Sharkey's Wing & Rib Joint — Restaurant in Blacksburg

If you’re not a US citizen, do not go there. I had a terrible experience at Sharkey‘s. I am an international visitor who came to the US on a tourist visa to visit a friend for two weeks. My American friend and I came to have a drink and wings. When it came to ordering the drinks, the Sharkey‘s manager did not accept my state-issued ID (I am 30 years old). They would also not accept my passport. The manager informed us that I would need a US-issued document to prove my age. Unfortunately there is no way to obtain such documentation for international visitors. The manager also blamed his reaction on Virginia ABC laws. Quick research showed that the manager was wrong about requiring a specifically US-issued document to prove age. Long story short: Sharkey‘s manager is unfortunately very ignorant and discriminates international guests. We took our business elsewhere.

Edit after Sharkey‘s response: It seems as though Sharkey‘s are trying to change the story here. To clarify: I first presented them my German state-issued ID and driver‘s license. They did not accept it and asked for a US-issued document. As I scrambled through my wallet, I found an old expired residency card issued by the state of Georgia. I once lived in Atlanta for a year and had this card. They did not accept that either. They then asked for a visa and refused to understand that as a tourist, you don‘t receive a physical visa. Instead I offered to show them my approved ESTA (the tourist visa) on my phone on the official ESTA-app. They did not accept that either. We then asked if we were to get my passport, if they‘d be happy with that and they declined.

Virginia ABC laws neither exclude foreign state-issued IDs nor foreign passports. It is pretty clear that Sharkey‘s simply do not want foreign people‘s business. They are ignorant and discriminating. And they try to change the narrative....

I can honestly say this is the WORST experience I have had at a restaurant in my 42 years of living. 30 minutes after placing our order, having asked for a rush on two entrees to go, we were told that they were short staffed. After waiting 45 minutes and having already paid, I went inside (we were on the patio) and asked the only worker I could find if she could tell me if my order was ready because we had to leave. The lady responded “I don’t know, I have a lot of to-go orders” before irritatingly printing off some random party’s receipt and handing it to me before walking off. I could not find the owner of the receipt, so five minutes later and preparing to leave without my order I saw her again and told her the receipt wasn’t mine. She got upset with me and stormed off into the kitchen, telling her manager some lady was yelling at her. At that point I was visibly irritated by the false accusation and explained the situation to the manager. I never asked for the manager, just my food. The real kicker was when the manager proceeded to back up the employee with no knowledge of anything that had transpired, telling me that the employee “is always reasonable.” I left falsely accused with no apology. Mind boggling and completely...

I don't frequent this place very much because it's just not my vibe. I've mostly had the burgers the few times that I've been here. In fact I hadn't been here for over 6 years. A couple weeks back someone convinced me to come for Monday half price burgers so I came and the burger was okay. It was cooked more than I asked for but it was still a decent burger. I also asked for a runny fried egg on top but it was definitely way over cooked. If I can't get a fried egg that runs down over my burger it's really not enjoyable at all. Overall I would give my experience that first time a "C". I came back again about 2 weeks later and my burger was cooked as requested and was tasty. The accompanying fries were also pretty good. The burgers do take a very long time coming out of the kitchen. I appreciate the friendly wait staff. At $12 for the burger and fries it's just kind of okay. On Mondays when you can get it for half price it's a very good deal and worth coming back...