Bantam Pub — Restaurant in Atlanta

Bummer! Today, I took a department head to Bantam with me. The department head was looking for an establishment to cater a function for her team and outside vendors. I had been bragging about the food, particularly the Bantam chicken sandwich and I convinced her to come with me to pick up an order I had placed over the phone. We were going to ask for a catering menu while there.

Unfortunately, we were totally ignored. We stood at the bar and weren't even acknowledged. There was only one other person at the bar, yet the waitress ignored us. She didn't even say, "I'll be right with you." Nothing. It was as if we weren't there at all. We certainly weren't welcome.

We waited patiently and then, minutes later, a third person walked up to the bar. She waited on him, but still did not acknowledge us. So, after she took care of that patron, I asked if I could please pick up the order I'd called in. She then snapped, and said something along the lines of "I was going to get to you all." I told her it would have been nice if she had just acknowledged us.

She handed me my order, which had been sitting there the whole time. I paid for my order. She didn't even say thank you... just walked off and talked to someone else. Bantam won't get this big order from my Fortune 500 company or others that may have come thereafter. Bummer. I really liked them...

I used to live in Atlanta, and I've been to a number of restaurants in the city. Because of its several good reviews, I decided to try out Bantam Pub. The food came out quickly, and our waitress was on point - until she didn't show up for almost half an hour. There's usually a story to these things, so please bear with me.

When it became unclear when our waitress would return, I went inside to see if I could get some idea about when the check would be coming.

Inside, the bar was completely vacant, except for the young blond bartender fixated on her computer and playing with the TV remote. Not wanting to interrupt her, I waited until I could get her attention. Another customer comes in, whom she promptly attends to. He gestures to me, saying, "I think he was here first." The bartender bypasses with a "That's fine," as if I had no real existence. It was then clear she had been ignoring me the entire time.

Customers should know the flagrant disrespect they may encounter if they find themselves trying to ask a simple question to a Bantam employee. The level of hospitality here was abysmal and insulting. Its understanding or even respect of customer needs, equally so. I will not be recommending this place to anyone...

I visited Bantam in Atlanta and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. The bartender was extremely rude from the moment I arrived. I walked up to the bar and waited politely for a drink, not being pushy or demanding in any way. Despite this, people who came up after me were served first, repeatedly.

At one point, the bartender looked directly at me, we made eye contact, and he said, “Okay, you need to hold on. I’ll be with you in a minute.” Then he proceeded to continue serving others who had just walked up, completely ignoring me.

Later, I approached the bar with a girl who knew some of the bartenders. The same bartender immediately greeted her and asked how he could help. When he realized I was with her and also placing an order, he seemed visibly annoyed. He served me one of the drinks I ordered, but the second—a simple Miller Lite—took 15 minutes to arrive.

Throughout my time there, I felt unwelcome. The staff looked annoyed that I was even present. I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t a regular or a local, but I was there with friends and had hoped to enjoy the evening. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend Bantam to others based on...