Peabody's — Restaurant in City of Plattsburgh

This is going to be a rocky review but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see this business succeed. I will preface this by saying I think everyone should go to this business and formulate their own opinion and experience of this space on their own. Though I know I am not alone in my negative experiences here, I know many will not share the same frustrations I have and love this place dearly (as they should!). This feedback is intended to reach management in hopes that it can be looked at with an open mind and hopefully they can weigh the consequences.

Peabody’s has the potential to be great but is brought down by problematic staff behavior on and off site. I used to frequent this bar, but feel incredibly uncomfortable being stared down and harassed by the new bartender. Cameron, who has a history of scamming community members and bullying/ harassing community members with his siblings online now works the bar and will likely be an unfortunate downfall for this business. Other individuals working here have a history of squatting in vacant premises, using their bar time to advertise their inappropriate Onlyfans content, etc. I think the way staff handles themselves professionally off and on the clock should always be considered, and unfortunately Peabody’s has a history of hiring problematic people from within the community. Your staff is your front line and is a direct representation of the business, and the first impression I get unfortunately is that management must be woefully unaware of the trouble and toxic/problematic behavior these individuals exhibit and present which spills into their time on the clock or management doesn’t understand the importance of holding these individuals accountable for their behavior and doesn’t see the negative consequence of how it can reflect on their business poorly.

Now that is out of the way….there are a handful of redeeming qualities of this place. The drink specials are unique and are a hit with the college crowd. The cocktails are some of the best around and I love the innovation from some of the friendlier bartenders there. The owner is passionate and a nice guy, I’ve had some pleasant but brief conversations with him regarding the business and the future of it. They bring in some great local bands and the layout of the space is great for it. The interior is lovely and is beautifully decorated while the layout is methodical and easy to navigate on busier nights. It has a wonderful small town feel still and is unique amongst the several other bars downtown.

In conclusion, Peabody’s best qualities are undone by questionable staffing choices and extremely hostile/inappropriate behavior by staff. I do wish I felt comfortable coming back to this space because I’ve had some good times here, but current staffing choices has me avoiding this place. I would be mortified as an owner if my staff acted the way some of this staff does. I hope management in the future looks a little closer at their team and how they have created an unwelcoming and unfriendly space. The face of Peabody’s isn’t a passionate owner or a fantastic cocktail menu, but rather rude staff who have gone of their way to drive business away for personal reasons or due to messy conduct. Problematic staff behavior creates a problematic atmosphere that will continue to poison this business the longer it goes unchecked. Negativity and toxicity lingers and unfortunately it’s so overwhelmingly present it warrants a 2 star review in a business that otherwise is worthy of 5 stars. I truly hope this feedback does not fall on deaf ears. I would love nothing more than to someday return back to Peabody’s and enjoy the space with friends like I used...

As a chef who has worked with some of the greatest chefs in the world I question the spice, seasoning is always great but when one can’t eat the food cause it’s way to hot what then? I don’t spend short of a $20 bill to suffer spice and it’s something I have seen in this town, chefs that over do or under do so where is the balance of food you cook. Understand balance and flavor and realize over doing it doesn’t keep people coming back. I believe they have a Chef that can be awesome but they try and over do instead of learning an art and that being a chef. No need to make things painful at that price it does enough make things inviting and people will come back and then price...

I’ve never given an 1 star review in my life— but I think this calls for it. Are the owners actually vetting who they hire? Every time I go I’ve been met with extremely rude staff and people who are known to cause problems at and outside of work. It’s a small town— and unfortunately this bar continues to recruit people who lack quality or customer service skills. I initially loved this place when it re-opened, but it’s definitely gone downhill to a point where myself and others I’ve talked to are steering clear. There are many other nice bars in town that will get our business and hard...