Williams & Graham — Restaurant in Denver

Subject: Critical Lapse in ADA Accommodation and Unprofessional Management Response

To the Management Team and Owner,

I am writing to detail a deeply disappointing and, frankly, unacceptable experience at your establishment during my visit on October 29th, 2025.

While the venue atmosphere was fantastic and the bar staff delivered truly excellent drinks (elements that would typically merit a 5-star rating), a profound failure in both ADA accommodation and subsequent managerial conduct necessitates a firm 1-star rating and this formal review.

As a permanently disabled patron, I experience chronic pain and significant difficulty standing for extended periods. My need for seating is not a preference; it is a medical necessity protected under accommodation guidelines.

Despite having multiple open, unreserved seats and empty booths available, I was repeatedly denied the ability to sit, forcing me to remain standing for approximately one hour. This negligence reached a point where I was prepared to leave the venue due to escalating pain. The justification: that my party was initially informed of a "standing room only" policy—is wholly irrelevant when an individual with a visible disability requires reasonable accommodation and available seating exists.

When a guest is in pain and empty seats are present, the policy must yield to the immediate need for accommodation. The prolonged refusal to seat a visibly struggling patron was a serious error in judgment, demonstrating a distinct lack of empathy and flexibility.

The situation was compounded exponentially by the manner in which our dissatisfaction was handled. In response to an initial, moderate 3-star edited to 4-star rating , the manager chose the least professional path: publicly confronting and "calling out" my party while we were still present and attempting to enjoy the evening. This created an unnecessarily tense and embarrassing spectacle, forcing my companions to step in and defend my position.

The manager’s attitude was exceptionally rude, arrogant, dismissive, and utterly unsympathetic to our concerns regarding accommodation. Most disturbingly, when faced with the core issue of a disabled patron being denied seating, her response was simply, “You could always have left.” This comment is not only profoundly dismissive of customer spending (we spent several hundred dollars), but it is a fundamental rejection of the responsibility to provide a safe and accommodating environment for all guests.

In conclusion, the integrity of an establishment is revealed not in how it handles smooth transactions, but in how it resolves adversity and cares for its most vulnerable patrons. Your management failed this test decisively.

My final 1-star rating reflects a conscious inability to recommend this venue to anyone in the disabled community. This rating is based entirely on the systemic lack of accommodation, empathy, and professional integrity displayed by the manager. I trust that this feedback will be used to review internal policies and provide necessary training on ADA compliance and appropriate conflict resolution.

This experience should serve as a clear lesson: the correct, professional response to customer dissatisfaction is always validated apology and resolution, never public confrontation and defensive...

I understand every venue has specific policies surrounding cancellation as it can disrupt service and impact finances. I hate to leave a bad review without visiting an establishment but I have never had this sort of experience with a place before.

I reside in New Jersey and was traveling to Colorado for a family trip. Made reservations for 2 through Open Table to visit Williams & Graham on a Wednesday at 8:30PM.

Our travel plans got delayed Wednesday flying into Colorado so we weren't going to make our reservation time. I went through Open Table to try and modify or cancel the reservation. It prompted me to call the venue to modify the reservation. No one answered since the establishment opened at 5pm.

I called again around 5:25PM and was immediately put on hold. After being on hold for 10 minutes, I hung up. I called again at 6:11PM and was able to speak with the hostess. She informed me that any cancellations after 5PM would incur a $50 charge but she said she would check to see if she could do anything as she understood we weren't physically able to show up at our reservation time. After another 10 minute hold, someone else picked up the phone. She said "you can either show up at your reservation time or it's a no show like my hostess said." I explained to her that I was traveling from out of town and would not be able to so I was trying to cancel. The new woman said since I didn't cancel before 5PM, I'd be charged $50. Again, I asked how I was to contact them when their establishment doesn't open until 5PM and Open Table said I had to call directly. Her response was "You should've left a message through the chat option even if nobody responds. It just has to be before 5PM." I thanked her and hung up.

(NOTE: So if you're trying to cancel a same day reservation, leave a voicemail or message through Open Table.)

Up to this point, I was disappointed that I would be charged but understood this is their cancellation policy. No bad feelings... until...

At 7:30PM, I received an email from Open Table that the establishment marked me as a "no show" - AN HOUR BEFORE my original reservation time I emailed them back and explained the situation. Open Table "removed the 'no-show' from my dining record as a courtesy."

I called to cancel yet they decided to report me as a no-show an hour before I could even no-show. Poor customer service. Will not try to make a reservation and go...

I’ve been to this bar three times so far, every time with a different seasonal menu. Because they change their menus according to the seasons, I wouldn’t be talking about specific drinks, but my overall impression. We usually get 6-8 different drinks every time we visit.

Welcome drink: the welcome drinks are SOO good across the board. It’s also a decent size, not something you can finish with one sip.

Bartender’s choice: this is probably my favorite way to drink, since the drinks I’ve asked them to make have surprised me and honestly tasted better than the seasonal ones (not to say the seasonal menu is not good, it’s just that the option to customize a drink according to your likes has more success). Some of the ingredients they use are made by the house. You can also request them to make a drink with a particular base, and the price might range from $18 to above depending on the base.

Whisky selections: they have something of every brand from the UK and Ireland. I was surprised that they had a particular Irish scotch that I was looking for. Definitely a place to go if you like whisky. Also they have a bunch of Japanese whisky bottles.

Seasonal cocktails: although the drinks change according to the season, many of the drinks themselves don’t really “remind you” of the particular season you’re in. That said, the summer menu was definitely lighter and fresher than the autumn and winter menus. The autumn one of 2024 was interesting, and my favorite one was the one with baijiu and sake (I had to mention this one because it’s one of the more unique and nicely mixed cocktails I’ve had in Colorado.)

Service: very friendly and professional.

Atmosphere: it’s not actually a hard-to-find speakeasy as the entrance is right on the corner of an intersection. The door to the bar is an actual bookshelf with real books, but the waiting room is not super big.

Appointment: we went once without an appointment and the wait was about 45minutes when we were texted, but then we had to wait about 15-20min more after checking in (this was on a weekend night). When we had appointments and arrived on time, the wait was around 5-10min after...