Rally — Restaurant in Charlotte

What a difference a year makes. Not sure if it was key/good staff leaving, new management or what – but this place has gone from 5 stars to the lowest possible 1 (should be a 0 option). To be clear this is a 3 strikes issue (actually probably 7-8, but I’ll go with the last three which are recent):

1 – I have played in the Goldies League twice – 1st time; we all agree went perfectly, so we all re-upped. This past season was a mess; scores were always wrong, matchmaking was inconsistent – and it just got to be more work than it was worth.

2 – This past Wednesday, I played in the Social – which was all outside. There was one tub of tepid water outside – no ice in the water; no iced towels. Making it even worse, the inmates took over the asylum – as people were placing their paddles at the front, bypassing people that had been waiting and so on. It was a miserable mess…

3 – Undeterred for now I tried the Shuffle today – we were limited to 5 courts because of an “event” that was nowhere to be found. Making it worse, again the inmates took over the asylum (with two Pros from Rally running the event). On the championship court two young men decided they were not going to follow the Shuffle rules opting for King of the Court (they would not switch teammates after every match as we are all supposed to). I asked a Pro to split them up; but when me and my teammate got back to that court, we were told by the “Kings” and their new minion only one of us could play. I had two choices – force the issue, or do what I should have done after the first 5-6 strikes realize that it’s not the players that are the problem: it’s the lackadaisical management approach and serious deficiencies across the board.

I hope things improve; because this I the place that got me started in a sport I love. Couple pieces of advice: On leagues – you have 2 missions matchmaking and score tracking – I can teach a 12-year-old to do an Excel Spreadsheet – surely someone there can figure it out. On socials, etc. most people choose the event by the rules/format/vibe – make everyone (even your buddies) follow the rules or ask them to leave. I have asked them to cancel all my leagues and future bookings – I will amend this review good or bad – when I see how fast and easy I get my money back. Buyer Beware!!!

Outgoing staff from the past few months – you are sorely missed!!!

Update - all funds were returned quickly and...

Day 2 of my own personal Charlotte Brewery Crawl... Although I'm not sure if this qualifies as one. They do have a nice array of beers and cocktails, but I guess they are most known for Pickleball. It's right down the street from where my daughter boxes, and I've wondered what exactly it was or even how to get in. Well, I had the perfect opportunity to figure it out, and after checking out the menu, I decided it would be worth the effort.

There were several things that interested me on their menu and of course that's when I discovered they have indoor/outdoor Pickleball Courts. I've been wondering what that was too. So it was cool to discover what this craze that has taken over Charlotte. I was warmly greeted and enthusiastically helped. I told the wonderful gentleman (Khalib I think) that I would not be playing Pickleball would it still be ok to eat only? He told me of course, pick a seat and enjoy. He would send my server over right away.

I ordered the corn empanada and the lamb/beef kafta (which you see I didn't get but no problem). The empanada was overpriced at $5 for one, but it was delicious. The lemongrass chicken kebab I got instead was also WAY overpriced at $21 but delicious as well. As you can see, you literally get one kebab (stellar presentation, which I guess is what you're really paying for) with 4 small bites of well marinated and seasoned chicken. Yes, I counted. That's $5/bite, y'all. It also came with a ton of fries, which again at this price point, I would have liked to have an option of rice and salad instead of fries. I think fries are an easy cop out and if that's all you're offering as a side, then a fairer price would be about $14.

My server was ok, she seemed to forget about me a little bit (or maybe she was giving me lots of space) but I was so wonderfully taken care of by the two other gentleman there that they made up for her inattentivness.

Overall, I enjoyed my first experience. Definitely will be back. Just will stick to apps and maybe a cocktail. Maybe squeeze in a round of Pickleball too if I can find someone to play in the...

Rally Pickelball has truly let me down. I have not been this excited to try a sport concept bar since Topgolf became a thing. I was enjoying my time watching my friends play when a lady (who turned out to be the president in the hat below) came over to me and asked if I had snuck my drink in…. First of all, all of my friends had the same drink as me, but none of them received questioning. I was sipping on a canned high noon I had just bought at the bar and was sitting by myself. As an Owner, how do you not know what alcohol your bar serves? Why not ask if I’m enjoying my experience? So many better choices on how to handle this situation as a professional. I had a stamp on my hand and an open tab yet you don’t even bother to ask your bartenders first?!? As an African American male who has also played tennis his whole life I am used to this stigma of us being “in the wrong place” but I never expected to be targeted like this in pickelball as well. I had just booked a court for a staggering $150 and if it wasn’t for my friends being with me I would have left. No apologies no nothing, just racial assumptions. I would like to thank the man who I spoke to after the incident who told me he would talk to her, but I guess she never got the message. So here it is.

Aside from that the food was alright, the fries were heavily seasoned which was enjoyable for the first couple bites, but by the end I had finished an entire glass bottle of water. The chicken sandwich was not great either. This incident and a lot of confusion amongst the waiting staff led to an extremely...