Downwind Restaurant and Lounge — Restaurant in Chamblee

On Wednesday evening, myself and two girlfriends, along with our seven children (three of whom are my own) decided to play at PDK airport park, and then take our kids up to Downwind Restaurant and Lounge to have dinner. We arrived around 5:30pm, and were seated on the enclosed patio. Two of the three of us had been solo parenting all week, and it felt nice to not think about making dinner. Our children are all five and under, and, to put it plainly, they were loud. They were joyful, excited to be with their friends, and had a hard time staying in their seats. For the most part they stayed right around our table, but we had to chase some rogue one year olds and four year olds a few times.

A minute or two after we put our orders in, a manager came up to our table, looking quite stern, and things unraveled quickly. The manager (Kip, I believe?), began talking to us like we were five years old, asking myself and my friends twice if we were listening, despite us clearly giving him our full attention. He then proceeded to tell us, in a voice dripping with disdain, that we were too loud, and that our kids must remain seated for the duration of dinner. You don't have two or three kids without occasionally being told you are too loud, and I always do my best to rectify the noise/issue after someone brings it to our attention. Kip's address to us moms was a clear scolding, the disapproval evident in his voice, and the way he was glaring at us. After he left, my friends and I all glanced at each other in amazement that someone would be so rude, and we fairly quickly made the decision to ask for our food to go and to let our kids eat outside.

Kip walked back and forth a few times heading to other tables, and I finally got up the nerve to say something to him. I said, "Excuse me, I just wanted to let you know that the way you spoke to us earlier made us feel terrible about ourselves and really hurt our feelings. We are moms doing our best, our husbands are out of town this week, and we were just trying to get out of the house." That is not a direct quote, but it is correct in essentials. He proceeded to respond that when he saw three moms not parenting their kids, he felt the need to talk to us. After my friend responded, "Excuse me?" He then said that parents come in here to have them (the restaurant) babysit their kids, and that other parents (gesturing around the patio) manage to control their kids. He then proceeded to claim he wasn't saying we had done this, but, (please don't insult our intelligence) he had very clearly said we were A) bad parents and B) couldn't control our kids. As moms who work so hard to raise thoughtful, loving, kind children, this felt devastating- even if we knew it wasn't true in our hearts. I told him he was being very rude, and he asked if I wanted to talk to the owner (which should have been a very clear sign that the owner would react exactly as he did).

When the owner finally graced me with her attention, I relayed the entirety of the story, including that I was trying to show the manager that we were simply people, tired from a long week without our partners, and that what Kip had said was incredibly hurtful. She responded by shaking her head and saying, "Well, he's a nice man." I repeated what he had said, all of which was decidedly NOT nice, and she retorted with, "I don't understand what your husbands being out of town has to do with anything." I told her I was just trying to show her we moms were humans doing our best, people that need grace. She then proceeded to say condescendingly to me, "I think you are tired." At this point the owner and her manager had insulted myself and my friends in every way imaginable, and it was time to go. She thanked me for telling her, but I could tell I was being completely, wholeheartedly dismissed.

I don't want the other staff to be negatively impacted, but goodness, the manager and owner acted incredibly rudely, and, should you have the choice, I think there are other restaurants who deserve your...

Downwind Restaurant Introduction: This was my first time here. Clean, nice seating areas for watching (small) planes take-off and land. The parking lot a little small (go before the “off-work” crew gets there), and there is a mini playground (off to the side) with benches nearby. There are picnic tables with overhead covering, and restrooms.

Experience: It was an all around wonderful experience dining here!

Welcome: The warmest welcoming I have had in along time. The host was sweet, friendly, professional, with sprinkles of comedy all with a smile 😊. He walked us to our seats, made sure we watch out for the small step you had to walk on to enter the dining area. Due to the time of day we had several seating options and we chose to sit outside. We were very happy with our choice to sit outside because the weather was beautiful and the view was fantastic. Our waitress Jasmine was the best waitress we have had in a long time. She was friendly, professional, polite, explained the menu items, gave suggestions, refilled drinks, (without us needing to ask) and she kept a genuine smile the entire time. My son liked her comments on our servers.

Ambiance: The restaurant was clean and so was the restroom! The outside sitting was a little tighter than inside but doable. The view of the sky was clear and you can see the airplanes take-off and land without obstructions.

Food: The food was perfect!! Hats off to the chef! I had the mandarin salmon salad (one of the specials that day) and I was so happy with my entree choice. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the perfect temperature (not too hit that you can’t bite into it and not cold where you need to send it back) to begin eating. The salad and mandarin oranges were fresh and it all blended well. My fiancé had the gyro with a side salad and he too was pleased with his meal. The meat in the gyro was perfect and heated when it came out. Our son had chicken tenders and mash potatoes, which was a welcome change from French fries. He loved everything. I have mentioned in previous reviews that he has autism so food selection and taste is vital. The chicken tenders is a normal selection for him but the mash potatoes were not. To our surprise he loved them! He gave me a taste 😊 and yes they were delicious 😋. He even used the mash potatoes as a spread for his chicken tenders. Last but not least was our shared dessert. I do not normally get dessert if I ate all my food but I made an exception today. We had the strawberry cheesecake with whip cream topped with a cherry and surrounded with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrup. We enjoyed every bite!!

Price: The food was definitely worth the price. Too be honest after dining here I would have paid more for my food because it was so good.

Will return: We most certainly will and we have told family and friends so that they will dine there. We will go in the evening to experience dining outside when the sunsets.

Stars: I gave 5 stars because my all around experience was great an I was truly satisfied in all 6 categories.

Tip: This is a great restaurant for the family especially the children and it would make for a nice date-night. There maybe a slight smell of diesel (when dining outside) which one may expect since you are at a restaurant where planes are taking off...

Demeaning Staff and Lack of Empathy at Downwind Restaurant and Lounge - Not Family-Friendly

My wife, along with two other families, visited Downwind Restaurant and Lounge in Chamblee, Georgia, for dinner after a playdate at the nearby playground. They called ahead to ensure they could accommodate our group of three adults, three high chairs, and four toddlers, and were initially greeted without incident.

However, after being seated and placing our orders, our experience took a turn for the worse. Our children, who had been playing for close to two hours prior, were understandably a bit lively, but by no means displaying outlandish or destructive behavior.

Despite this, the waiter approached us with a hostile attitude, telling us to "make the kids be quiet" and that they were "to keep them in their seats." This rigid and unfriendly demeanor towards children was both surprising and unacceptable. Especially since the bar was just as lively with other excitable diners.

To make matters worse, the waiter made an extremely demeaning comment, stating that they "looked like moms who just didn't care." This insensitive remark not only insulted us as parents but also demonstrated a complete lack of empathy for the challenges faced by families with young children.

When we attempted to address these issues with the owner, they dismissed our concerns, expressing no problem with the waiter's behavior and even describing him as a "nice man." This lack of customer care and understanding from the management was disappointing and further highlighted the restaurant's disregard for families.

Although the food was adequate for a bar-style establishment and had suitable options for children, the deplorable treatment we received from the staff overshadowed any positive aspects of the dining experience. They also didn't get our orders right, leaving out multiple items, but by that time we didn't want to go back in.

In conclusion, I strongly advise families to reconsider dining at Downwind Restaurant and Lounge. The staff's demeaning attitude, lack of empathy, and the management's indifference towards their patrons' concerns make it an unsuitable choice for those with young children. Families deserve to be treated with respect and understanding, and there are many other establishments in the area that can provide a more...