State Park — Restaurant in Cambridge

They should add a swastika to their trans flag out front - it would help their clients know what kind of people they serve. It's a win-win honestly, it keeps the colored folks away.

I tried to order at the bar.

The bartenders seem reluctant to look at me in the eyes. In fact, they seemed reluctant to serve me at all.

I had to run around the bar 5 times, and I'm not unnoticeable.

Eventually I waved a guy down who said "I'll get right back to you" after which a girl said "I can help you".

And as someone who is of color, this makes me sad.

And after all this, I discovered there was a mandatory 20% tip.

I was upset, but the host and the waiter were very helpful so I didn't mind.

I later went to the bar again to ask for water, and the bartender seemed allergic to my eyes yet again.

Great bar, just not the nicest bartenders, but your mileage may vary based on your skin tone.

Edit:

Sometimes, I do not buy alcohol due to my intentions of lowering alcohol consumption. I just come here for music and/or dinner most times. Also, sometimes I stretch my back in public, for which I've been understandably asked to stop, and so I stopped. This time, I was asked to leave because I didn't buy alcohol (I didn't feel my body needed more alcohol) or food (kitchen was closed). I wanted to listen to music and watch a game of pool. And somehow my existence was a source of discomfort to some (supposedly by the bar staff) and I was asked to leave.

Nicholas. I really thought you saw me as a person.

I'm sad.

I want to say I will be back, but honestly, it's hard to feel welcome.

I actually forgot you guys completely ignored my first time of trying to get your attention, which I couldn't help but wonder if this was straight up you guys not wanting to serve an Oriental.

Do Oriental lives matter?

It's hard to say what these people think, but I just know I ran around the bar 5 times to catch the bartenders' eyes (they weren't busy)

When you don't see me as a person, you will see me as whatever you want to see me as. I don't know how your bartenders see me, or if they see me at all.

If you guys aren't inclusive, don't pretend to be and take down symbols that imply you guys are.

Hey bartenders - if you're going to kick out people for not buying anything at a (god forbid) 3rd space like a pub, do you deserve that 20% tip?

Second Edit:

I went back to see a show, and Nicholas tried to be a big bad bully and tried to push me away. I asked politely to be shown to the door by security, and this silly big man tried really hard to push me out.

I'm sorry Nicholas, I'm not a little weak Asian man like you thought, and it's not my first time a white man tried to push me around due to my ethnic background.

I used my strength and pulled him off of me. I didn't feel good having to get physical with an obese man because I didn't want to hurt him, but I have boundaries which he was violating me by putting his hands on me.

I said I will leave if security came and escorted me out, yet this silly guy still tried to push me out. I pulled him off of me yet again - and even then I was worried I might accidentally hurt him.

You finally stopped after I threw you off me twice.

My man Nicholas, you're big, not strong. If you ever have any back issues, you will be in an insane amount of pain given your physique. Maybe then, you'd then understand why I stretch my back, even if I know I look ridiculous.

So that you are aware, Nicholas, I held back when I pulled you off of me. I held back a lot. I was defending myself from you, but I did not want any physical escalation in the first place - the person who wanted physical confrontation was you Nicholas.

Given your propensity to escalate to the physical scuffle, Nicholas, I recommend that you become strong first. I am saying this is for your own safety, because there's bad people out there.

This place is a joke.

It's really funny how someone thought because he was fat, he could push me around. Don't put hands on me cuz I'm Oriental.

Stay classy State Park.

Edit 3:

Added video of physical...

Worst service. My partner and I were the first in our group to arrive and we were seated promptly (which was great!) only to have a hostile server. When placing our order we asked what was on draft: ignored. She came back after a few minutes, then refused to place our food order at the same time as our drinks. We had only asked for one beer and one burger. She returned a few minutes after that and it’s like the order never happened. She then became hostile, asking if we had spoken with a different server, gesturing towards the seats where the rest of our party would sit, rolling her eyes, and giving us an awful attitude the entire time. The poor dead bug on the table had to watch all of this.

She then proceeded to walk outside, talk to the host, and had the host come inside to ask us to give the rest of our table to another group of people that just walked in who “wanted to eat,” as if we hadn’t just ordered food, as if we hadn’t gotten the table for 6 of us, as if there weren’t tables in the rest of the restaurant or outside, or as if every other table in the room was stacked with food (there were no plates in sight at any table, one of which was getting up to leave a perfectly available spot).

I have no idea where the hostile energy came from, whether it was the fact that we were a queer POC couple holding hands, that we had an outrageous order of a beer and a burger, or that someone was simply having a bad night. I have not felt so unwelcome in a space.

I love the cool spots Cambridge and Somerville have to offer, and have made some phenomenal relationships with these places....

State park? More like state penitentiary (for your wallet)

State Park is unfortunately the closest bar/restaurant to my work, and I really wish I liked it more. It has so much potential, but there are a few things that consistently make it a disappointing experience. The biggest issue is their seating policy. Even when it's practically empty, like on a Monday afternoon, they seem reluctant to seat people unless they're ordering a full dinner. Sometimes I just want to grab a quick drink and a small bite at the bar after work, but it feels like they prioritize dinner reservations above all else.

It's especially frustrating that they automatically add a 20% service charge, even for drinks at the bar, when they're simultaneously unwilling to offer a table for a more casual experience. Frankly, it feels exploitative. They're essentially forcing a significant tip for minimal service while denying customers the option of a more comfortable and traditional dining experience. It's ridiculous and leaves a really bad taste in your mouth.

On a less important note, I also find their "coldest beer in town" claim to be misleading. The beer is chilled, sure, but not remarkably cold.

I really want to like State Park because of its convenient location, but these issues make it hard to justify going there regularly. I hope they reconsider some of these policies to make it a more enjoyable experience...