The Family Dog — Restaurant in Atlanta

This was the 2nd time my family and I have attempted to support this establishment and twice we have been failed by the wait staff. We were PURPOSELY ignored and looked over by 3 different waiters, twice by the same waitress who we even held the door for because she had her hands full of drinks. She looked at us as we walked in the building and then we decided to sit outside where she was waiting on patrons as we had our dog Bishop. She saw us sit down, brought menus and left. Another couple came up, sat down next to us after we had been waiting for 5-6 minutes for her or another wait staff to come back. Another waitress walked up to the couple after us and decided she would take their order. The couple said to her our family was here before them, she turned around and looked at us and proceeded to help the other couple, still ignoring us. Another couple came up and sat across from us, another male staffer came and took their order and clearly ignored us again. The first waitress came out AGAIN, waited on one of her other tables, looked at us again and walked off. By that time, the 2 other families after us, had their drinks and yet we were still sitting there being ignored. Unfortunately I had to raise my voice in order to be addressed or waited on. At that time I am clearly pissed and feel we were being discriminated against as this is the 2nd time this has happened at this spot. Once I raised my voice all of a sudden the "I'm sorry" and "oh I didn't realize you were not helped" and "sorry we didn't see you" started flowing... WTH... YOU DIDN'T SEE US... you gave us menus... If you are African American please do not waste your time nor money patronizing this establishment. This happened on...

Ehhh...as hard as it is to find a bloody mary worth a dime in Atlanta it wont be solved here...food is mediocre at best, bathroom is filthy, no vibe in the place...and really not sure what the Family Dog connection is with this bar... hard to understand...there is a big poster of the grateful dead covered up with a big tv screen... heres a little list of things that the namesake Family Dog was known for...none of which will be found in this generic beer hall....top blues performers including Country Joe and The Fish; Howlin' Wolf; Bo Diddley; Muddy Waters; Little Walter; Buddy Guy; Junior Wells; the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Buddy Miles; James Cotton Blues Band; John Mayall; Big Mama Thornton; Albert Collins; Steve Miller; Son House; Mike Bloomfield; Elvin Bishop; Blues Project, with Al Kooper; John Hammond; Charlie Musselwhite; Siegel-Schwall Band; rock bands like The Doors; Buffalo Springfield; the Byrds; Bill Haley & His Comets; The Kinks;The Edwin HawkinsSingers; the Animals' Eric Burdon & War; The Mothers of Invention; Lovin' Spoonful; The Carlos Santana Blues Band; Sir Douglas Quintet; the Soul Survivors; the Fugs; Blood, Sweat & Tears; The Association; Shorty Featuring Georgie Fame; Iron Butterfly; the Youngbloods, with Jesse Colin Young; Vanilla Fudge; Steppenwolf; Poco; Love, with Arthur Lee; sarode-player and Indian music teacher, Ali Akbar Khan; Sandy Bull; Blue Cheer; the Leaves; New Riders of the Purple Sage; Barry McGuire; Flamin' Groovies; the Loading Zone; It's a Beautiful Day; Joy of Cooking; the Grass Roots; the Sons of Adam; Sons of Champlin; Captain Beefheart; the Electric Flag; Velvet Underground; Pacific Gas and Electric; Moby Grape; the Sopwith Camel; 13th...

Beware! We decided to try The Family Dog on Halloween evening, bringing along our pet to enjoy the pet-friendly patio. The wait staff were friendly, and the atmosphere was casual and inviting. Food, drinks, and our check took a while to come out because our waitress who was extremely sweet was also extremely chatty and she often sat to socialize with other patrons in between our requests. Definitely the type of place that prioritizes regulars. We ordered the chicken tenders, Brussels sprouts, fries, a turkey burger, and fountain drinks. We shared the tenders, fries, and brussel sprouts and they were tasty, but the turkey burger was another story.

The turkey patty had a mushy texture inside, an orange-brown hue, and an unexpectedly spicy taste. After just a couple of bites, I decided to pack it up for later, as I couldn’t get past the texture and seasoning. Our dog had water, a pup cup, and a dog bowl with cooked rice, carrots, and ground meat, which he seemed to enjoy.

Unfortunately, less than 20 minutes after leaving, both my child and I were struck with severe stomach cramps. We had to frantically find a clean restroom amid Halloween traffic. Imagine the toilet scene straight out of Dumb and Dumber—except with added nausea, sweating, and a lot of praying in between flushes.

I hate that our first experience turned out this way, especially since we had hopes of making The Family Dog a regular spot. Friendly service and a nice patio, but after that unforgettable...