Red Phone Booth — Restaurant in Atlanta

So I have to start my review from the moment that I went online and paid $350 and became a member.

It was my son's 21st birthday this week (February 26th, 2024)

On Jan 16th I became a member because I wanted to do something really special and have an experience with him and also have a place for us to go together before we go to Hawks games, etc.

The first thing I did was write the manager, Jordan, about planning my son's party with a group of guys and I never heard a word back.

Then, I booked my reservation through the app... I made sure I put that this reservation was to celebrate the occasion.

Now, it is the 29th (yesterday) and our group of 5 guys, we are headed to DOWNTOWN ATLANTA (a 1.5 hr drive) and it's a surprise for my son. I go on the app and go to the "on my way" selection and I tell them that we are an hour away and remind them the reason why we are going and the occasion.

We arrive!

We get to the phone booth - the phone booth doesn't work, so I have to call the number using my phone. I later find out from one of my friends that he went to that location January 2023 and the phone booth was not working then either, so I'm assuming that they haven't fixed it since then.

Anxiously awaiting this amazing experience...the door opens and a girl with the most unwelcoming look let's us in and I tell her we have a reservation and she says "please walk in so everyone can come in and I can close the door". I tell her again about our reservation and she just says "I just need to know how many in your party", so we tell her. She say she needs to see our ID's and I'm trying to tell her my son just turned 21 but she didn't care - all she asked him was why is his ID vertical and it didn't seem real (my son looks younger than 21).

She leads us to our table.

She sits us in a corner right underneath a speaker that is so loud that we have to yell at each other speak.

From this point on I can honestly say that I have never been treated with so much disrespect and rudeness as what this waitress treated me. The joke of the night was, "bro, is this girl like your ex? man, what did you do to this girl? man, this girl hates you".

Anyway, we finally get our food... mine and my son's pizza was soggy and limp. My pizza was supposed to have basil on it, but 2 whole slices had nothing but cheese and she gave me the wrong pizza... LOL

Before we got our food, after she took our order me and a couple of guys got up to go to the humidor - I didn't realize that someone had to unlock it for us and stand in there with us, but when we got up the girl said "do you need something" and I said "we are going to the humidor to get some cigars" and she told me she had to open it and I could tell she wasn't happy about it.

I realize now that I was overcharged on the cigars - in total I bought 4 overpriced cigars and was not given the member price, so I overpaid on already overpriced cigars.

I'm still hungry after my pizza, so I ordered us a Charcuterie board. The board came out with plastic 2oz cups on it to serve some of the items (very low bar on quality there). I ran out of the wonderful jelly that was on the table and I asked for more and she told me that it would be an extra charge - for JELLY????. She came back and apologized that they only have 5 little cups left and they won't give me one because they need them if someone else orders a charcuterie board. Any-way.

We asked her if the music could be turned down just a little bit and she went and turned it down. 5 minutes later it was turned up again, then 5 minutes later it was turned up higher than it was when we first got there.

We ordered 5 smoked old fashioned - they weren't smoked.

The icing on the cake was that we had to wait 20 minutes for our check - that's 20 minutes of our server not checking on us at the end of our meal.

She comes back and practically throws the receipt at me and walks off

This is the worst experience I have ever...

My first time going to Red Phone Booth was last night (Sunday evening around 7pm-930pm). I had high expectations for this since they pride themselves on an elite experience.

When we arrived the phone wasn’t working so we had to call on our cellphones, ok that’s fine no big deal. The door opens and one of the servers (A guy with a mustache) just looks at us and says “Well are you going to come in?” This was our first time here and there was no greeting or hello or welcome until I had told him it was our first time here.

We walk in and there was no direction from the server to seat ourselves wherever we liked or given and sort of indication on how the “Red Phone Booth experience” works.

We walk around the bar which was nicely decorated and the atmosphere was true to Prohibition era and it was quiet with only a few people inside.

After taking a look around we seat ourselves and the server comes over and gives us menus and takes our order. We ordered one of cocktails, a mock tails, the Beef tenderloin pizza, Stuffed Artichokes, and the 3 meatballs.

After about 20 mins my date goes to the bar to see where our drinks were and they were waiting behind the bar for who knows how long. The place wasn’t even busy and having to go ask for a drink was unacceptable and as a former server this just showed how our server was horrible for the customer experience. He brought the food out and after about 10 mins we had to ask for side plates for all the food. He came to check on us once while we were eating.

