The Royal Tot — Restaurant in Charlotte

I made a reservation online for 6 people at 10:30 PM on Friday, December 20. We arrived on time, walked into the bar (no one greeted us), and stood by the DJ booth awkwardly for a few minutes while we waited for a table to open. The bar was decorated for Christmas (cute!) and there was a seasonal “Sippin’ Santa” menu with fun holiday drinks. We were excited to try them.

We bussed our own table (old drinks were left on the table, we took the dirty glasses to the bar) and we tried to flag someone down several times. No staff member spoke to us or acknowledged us the entire time we were there (30-45 minutes). Other patrons were circling the bar like vultures, desperately looking for a seat or struggling to get the bartenders’ attention. I saw a young man walking around who appeared to be a waiter. He told us he worked at the food truck outside. He wasn’t able to find anyone to help us and seemed overwhelmed and confused. The people seated next to us said it was no use. They said that “everyone” on staff was brand new, no one ever came to their table, and they had to fight for their drinks at the over crowded bar. They told us to try to get the attention of the bartender in a Hawaiian/tropical shirt: “He seems incompetent but he’s actually the most competent person on staff.” If customers are expected to clean their own tables and order everything at the packed and understaffed bar, we should be told that at the door. One competent bartender for ~70 patrons is insane. We decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. We left.

I’m very disappointed in how bad service at The Royal Tot has become in recent years. It used to be a fun, cozy, unique place to get great food and drinks. Service was friendly and responsive. Now the service is abysmal — practically non-existent. I don’t know if the drinks are still good because we never got a chance to order anything. I now realize they no longer serve food, which is another unfortunate choice. The potential for greatness is there. The new ownership is squandering it.

The new owner will probably respond to my review and call me a “fake account leaving a fake review” when my whole name and headshot are right there, my reservation was recorded in their online reservation portal, and this is not my first review. Responding to constructive feedback with attacks is very sloppy, childish, and unprofessional behavior. Here’s a better business strategy: Read the feedback, improve the customer experience,...

This place is an absolute joke, I would not recommend going.

For some background my wife and I are from out of town visiting friends who live in Charlotte. They had taken us to some local establishments and we were having a great time, we were near the Royal Tot and decided to check it out. We checked on reservations and saw there were many openings at 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00 and decided to just walk there and not make a reservation, Big Mistake! We show up around 8:50 and when we are greeted by the "host" she tells us that if we don't have a reservation we couldn't be seated until at least 10:00. When we pointed out that there are open reservations at 9:00 and 9:30 she rolled her eyes and said "let me check." When she came back she said "we might be able to get you in a booth, but it would be at least 20 minutes." Confused, we let her know that we could still make a reservation at 9:00 and she shot back with "No, don't do that I'll get you seated!"

We are waiting for a little bit and one member of our group had to use the rest room, when she went towards the restroom the "host" yelled at her and said "you can't go in there." When we explained that they needed to use the rest room the "host" rolled their eyes and said "okay, but I need to check your ID."

Our friends had other friends there and asked if they could pop in and say hi quick and they were asked what the name was. The name was given and the "host" said "No, we don't have anyone by that name here" and wouldn't let our friends past the host stand.

We waited until about 9:10 or so and asked for an update and were told "I have no idea, I am just waiting for someone to tell me to seat you" in about the rudest tone one could imagine. We waited for about 5 more minutes and decided to leave.

It was the most bizarre experience I have ever been a part of, and after we left we learned that there is open seating on the roof (which we were not told about by the "host"). The drinks do look good, fun, and creative, but if you need to jump through a million hoops to enjoy them what is the point. I also totally get that if we had really wanted to go to this place we should have made a reservation, but I do not understand how a place can have open reservations and tell you that you cannot use them.

Do...

BUYER BEWARE - 7% service charge added to all bills that goes to the restaurant (on top of the over priced food and drinks)

I’d really like to give this place more than 2 stars. The waiters were nice, food delicious, and drinks tasty and creative. It’s a really cool concept.

… BUT, I cannot stand restaurants that penny pinch.

First, this place requires a $3 deposit PER PERSON to make a reservation.

Second, all cocktails are around $16-18 and a rice bowl is $18 so the place is over priced and very expensive.

What REALLY left a bad taste in my mouth was that on top of the hefty bill they charge a 7% service fee. When asking if the waitress gets the 7%, she said “no it goes to the restaurant to keep the place running and afford the cool drink cups and stuff.” Personally I thought that’s what charging $18 for a bowl of rice and vegetables was doing but apparently not.

In total, I spent $50 on one drink and a rice bowl. Given that this place isn’t even in a good location I will personally not be making the drive to return.

The 7% service fee is a poor choice from management. It screws the waitress out of potential tips, makes for an uncomfortable conversation on their end having to explain it to angry customers, and it really did make me feel taken advantage of after spending a lot of money on dinner. My group’s final conversation was about how dumb a service charge is and I’m sure that’s not the last impression you’d like guests to leave with. Please reevaluate you are turning a lot of people away

3/7/22 update following their reply:

You can justify all you want the additional 7% service fee, but to concede that you are not profiting off an $18 cocktail that contains 1 ounce of alcohol is a joke. I frequent many restaurants in Charlotte, and I assure you any with a hidden 7% service fee I would not return to… and no, 99% of them do not charge a fee, especially in addition to the very high price of the cocktails. As the employer, it is your responsibility, NOT mine, to pay your employees. By all means keep charging it for all I care, but customers do not, and will not appreciate it. You are driving people away and stupid responses like the one below do not help. Best of luck.

Ps, my name is...