Motorworks Brewing- Bradenton — Restaurant in Bradenton

Update: Motorworks response is simply not true. They are only saying these things to try to overrule my review. I was not offered a chair. I did not stomp off, and I did not write anything rude. In fact, I spent an additional $275 on food and drinks, aside from the $150. They also kept a hold of $264 on my account for four days, even after the two other charges went through. So in an hour and a half, I spent $425 to sit at a plastic table, under a pop-up tent, on uneven ground with unsafe chairs and burnt food. They also changed their website to list concert prices and now don't charge for cancelations. I guess they only charge for reservations when you show up. They are simply back stepping. Check the newest reviews, it's about 50/50 on good/bad. The owner, Denise, doesn't care. She is mentioned several times.

I used to love this place. I own a place in Bradenton and would go there every time I visited. During Spring Break, I took 9 people. I reserved our table online and had to place a deposit. I understand, sometimes people don't show, so not a big deal. It was $150. There was a live band that night and when we got there, they kept my deposit for the 'cover charge'. NO WHERE on their website did it say there was a cover charge. It doesn't even list a cover charge for future events. My email confirmation said I would get my deposit if I showed up on time, which we did. Since I reserved, I was expecting to sit on the deck under the trees. They sat us as at a plastic table beside the deck on an uneven surface. I almost fell backwards when I went to get up. Not only that, my chair was about to fall apart. I asked to speak to a manager about the deposit and the chair. He told me he couldn't do anything about the deposit and he would get me another chair. I had to get my own chair, he never came back. Some of our food was burnt, as well. I called the owner several times and left a message. She never returned my call. BEWARE, they will scam you...

Went here for dinner with some friends because we had seen it early and wanted to check it out. The restaurant itself was pretty cool, the semi-retro car/automotive theme is done really well without being over the top. There is indoor and outdoor seating with the I indoor being reminiscent of an old school diner and outdoor being the beer garden. Outside there is also a stage for live music and a space for cornhole games. The food is very good with some interesting combinations that at first seem odd. For example, the BBC burger which has bacon, brisket, and queso topping a burger. Delicious, I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I wasn’t sure how that combination would work out. They have a variety of beers obviously from the brewery and for non-alcoholic drinks you’ve got soda, sweet tea, etc. There is a schedule of weekly events, trivia, poker night, etc each night as well as a humidor display where one can purchase cigars, proper cigars like Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, etc, which is a nice touch you don’t see in a lot of places. The downsides aren’t many but they are worth noting. Parking is tight and somewhat limited. They do have overflow parking areas, but just know that there is limited parking space and it may involve a very short walk from an overflow lot. The surrounding area, while not the restaurant’s fault, is less than desirable. Not an area I would consider to be casually walkable and there, understandably isn’t much foot traffic I imagine due to this. Finally I would not describe the place as being quiet. It’s definitely not super loud or unpleasant or bad, but it’s not a sit down and have a quiet conversation by candlelight kind of place. Especially in the beer garden, think more like backyard cookout or tailgate party with music playing volume. We enjoyed it. I’d make the effort to go back.

TL;DR: Awesome food, cool atmosphere, craft beer, activities/entertainment, sketchy neighborhood, parking...

BEWARE! DISHONEST BUSINESS. Made a reservation. The reservation booking page says the deposit will be applied to your bill. That is a straight up LIE. When I asked the server about how that worked, did everything need to be on one bill? She said it won't be applied to your bill. All of your party isn't here. It was only 9pm. I said it doesn't say anything about that when making the reservation. I could tell I was not the first person she had heard that from. She kinda shrugged and gave me a "sorry about your luck" look and walked away. Before some of my party cashed out I asked her about it again. She rolled her eyes and said "it's not going to be applied toward your bill." I said that's crap, it clearly says it will be applied to the bill. Blank stare. I asked to talk to the manager. "I'll see if I can find him". She came by the table a while later and said "you'll get a text that your reservation was canceled." I did. My money wasn't refunded, but my reservation was canceled. Then the server brought me a printed itemized bill, which included gratuity that I considered disputing because (deposit issue aside) our service was terrible but decided it wasn't worth it, the total was correct around $55. When I checked my bank, the charge was $104. I called Motorworks to discuss it. No one answered so I left a message. No call back. Called again and left a message for the manager to call me with a person. Still no call. Not that day, not the next day. I called again spoke to a woman asking that the manager call me. She said "I'll tell him" but I got the distinct impression from her that he would not call me. Unfortunately it isn't the first time I've experienced some "shady" charges from Motorworks. I've really tried to give them the benefit of the doubt because I really like the beautiful beer garden, games, music etc. But this has been one too many dishonest interactions with them. I won't...