Phil's Grandson's Place — Restaurant in Waterloo

I never make ratings, and I hate feeling like a Karen but here we are.

Last night both of my friends and I went out to Phils. The line was fairly short because we got in at around 10, and everything was going as expected (we have been there a few times before in the same group). We presented our tickets and IDs at the door as usual and everything went great. At maybe around 1.5 hours in the crowd started picking up, and I was dancing with my two friends.

FRIEND TAKEN (not with force tho) All of a sudden, security comes out of no where and tells my one friend that she has to go with him because she is "underage." He also said that her mom texted someone and apparently told them that she was underage, which was simply a completely false accusation. We asked if we could scan her ID again and they said no. As we are walking out, security had her ID and was trying to snap it because they thought it was fake. Why wouldn't they scan it or put a flashlight on it before snapping it? If her ID was taken from her she could no longer drive and many other problems would arise. This was completely unethical. Luckily, she pleaded for her ID back and they gave it back to her- without snapping it. May that be the only good takeaway from that evening. THANKS FOR NOT SNAPPING HER REAL ID!

PURE CONFUSION/LIES/DEFAMATION At this point we were also waiting for a separate group of friends to come, who unfortunately got to the club right as my friend was being kicked out. YAY! We were now all collectively standing outside of Phils with her, as she was calling her mom, to get the facts straight- because nothing seemed to make sense about their reasoning for kicking her out. Her mom said she never texted/called/told ANYONE that she is underage because 1. she's 19 and 2. she is aware that her daughter goes out and is fine with it. Later in the evening, still walking around uptown aimlessly, we decide to go back in and ask more questions. Only two people from the group walked in and were trying to find someone to speak to; because, keep in mind, only our ONE friend was kicked out- and they had told us that we could still re-enter the club after leaving with our friend when she was kicked out. They came back, after taking some shots at the bar, with intel. Apparently they were told that it was a temporary ban.

SORRY, TEMP BAN BUT REASON FOR BEING KICKED: UNDERAGE???!!!

So, if the reason was that she is underage, and that her mom told them so (which is weird because how would they be able to pick her out of a densely populated crowd of drunk and high people), why would she be allowed to come back anytime soon? How does that add up, at all? Why would they give the ID back after close examination instead of snapping it if they thought/implied that it was fake? We suspect the explanation is either people that know her from out of town that called in, knowing she was going out, resulting in them posing as her mom. Or, the reason they gave was just a complete LIE. Either way, the situation could have been handled better. From the outside looking in, everything our friend told security was done in a respectful manner as she only wanted answers, and someone to scan her ID. She even gave another form of identification which proved her innocence. At least it should. Apparently anyone can get kicked out for any reason, so just be mindful of this.

OVERALL RATING OF PHILS

I personally have been there 3 times, that evening being my 3rd. Each night I feel the same feeling of dread after going there, and the basement vibe is quite scary/sad. Maybe that's a me problem tho. Obviously as a student, a club is a club, and that is what you will get. But this club in specific will give you a unique experience. The air doesn't feel properly ventilated because it is extremely humid. The bathrooms are dirty, but obviously to be expected given it is a club. Who goes to a club for bathrooms anyways?? I personally wouldn't recommend this place. ANY other club in KW will give you a better experience! Not ever...

I wish there were negative star ratings just for Phil's. I have never been more disgusted by a staff in my LIFE. After only ten minutes time since being let in and checking my coat, I was kicked out for accidentally putting my sweater down in their staff room. As far as I know, there wasn't even a door to that "staff room." And if there was, it was WIDE open. The "staff room" sign wasn't at eye level, it was above the doorway, so I didn't see it. If I knew it was a staff room, I would never have gone inside. Which I didn't by the way, I didn't even set foot in the room. There was a large box like thing right by the doorway that had a whole bunch of stuff on it, like other sweaters, water bottles, and trash. I literally just tossed my sweater into the room (I didn't expect to ever see it again, because let's be real it's Phil's) and onto that surface. The entry way to that staff room was open to the entire public. Anyone could have gotten in there. In my opinion, a staff room should not only always be closed, but especially in a bar setting, I feel like it should be LOCKED. Two seconds later a security guard grabbed me by the arm (unnecessary as heck, all I did was put my sweater down, she did not need to touch me) and said "it's time to go." There were two guards and I must say I really appreciate that the male guard was a lot more respectful than the girl who grabbed me. He didn't touch me. I was so genuinely confused that I asked why and she told me that it's an "automatic out" for putting my sweater down in their staff room. While I do understand that customers are obviously not allowed in any staff room, it was very unclear that that was a staff room. It was wide open, so I don't know how they are allowed to punish you for going in when they don't take any precautions to keep people out.

