Gilly's Clubhouse — Restaurant in Detroit

I don't think I will go back honestly. I came here for my 30th birthday for dinner with friends and family. I heard about this place from a friend and check them out based off reviews and had a really bad experience. It started with the reservation that I made for 8 people with friends and family. I tried to call them just to confirm because no one reached out after I made the reservation online their phones were out for two days I was told by staff. They didn't reserve our table but sat us somewhere til the other few people showed but then we they did everyone was like deer in head lights about what they were supposed to be doing. We asked them for a long table because some people had gotten up by then the host said sure whatever you like. It took them a min to come back and clean the table then we ended up having to move them together ourselves because no one was assisting. We were asked then by one of the managers do y'all really need two tables and she seemed to have an attitude about it. Once we moved it took another 30 mins just for someone to come back and take our order. Drinks we ordered were terrible tasted like juice. She came back to informed that someone reserved the tables that we were at as if we didn't have a reservation as well and they haven't been really taking care of us. At that time it was about 8:34 no orders have been taken at that point or placed. The next reservation was coming at 9:30 and when they arrived we would have to leave because they reserved that table. We were rushed and then that reservation never even showed up when it was time for the bill it was a issue with that obviously we all weren't under one table, this should have been stated that they couldn't separate the bill etc before hand. Then the buss boy is cleaning and clearing the table while we are still sitting there.. Ive heard of pre bussing but it's rude to just be reaching over people while they are still sitting there . The bus boy then started pulling chairs from our table while people were at the bathroom and accommodate the table across from us. Im guessing that table asked could they move to our table because as we are literally getting up to all take a picture together while purses and phones are still at/on the table the other party starts to walk over and started sitting down before we could fully get up. I spoke with the manager Shannon while I was there before the last couple of things took place but I honestly don't think I want to go back at this point. only thing good was the food and the atmosphere. The service was a 0. Im really disappointed especially because this is a new place downtown detroit. If I gave it another chance they would have to convince me it's worth the money. Ive worked as a bartender for 6 plus years. I served people how I wanted to be served.. That's not taking 25-30 mins each time just to check on my customers or grabbing things...

As a first time guest, my experience started out shaky before even arriving. I was unable to make a reservation for the (reservation only) rooftop through the website for any date this month, so I called the restaurant twice with no answer. I figured they were just busy and decided to try my luck as a walk in.

When we arrived at the restaurant around 8:45pm the hostess asked if we had reservations and I explained that I was unable to make one online and it was our first time in. She sat us downstairs in the main dining. When we looked at the menu, it was nothing like the tacos and tequila menu we had seen online. I asked our server and she explained that the tacos menu was for the rooftop only and that their reservation system was down. Why did the host not mention this to us or even ask if we wanted to be sat in the rooftop venue or main dining area. There was no indication that there were two separate restaurants in the same building. Sensing our confusion she offered to see if there was an open table on the rooftop as she took our drink order. After 20 minutes of no update our friends who were joining us arrived and we decided to just make it easy and stay seated where we were.

We ordered an appetizer and then entrees around 9:45 and enjoyed the drinks and atmosphere despite the shaky experience so far. Around 1030 our server said let me check on your food it should be right out. Shortly after, a manager came and sat down at our table and said “here’s the deal, our kitchen staff started cleaning up early and there is no more food, so I opened your ticket and compd one round of drinks” and walked away before I could ask further questions. My friends were under the impression that our food was just delayed and the manager was comping our drinks for the delay. I asked the manager for clarity and he explained that the kitchen was closed and we were not getting our dinner. No one bothered to mention that the kitchen closed at 10, let alone 945, so we had no idea that there was any time pressure to order.

Having worked in the service industry for years, one round of drinks is hardly enough to make up for waiting 45 minutes only to find out that we would not be getting our food during our first visit to your restaurant. This was a terrible first impression, and the manager did not seem to care. Our server was nice and apologetic, as she thought that she had put the food in in time. It would have been easy for them to comp a couple rounds of drinks, and then give us a small gift card to return and hopefully have a better second experience where we can actually try the food.

I had high hopes for Gillys but this experience was so frustrating that I don’t think I will patronize them again. I hope they can improve their cohesion and communication to provided better service to others...

20% "Service Charge" to eat at Gilly's? Ridiculous!

So, after wanting to try Gilly's since they opened, my husband and I decided to have a date night there. When we walked in we were asked if we had a reservation. We said no. They acted like it might be an issue (even though the lower level was fairly empty.) They gave us a small table near the outdoor seating area, which was fine. The interior of the place was nice and we thought the atmosphere was good. We were given menus and neither my husband nor myself were impressed with the selection. It was actually quite disappointing that they didn't have a larger selection.

We then waited roughly 10 minutes for our server to acknowledge us and take our drink order (2x coronas and water $16.) When she finally brought drinks back, we ordered food: Bang Bang Broccoli ($15), Wagyu Sliders ($24) and Meatball Sliders ($18). I will say that the Bang Bang Broccoli was actually really tasty. I could have just made a meal out of that for myself. My husband said the Wagyu sliders were just so-so - not worth $24. And I thought the Meatball sliders were mediocre at best. We've had better sliders from other locations - and for less than half the price of what we paid for at Gilly's. Other than the broccoli, the food was nothing that would make me want to come back.

Our server wasn't very friendly and she kept disappearing - we literally did not see her for an extended period of time and when she finally reappeared, we asked her for a box, which then took her 20 minutes to bring to us.

What really ticked us off though was the fact that they don't give you a paper receipt at checkout. Our server, who suddenly started trying to be friendly near the end of our dining experience, brought us a mobile checkout device that showed no information on screen other than our total. It said our bill was $91.98 - so we left a $20 tip (which would have been about 20%). The receipt was then texted to us, which I didn't review until we had already left.

Nowhere on the menu or anywhere in the restaurant do they tell you that they charge you a 20% "Service Fee." I know I personally would love to know what this "Service Fee" is for! Is it an automatic tip for our waitress? If so, she just got a 40% tip! You can see in the screenshot below how much our bill was BEFORE the "Service Fee" and after, including the extra $20 we ended up leaving for a tip.

I understand that a lot of establishments are starting to implement service fees, but 20% is ridiculous! And especially for overpriced sliders. And just the fact that they don't tell you about said "Service Fee". Had I known, I may have chose to go elsewhere. So needless to say, that was our first and last...