Schooners Riverside Pub — Restaurant in City of Rochester

Where Racism Still Gets a Table Before You Do

I want to preface this review by saying that Schooner’s has always been a summer staple in my life—even after I moved away more than a decade ago. I’ve celebrated countless birthdays here, marked life-changing milestones, and shared laughter with my white friends and family. My connection to this place runs deep. My family has also had a longstanding relationship with Shumway Marine, storing our boat there over the winter months for decades. Schooner’s was always a place filled with positive memories—until now.

During a recent visit with a Black companion, I experienced something that left me shocked, deeply uncomfortable, and frankly, heartbroken.

We were visiting from North Carolina and decided to stop in for lunch. When we approached the host stand, the hostesses told us they needed to “check” on table availability. When they returned, they were unexpectedly accompanied by a large, bald white man who appeared to be a bouncer.

Without any greeting or explanation, the man immediately asked for our IDs. This was not only inappropriate—it was alarming. We were entering a restaurant, not a nightclub or private club. It quickly became apparent that the staff was looking for any excuse to deny us entry. The man examined our IDs with excessive scrutiny, then began asking a series of pointed, interrogative questions about our visit. The tone was invasive, the questioning uncomfortable, and the message unmistakable: we were being targeted. We were being discriminated against—blatantly and unapologetically—before we could even be seated. Despite the discomfort and shock, we remained composed and chose to stay. As we waited several more minutes to be seated, we watched as the hostesses whispered among themselves and proceeded to seat multiple white parties who had arrived after us—while we continued to stand by, ignored. Eventually, we were shown to a table, joined by two additional guests, and waited patiently for service.

Over 30 minutes passed without a single acknowledgment from any server. Staff walked past our table repeatedly—some making direct eye contact, others outright glaring—but no one stopped. Meanwhile, the white patrons around us received friendly, prompt service. When we asked a passing waitress where we could order drinks, she told us she’d be right back to take our order. She never returned.

After 45 minutes of being ignored, humiliated, and made to feel wholly unwelcome, we left. The contrast between this visit and every prior experience I’ve had—with white companions—was undeniable. This wasn’t inattentiveness. This was not a misunderstanding. This was a deliberate, targeted pattern of racial discrimination and exclusion.

The entire experience left us feeling dehumanized and disrespected. I am not writing this review out of anger, but out of a responsibility to speak honestly.

If you value fairness, dignity, and equality, I urge you to reconsider supporting this establishment. What happened to us was unacceptable—and I will...

We’ve been regulars at this restaurant for a long time and have always enjoyed our experience—until tonight. I came with my boyfriend, my sister, and her boyfriend, who is African American. When we arrived, the staff asked him for identification, but didn’t ask anyone else in our group. That alone was unsettling.

What followed made things even worse. After being seated, we waited over 35 minutes and not a single server came by—not to greet us, take a drink order, or check in. We watched other tables around us being served while we were completely ignored. Eventually, we left feeling hurt, unwelcome, and deeply uncomfortable.

This experience was heartbreaking for all of us, especially my sister and her boyfriend. It’s painful to feel like someone you care about was treated differently because of the color of their skin. We had never experienced anything like this here before, but the contrast was impossible to ignore.

I hope the restaurant takes this seriously. No one should ever have to feel unwelcome or less than in a space that is meant to serve the public equally. We expected better—and we still do.

I will have a hard time going...

Disappointed as this restaurant came on the recommendation of a friend and it really could be a great place due to the location. Food is not very good and the place just seemed dirty. The "sand box" for kids is just a bad idea--it adds to the dirty feel of the place and on the day we went, it was nothing more than a dumping ground for parents who had no interest in attending to their kids. We were originally seated at a table by the sand box and moved ourselves after the same unruly, unattended to child threw sand on our table for the third time ruining our drinks. The child was probably no more than 2, and even though we alerted the mom twice, she seemed more interested in cocktails with the girls than parenting and had complete disregard for other diners...the staff also did not seem to care. We went with our young children, so it is not like we are "those" adults who get unnerved around kids. The sand pit is just gross. I wouldn't go back...had a much better experience at the Pelican's Nest across the way--it is much cleaner & the food is better as...