Blinders Sports Lounge — Restaurant in Charlotte

Went last night after seeing this place on tiktok. We were sat at a table that is terrible. Its in a corner separate from all over tables, between the kitchen door and the server station. All night you are either being blinded from the lights when the kitchen door swings open or servers walking past every 10 seconds, plus whatever the servers are shuffling on the other side of you at the station. Told the server we were doing the 25.00 advertised special. She said the rigatoni and ceaser? I said yes and asked her if there was pork in it. Then she asked if we wanted to look at the menu and I agreed and got an app. At 1 point she came past with a tray of drinks and I asked if that was the drink that came with the special and she said yes. At 7 (an hour later), we still didnt have entrees or the drink so my wife said stop her and ask if we can at least get the drink now. Why did she say did we want to order. Like what!?! I reminded her I had ordered and told her we her having the special offered. Food comes 10 minutes later. No drink. We flag her down a few minutes later and ask about the drink and she says oh did you want that. Okay. Like hunh!?! It was included so wjy would we need to tell you we want it. Not sure if it was her first day or if she was just deliberately giving mid service. Now the food...we left with the bowls full. The rigatoni was noodles with a hint of red and cheese melted on top. It tasted like absolutely nothing. Mass produced pasta with nothing added. A can of chefboyrdee would have been superior. The caesar salad was good though but I mean, lettuce, dressing and croutons is hard to mess up. The drink was pretty but nothing special. This is an aesthetics, get pics type of place. No where to come for the food based on what we were served, where we were sat and the...

Random Fight Night = Reservation Required, a $10 cover charge at the door, with first come first serve seating that's only on the patio where there was no available seating??? You can only order food if you're sitting outside on the patio since the inside were Reservations only on FIGHT NIGHT with MANY EMPTY TABLES??? But the patio was full, so you're S.O.L. Yep, That's what my friend and I were met with for our first time at this establishment. When we first walked up to the door, nothing was mentioned about any of this being the theme for the night. But the guy was quick to let us know there was a $10 cover charge while the girl had the payment device out. No word from her at all. Okay... We walk in, ask the lady working the desk if we could get a table. She says it was reservation only. Ok... We then walk to the bar area that's crowded with everyone who can't get a table too. Not only that, they can't serve you food (they give you a doggone number to be found by apparently) unless you find a freakin TABLE. At this point, are we supposed to pull out a foldable one or what? Make it make sense. My friend and I leave and ask who is in charge. Some stringy haired girl says "I am". She basically says anytime they have an event which is like every weekend, it is like this and they will have a cover charge just to enter somewhere you are not guaranteed any seating or food basically. I'm sure during the week it's a much better experience I would hope. But this put a bad taste in my mouth all together. Hopefully they can find a better arrangement that doesn't involve...

First time at Blinders and I left frustrated. I walked in just before 7pm and got hit with a $10 cover that wasn’t posted anywhere, while my friends who arrived minutes earlier paid nothing. No offer for a table, just “pay and walk in.” Minutes later I was told where I couldn’t stand but never told where I actually could. That’s not hospitality, that’s bad management.

The atmosphere is outstanding. Giant Vegas-style screens, cold-air smoke after touchdowns, and big energy that could make this one of the best spots in Charlotte. But it’s wasted when guests can’t enjoy it. Tables sat “reserved” for hours with nobody showing up, while paying customers stood around with nowhere to sit. At least offer a minimum spend with time limits to keep seats moving and money flowing.

Service was the biggest letdown. After finally sitting outside, no server ever came by. We had to grab our own drinks at the bar while staff stood around looking like they were too good to actually work. For a business built around game-day energy, that makes no sense. You should have servers hustling nonstop, running drinks, cleaning tables, and making it easy for people to spend money.

This review isn’t just to complain, it’s to encourage better training and leadership. Blinders has the screens, the sound, and the atmosphere. But right now it’s all flash and no execution. If management doesn’t fix the staff culture and the basics of service, it’ll be another Charlotte spot that fades once the...