite, knowledgeable and kind. We asked if our party was a problem to her, she said she didn’t see a problem with the party.

Patti/Patricia was the first female manager. We found out her name after asking another staff member. ( she did not identify herself by name or position ) she’s great at heavy sighs and eye rolls.

There was 1 more manager, but I’m not sure her name because again STOCK Bar managers don’t wear name tags, they don’t have manners, nor do they feel it appropriate to introduce themselves when approaching a table to start their guests evening off with ensuring they know they have to leave.

The other sister restaurants under the STOCK family have always been great. I’ll go there,...

A Disappointing Experience at STOCK: A Lack of Understanding and Respect

I recently had an unfortunate encounter at STOCK, which left me feeling incredibly disappointed and questioning the management's understanding of loyalty and democracy. As a loyal vegetarian for many years, I expected my dietary choices to be respected and accommodated, but sadly, that was not the case.

During my visit, I kindly requested that they exclude meat from one of the pizzas I ordered. To my surprise, the response I received was a simple "NO" due to the busy kitchen. This initial denial was disheartening, but what truly bewildered me was the reasoning provided by another manager. They stated that removing the meat might affect the taste of the pizza, implying that the taste of one individual should outweigh the values and choices of others. It's important to remember that taste preferences vary greatly among individuals, and it is unfair to prioritize one person's preferences over another's ethical considerations.

Despite engaging in a conversation with two managers, it became evident that they had no intention of rectifying the situation or taking my request seriously. This lack of effort and refusal to remove a single ingredient was profoundly disrespectful and showed a clear disregard for my personal choices and values.

As a regular customer at STOCK, often visiting for lunch due to the proximity to my office, this experience has left me deeply disheartened. In the past, I had enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and the quality of their food. However, this recent encounter has made me question whether the management truly understands the meaning of loyalty and democracy. Loyalty, in its essence, means acknowledging and appreciating the preferences and values of your customers, while democracy implies respecting the choices and opinions of individuals, even when they differ from the majority.

It is my sincere hope that the management at STOCK reconsiders their approach and recognizes the importance of accommodating diverse dietary preferences. By doing so, they can create an inclusive environment where all customers feel respected and valued. Until then, I find it difficult to continue supporting a business that fails to comprehend the significance of loyalty...

I was excited to visit Stock Bar again because I had such an amazing experience the first time I came, but unfortunately yesterday was one of worst dining experiences I've had. I don’t think I’ve written a negative review on Google and slept on writing this one for a day, but felt as though I should post it.

I would have given this restaurant one star, but the food was fine. It was the service our party received that was terrible. Perhaps our server had been overworked or they were having a bad day, but from our first interaction, they were unkind and condescending. I asked if they could make an Americano (the cocktail version) and they answered the only one that existed was of the espresso kind. Okay - fair, it was not on the menu, and I did not want to bother them with making something that was not on it. I even apologized for this. We ordered sparkling water to start, and throughout our whole meal, we were not asked if we wanted another bottle or more water. Same goes for our beverages - we had to ask for the drinks menu again, and then had to flag our server to order. Looking back, I was the person saying "sorry" to our server for flagging them down and asking for things when I should not have apologized at all.

When the bill came, we split it in two (we were a party of 5). I had also asked if I could use a gift card I received and our server said no it was too late. Honestly, I would have been okay with that answer if they had said it with a little more remorse. It was the way they said it that was rude and blunt. At that point we just paid (our bill was about $400 total) and I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I left Stock Bar feeling so intimidated by our server and sad. I had such an amazing experience the first time I visited last summer, this time around didn't even compare.

I will not be coming back here and will not be using the gift card I received because of how awful I felt after yesterday's...