We sat and talked and ate for probably an hour and half and only being checked on 1x was unacceptable. After we finished eating we asked for a box so we could go and play some pool and we had to ask the bartender for a box. Again the place was not busy at all with a few people at the bar and 2 groups in the main area.

We make our way to the back and play a game of pool and our server is just walking around chatting with people and again never asks us if we want another drink or anything else. After 1 game we are ready to leave so we go to bar to ask for our check.

The bartender starts to ring us in and our server shows up and completes the process. I was given a Free Classic cocktail card from one of the Bartenders at the Waldorf so I asked if I could use this to apply to my order. He looks at the card and goes to ask one of the managers about it. He’s looking at the card as if I had given him a fake card or likes he’s never seen it before. He comes back to say there is an issue and that card was for the Buckhead location. I told him ok no problem I can use it there, he said they would honor it so he took that off the bill.

The bill came to about $57 for the 1 mocktail drink, pizza and 2 appetizers which was reasonably priced and good. That was probably the only good thing about our experience.

The experience is what people come for when they come to a speakeasy and my first time at this location was horrible. I usually tip 20-25% being a former server when the service is good. I left nothing and wrote on the check that we had to go get our own drinks. That little paper didn’t have enough room for me to write why I left nothing.

The service was horrible and this guy need EXTENSIVE training on how to give a good experience to its customers. I would NEVER pay for a membership here with service like that.

I’m going to check out the Buckhead location and hope for a better experience. Your servers really make or break the experience and ours came up disappointing.

UPDATE

I just checked my bank and the server decided to charge me $20 to his tip which I did not authorize. The bill came to $57.86. Look at your receipts and check your bank statements I was shocked to see this! This guy need...

I am deeply disappointed by the treatment my family and I received at The Red Phone Booth this past weekend. As a well-established professional and former member of this establishment, I expected the same courtesy and class that I had experienced in the past. Instead, I was met with blatant discrimination and disrespect — not only as a paying patron but as a masculine-presenting woman.

Upon arrival with my wife, daughter, and son-in-law, the doorman, Jeremy, looked me up and down with clear disapproval. He then told me I couldn’t enter because of minor rips in my jeans — a rule that was not enforced with others. While I watched, several Caucasian women wearing jeans with far larger rips and even men without blazers were allowed to walk right in without question. It was clear that the so-called “dress code” was being selectively enforced.

Trying to be accommodating, I rolled up my pant legs to remove the visible rips. Jeremy then said, “I saw you,” as if that alone disqualified me from entering. When I challenged that statement, he reluctantly called for a manager. The manager’s response was equally unprofessional — he said he would only let me in if I agreed to write a positive review about how good he and Jeremy were. That level of arrogance and manipulation was completely inappropriate.

When we were finally allowed in, I tried to calm my family and move forward, hoping to enjoy the evening despite the disrespect. Unfortunately, the unwelcoming tone continued. The waitress greeted us by saying, “Before you sit, read the house rules. And by the way, we don’t sell Hennessy.” That comment was unnecessary, stereotypical, and insulting — especially since I’ve never been a Hennessy drinker and, as a former member, I am fully aware that the Red Phone Booth is known for its craft cocktails.

The entire experience was demeaning and disappointing. I have held business meetings and professional gatherings here in the past, and to be treated as though I was unworthy of entry because of my appearance was unacceptable. If you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community or love someone who is, be aware — this establishment does not seem to welcome you.

I will never return, and I would urge others who value equality and respect to think twice before giving their money to a place that treats guests this way. Discrimination has no place in hospitality, and certainly not in an establishment that prides itself on “exclusivity” while using that as a cover for bias.

UPDATED REPONSE TO MANAGEMENT REPONSE: Thank you for your response. However, there is nothing further I wish to discuss. The treatment my family and I experienced was offensive, discriminatory, and deeply disappointing. The actions of your staff—particularly at the door—made it clear that we were not welcomed or respected.

After the incident, I looked online and reviewed your dress code policy. Nowhere did I find anything indicating that I was out of dress code as a woman. It’s clear that I was judged based on my masculine presentation and not my actual attire. That form of bias and assumption is unacceptable.

Additionally, we were given QR codes and encouraged to leave a positive review simply for being “allowed” entry, which only added to the disrespect we felt. No conversation or apology can undo the way we were made to feel in that moment.

We will not be returning, nor will we recommend your establishment to anyone in our network. Inclusivity should not be conditional, and our experience has made it evident that The Red Phone Booth does not uphold the values it claims...