Mercantile Social — Restaurant in Alpharetta

What began as an exciting evening with friends quickly turned into an uncomfortable, unwelcoming, and ultimately traumatizing experience. A group of us visited Mercantile Social to experience the Harry Potter pop-up bar after my friend's TikTok review of the event went viral.

During the evening, my friend (a woman) and I went to use the restroom. There was only one single-stall bathroom downstairs. After waiting for approximately five to six minutes, we entered after seeing two Caucasian women exit together. It is common for women to use restrooms together for safety reasons, so we thought nothing of it.

Moments after entering, we were met with aggressive banging on the door. When we opened it, we were immediately yelled at by a man who was later identified as the owner. His expression was filled with rage, and he demanded that we leave the premises. Confused and caught off guard, we asked why we were being removed, especially since two Caucasian women had just exited together moments before us. There were no signs indicating that using the restroom together was prohibited.

The owner then called over two security guards. At that point, I located the two women who had used the restroom together before us, and they were equally confused as to why we were being singled out. Despite explaining this to the security guards and the owner, we were dismissed without explanation. One security guard even followed my friend upstairs as we retrieved our jackets after dining downstairs.

We pleaded for clarification, reiterating that we had no way of knowing this supposed "rule" and that we had just seen others do the same. The owner—a heavier-set Caucasian man with a beard, an accent, a backward cap, and a red plaid shirt—had been friendly earlier in the evening, taking our orders and engaging in conversation. That friendliness vanished as he humiliated us, treating us as if we were criminals.

Leaving the establishment, I was overwhelmed with sadness. The way the owner looked at us, the aggression in his tone, and the humiliation we endured were deeply unsettling. We were treated with hostility and denied the same consideration given to others.

This experience felt discriminatory—both sexist and racist. We were not given a warning or a second chance like our Caucasian counterparts. Instead, we were singled out, humiliated, and forced out. It was an unacceptable and disturbing encounter, and no one should have to experience such treatment.

This establishment isn’t even worthy of a single star, but unfortunately, zero...

Hi Jodi/Vinnie (It's Dalton, I’m really sorry about this!) I figured this would be more effective as a review, then a first text between us in years lol. I actually used to work for the owners, who are legitimately the loveliest and most caring people. You've never met someone that truly cares about your experience more than the owners. However, last night I brought a group of my friends to enjoy some late night drinks for my birthday, and had the WORST person to have ever be hired into customer service.

1st of all, I simply asked if my old friend, Joe, was working there and he laughed in my face. I just wanted to say hi lol

2nd of all, he was playing on his phone for about 2 solid minutes while 90% of the bar was waiting for a drink. I had to yell to him, which he looked VERY bothered by. I apologized to him, it's just that I know I could do his job at 5x his speed and quality. But thankfully he took my drink order of "1 tropicalia in a can," and proceeded to take 10 minutes with it. But don't worry; he literally wasn't busy at all, but he made sure to to make the customer feel like him doing his job was a burden. He just moves at the speed of a Windows 98' screen saver.

3rd of all, and the reason I typed this up; I went up to the bar to get a random person a drink as a thank you. I put my tropicalia on the beer mat in front of me, and as he's taking forever to get me a new drink, he takes my still half full drink and throws it away. I said, "excuse me, sir, but one of you all just took my half full drink and threw it away." "Sorry, buy another." Me: But, sir, you literally just took an unfinished drink that I paid for and you threw it away. "No begging, buy another. I don't have time for this."

I have never wanted to jump over a bar top so bad.

Lastly, the bouncer with the dreads, lovely guy, was even supportive of my frustration with this bartender, as he saw everything and even had thoughts on the bartender's role. Apparently the bartender has a lovely ability of making himself often dislikable. Literally the WORST person to interact with people in public, at a family function, or whatever situation causes you the type of misfortune to have to encounter this loser.

Overweight, short-haired brunette guy with the gross goatee. Probably 50 but looking 60. I'd say his name, if he wasn't so forgettable as a personality. Do yourselves a favor, and let him go.

I love you guys, and I'm happy to delete this as soon as he's gone. Sorry,...

My husband and I had EVERY SINGLE DRINK from the Harry Potter menu. (Minus the Veritaserum since it's just tequila and we wewre Hella lit.) Where do we begin??? The vibes were incredible. Shout out to the decorator of the bar 10/10 ! I was at a bar in Diagon Alley! Let's talk about the drinks. Our favorites: The Goblet of Fire (presentation and taste!), The Second Trial (presentation and taste), Butterbeer (Claaaassiic), Bella's Black Heart (THIS was an experience! Embrace it, it's fabulous.), The Howler was Hella strong and would be enjoyed by scotch lovers, The Sorting Hat was fun and cute and can be personalized per your house!! (Also bring your wands if you have one!) We had the Mandrake Potion, High Inquisitor and Amorentia (Love Potion) as MOCKtails because we drank entirely TOO much. lol but they were a sweet treat. My husband enjoyed the Death Eater and the skull ice was a creative touch! We saved the Avada Kadavra for last because it tried to take us out!!!!! The glowing neon green was such a great touch! By the time we got to it though, we really only had the capacity for a few sips. FOR THE SHOTS!!: we had the Felix Felices, Polyjuice Potion, and Dementor's Kiss. They get increasingly strong, so we had them in reverse order and it was amazing! I was most impressed with Felix and Polyjuice. FOOD: We also had the plain fries and bruchetta with no cheese. They were both delicious and a great pairing with our "drink the whole menu" quest. lol

I also just realized that we forgot to order the "Free Elf!!" Somebody tell me how that was!!

Finally, I MUST talk about the service. What took this experience over the edge was the commitment to the theme! For the Goblet of Fire drink, I was able to write my name on a piece of paper with a GOLDEN QUILL!! (what?!?!!). The manager served our drinks and RECITED LINES from the movies to help create an immersive experience. My husband and I fully enjoyed our experience and will remember it forever. Thank you for making our first anniversary special ❤️ - 300 points...