Two things bothered me most about this situation: If it is so important for people not to enter your staff room that you kick people out for it, why is the room accessible to everyone? Why is the sign not at eye level where it can be seen? Why is there NOTHING keeping it enclosed from your bar crowd? Surely this does not keep your staff's belongings safe. The problem was simple: I accidentally put my sweater down somewhere it shouldnt be. The solution to this problem should have been just as simple as "you can't go in there, that's our staff room" followed by me saying sorry, collecting my sweater, and removing it from the room. Problem solved. Being kicked out is not necessary. Grabbing me by the arm is not necessary, and straight up rude, as I was not being rowdy or out of control. I was standing still and speaking.

As I was being walked out, I heard the security guard speak into her radio set and say "I've got a female coming out." I know they must kick people out on purpose to let more people in who will pay cover but honestly I can think of no better way to lose a customer than to be this disrespectful. Not that it matters because hey don't care about customers since they are packed every night and people will continue to go no matter what. But I never would have expected this from anywhere, even a shoddy place like this.

So here I am after being kicked out, alone outside in the cold (this sucked). When I finally found my boyfriend he had no coat on because he told me they lost it at coat check. ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS LITERALLY WHY PEOPLE PAY FOR COAT CHECK....TO NOT LOSE THEIR COAT. AND COAT CHECK LOST IT. Hahahaha everything about this staff was just terrible. Twelve thumbs down for service here, even with the lowest expectations. If you have customers who pay to be in your bar, you are expected to at the very least provide a neutral customer service experience. I didn't expect much coming in here, all I wanted was to dance and have drinks. I never would have expected it to be this bad. A truly...

clubs or other party facilities need to enforce respectful ground rules for their security guards. There are many cases where they are trying to “act” as the tough guy and use their power against situations where there is no need for any aggression. There was one incident where a group of individuals threw water and ice at another group of people… a security guard comes to the group that were the victims and claims to have seen someone throw water at the group that in reality had instigated the whole thing. The security guard comes and says “I saw someone throw water, who was it?”… now if you think about that question he asked …why would he ask who threw the water when he claims that he saw someone throw it.. if he saw someone who threw the water…why didn’t he tell them who it was? As the group kept asking who the security guard saw, the guard said “ I don’t want to deal with this right now” and attempts to grab the individual who asked the simple question. 3 guards were on that individual.. the individual was not aggressive. There were other witnesses and victims as well but the security guards were NOT professional at all and are not understanding. While they were escorted out (2 people that were victims and were not aggressive) one of the individuals asked if they could get their jackets… the guard yelled with aggression “we will deal with that once you guys get out”…as they got out..the security guards went straight back into the club..leaving the 2 individuals outside in the cold without their jackets. One of the individuals talked to the cops outside, the cop was VERY RESPECTFUL and UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION and told them what they needed to do to get back there jackets. This situation was actually filmed (for evidence) and one of the individuals who were escorted by one of the guards actually received a large scratch on her right arm. (Pictures were taken for evidence). If guards are not respectful towards their customers, many people will not have respect for them as well. If the guards were to listen and understand the situation properly, individuals who still need to be escorted out of the club would not have to question why they were kicked out, and why there was so much aggression used. There was really no need for all this aggression if the security guard told the group WHO he saw throw the water even if he did see someone throw the water. He basically threw out 2 victims that did nothing but ask reasonable questions that he could not answer. This is unacceptable and I would not be surprised if lawsuits were to come out of this situation or other...