divvy — Restaurant in Carmel

My friend and I came to celebrate a birthday with dinner on a Saturday evening. We didn’t make reservations, but showed up around 5pm. We were told before being seated that our table was reserved at 630, thus we would need to leave at or before then. No problem there. The food and service was wonderful. We were done eating for a while, cognizant of the time getting closer to 610. I saw our waitress helping another table and figured she would bring our check when she had the chance. I then notice what seems to be the manager (later confirmed to be Kevin, the owner) staring at our table while talking to 3 other employees. Again, we were very clearly done eating and simply waiting for boxes and our check. At around 6:13 Kevin then came to our table, and while tapping with his pointer finger on our table, states they need this table for a 630 reservation and walks off. He does not offer to grab the check, does not offer to grab boxes, does not apologize for the interruption, absolutely zero pleasantries were offered. It felt like he was kicking us out of our seats, ASAP through the urgency of his finger tapping, even though we still hadn’t paid. We expressed to our waitress our discomfort with his approach, since it was very rude and not helpful in the slightest. She was very apologetic along with other staff who came by and also apologized on his behalf before we left. I would love to return, but based on my experience with the owner, Kevin, I’m not inclined to waste my time nor money supporting someone who very clearly lacks the skills necessary to communicate nor run a restaurant. I was aware of the need to be out of our table at or before 630. Unless he wanted us to dine and dash, we simply could not leave at the moment he urgently tapped on our table. He didn’t offer assistance to his staff by grabbing boxes or our check, which would have clearly expedited the process and is a much more pleasant way to be reminded that we need to leave this table. Again, the staff was amazing, but it might be time for some new ownership.. I wouldn’t recommend unless you enjoy feeling rushed out and unwelcome towards the end...

Not shabby! Definitely great for groups of people (3 or 4). I would recommend spending time reviewing the menu online first before going, and then asking questions to your waiter such as how many people the option you choose will serve and specifics such as if there is only one of each item on the plate or multiples to meet your group needs. For example, our group of 3 wanted to try the vegan friendly tacos but in order for each of us to try one taco each we had to order it in a funky way vs. as the advertised special. Otherwise it would have come to our surprise that 3 people would be sharing ONE micro sized 'sample' taco. Expect your wait staff to spend a great deal of time explaining the menu and helping you to carefully review and choose options to get what you expect so there are no surprises or disappointments. The food is very tasty and many interesting combinations, which is nice when you consider the cost, time, and effort that would go into trying to recreate the same things at home, not to mention clean up. Beer is cold and reasonably priced but perhaps skip the desserts as they are not particularly impressive compared to their price point. If you wait staff is older, trust when they tell you that if a food item is not their favorite, it is not a tactic where they are trying to up sell you on selections. They are actually looking out for you to have a good experience and avoid feeling like you could have recreated the same dish at home for less. Will definitely be going back and hope to find some other unique menu items for next time as I hear they have their staples and rotating menu items to keep...

Decent food, decent drinks.

Absolutely ridiculous age policy.

So Divvy is over-21 only. However, it isn't a tavern. In fact, the bar is quite small compared to the other parts of the restaurant. And there is significant outdoor seating. However, they have this over-21 policy for some reason. I understand not wanting small children to ruin a nice dining atmosphere. I get it. But I think many teenagers have the capability of acting like an adult in a fine dining establishment. My two teenagers have dined at Gordon Ramsey's London restaurant in New York. Somehow, they were able to cope. But apparently, Divvy is just too much for them.

But if you are a 30 year old drunk NASCAR fan in town for the Brickyard in denim shorts and a Budweiser tank-top? COME RIGHT IN. Divvy doesn't have a dress policy. So let's be honest, how much of a fine dining ambience does this place really try to have?

So I have a 17 year old and a 19 year old daughter. Divvy will allow me to take my 19 year old daughter, but get this - they actually check identification to verify that she is over 18 AND THAT SHE IS ACTUALLY MY DAUGHTER. So my ex-wife, who now has a different last name than my daughter, apparently wouldn't pass muster with the Divvy Nazis and could not dine with her there.

This is just ridiculous. Checking identification to verify parental relationships? AT A FREAKIN' RESTAURANT? What is this? 1940s Vichy France? No, it's a fairly standard suburban restaurant.

Again,...