Republic Gastropub — Restaurant in Bloomfield

So I met friends here for dinner tonight who I haven't seen in awhile. There was 5 of us and 4 of us drive 45 minutes because we love the food here. After enjoying our food and letting it settle with conversation we were told we had to leave. We had only been there for an hour and a half and spent a good amount of money. What's more bothersome to me is how and why it was done. The server was told to come over and tell us we had to leave because her mother was one of the people in our group. Christina was extremely embarrassed to have to tell us to leave she was pretty much in tears. We were told we needed to leave as there was another party that needed our table. I can see if we were there for 4 hours (which according to the ladies sitting behind us was how long they were there for). So when the manager (Mike) was approached regarding the situation he said this group has a reservation but he could find another spot for us. We also had a reservation and if you can find us a spot why couldn't you find them a spot. So instead we are all now embarrassed because everyone in the area is looking wondering what is going on. So as for management you may want to take a class. Mike should have come to us and asked if we would mind moving to another location as he had a large party that will only fit in the area we are in. Even offer an appetizer or something for the inconvenience don't embarrass your server because you don't know how to do your job. The owners may want to keep their eye on this tool of a manger as he may start losing business for you if he does anything else like this. As much as I love the food here it'll be awhile before I go back. Just to embarrassed. The 2 stars are for the chef because the food was wonderful as usual and Christina because besides being a great server she should never have been put in the position she was put in. That is a managers job and what you are...

—-update 7/11/22— I gave them one more shot, they are so close I keep wanting to like this place. Another disappointment. We were served a moldy bun. The staff was overstretched so we waited longer than we wanted. The Buffalo chicken wings were good, but pricey. The gluten free bun is bad, inedibly crumbly, I know this is the cheap frozen kind you get at the grocery store. Y’all need to update your source. The burger has no flavor, just like the last few times I was there. My girlfriend said she’d pay $8 for it, I’d agree, not $20. The quality of this place is now on par with a Denny’s, and if the prices were similar I wouldn’t be so harsh in my assessment. I can now confidently give them 1 star. ——- I had one great experience here, but the quality of the food just hasn’t been the same. I’ve been 3 more times since.

For the prices this place charges I have a relatively high standard, but lately I’ve been just getting pub quality food.

The shishito peppers used to be amazing. Last I had them they were ok.

The burger is the same way. Nothing special, I can get an actually good burger at MAXs for that price. On top of that, last time I was in, I asked for a gluten free bun and was served a regular bun. Luckily my allergy is not severe. Their remedy was giving me a toasted gluten free bun on the side, not something I’d expect from somewhere of this supposed caliber.

This place is usually crowded when I stop by so maybe there’s something I’m missing. Their prices may align better with the quality...

January 10th I ordered 2 of the McDowell burgers. I asked for the sauce and the pickles to be placed on the side. MY dad is funny about certain sauces and I cant have pickles, a weird allergy to them. The manager John or Johan stated everything would be placed on the side. Upon pick up and return home, both burgers had pickles on them as well as pickles on the side. I called just to notify the manager of what happened as I requested it a specific way due to the allergy. He apologized and said upon next visit to give a him a call prior to ordering. January 30th I called and was told this manager was not available. I explained what happened and the young lady who answered stated he didn't work on Tuesdays and she could not assist me and for me to call back on Wednesday. So January 31st , I called back and a young lady answered and I specifically asked to speak to the manager. She asked why did I need to speak to a manager and I explained the situation again. She said well he is busy and can't come to the phone. She took my contact information and said he would call back within 15mins. Now it's February 3rd and I have yet to have heard from someone. A food allergy is very important especially to those of us who can have reactions that are deadly. I think it's horrible customer service that I was never reached back out to. I've had friends say the food is amazing and I will never know as they have permanently placed a bad taste for me with how they handled...