Barrelhouse 34 — Restaurant in Champaign

I have never written a review before and I hesitated writing this one but I am hoping some proper training will occur for the bartenders. My friend and I visited on Jan 28 and there was a girl at the bar who had been drinking and was very friendly, we chatted with her then went to a table. We noticed her chatting with other people and then she joined a group of people at a table. She got up to go to the bathroom and they left and went to a different table. She looked so sad so we called her over to talk to her. She was drunk so we were asking her how she was getting home, making sure she was not driving. There had been a bartender shift and the new bartender came over and told her she needed to leave. She asked why and was told she had drank too much. We told the bartender that we were leaving and planning on taking her home. She told us she needed to leave now. We made sure she had paid and we were heading to the door but stopped to ask her where she lived and look it up before getting her in our car. The bartender came over, was on the phone getting guidance ( I assume) and aggressively told her she needed to leave now! We said we are getting her out of here but we are getting her address. She again said she needs to leave now or I am calling the police! We asked her what the problem was, we are leaving. She said she has had too much to drink and needs to get out. We asked why she kept being served and her response was that she didn’t do it. Well, your establishment did! She couldn’t even give us time to get her address, being told to leave to threatening police happened in less than 10 minutes. The aggressive behavior of the bartender was very unsettling and we felt like we were getting kicked out too. The only thing we were doing was trying to help the woman that you over served! I hate to think what could have happened to this poor woman. She was drunk but not unruly, if anything she might have been a little annoying and too friendly. We got her safely home but wondered why the bar she drank too much at did not care about her. They could have cut her off and offered her water, even call her an uber. Where was the decency for a fellow human being? I like this bar but I don’t know if I will ever go back to a place that cares so little for...

Some of the worst customer service experiences from any bar in Champaign. I am a regular and had an issue with the drink I ordered. I believe the taps were labeled incorrectly? It certainly was not what was stated on the menu. The bartender (young, I've not encountered him before, first name on the bill started with 'E' last with 'W') tasted it and said it tasted strange, but he hadn't had it in awhile. He had another co-worker take a single sip and declare that it was fine and that I could not switch for something else. I had literally taken about 3 sips from my drink. The bartender then started to explain what an IPA was to me... which felt very condescending. I've literally had hundreds of IPAs in my life. I know what they are supposed to taste like. I decided to leave and request the cheque. He hands it to me and I see that there are two extra drinks on it that I did not pay for. This is corrected. I check my bank statement and there are literally 3 different charges on it. The first two were redacted but what's the deal?

Whoever is hiring these new bartenders needs to properly train them in how to provide proper customer service. It really sucks because this was one of my go to establishments with friends. I will...

I really wanted to like this bar. I like that they have a nice selection of whiskeys and that they make a variety of Moscow Mules. However, I regularly have problems with service. They often fail to notice me when I'm standing at the bar, even when some of the bartenders seem to be doing nothing behind the bar. In addition, if you order outside from one the waitresses, the drinks take a very long time to get to you; the waitress also seems to disappear for a while, which makes it very difficult to pay your bill. Their drinks are good, but it might be better to use cash here to avoid the problems closing your tab. I've had so many problems here getting my tab closed in a timely manner. In addition, there are not very many tables outside. This is fine during the spring and summer when you can enjoy the outdoor seating, but it is definitely a disadvantage in the winter. The bar can get pretty crowded in the...