Sweetwater Tavern — Restaurant in Detroit

We came here for an early supper on Sunday, March 17, 2024. To begin our experience after we were seated, our server walked past our table with no greeting and practically slammed our utensils on the table while she was passing by. After several minutes she walked by and said “hi” but received no response because we were already slightly turned off by her disposition. After several more minutes she approached the table absent of an introduction but including a second greeting “hi, are you guys ready to order?”, we were not, however, we inquired about the house cocktails, our server Dorothy decides to return with a beer and wine menu.. Puzzled, I ask her do they have a cocktail menu, she says “oh” and proceeds to go grab one from the bar and hand it to us; my companion, asks her to provide us time to look over the menus and then we would be ready to order. She leaves, returns approximately 6 minutes later, and we order. Our order included the steak bites and potato skins with no pork for an app, we ordered the burger and fries for my daughter with a pineapple juice and we ordered two house cocktails. While we are awaiting our meal, another guests approaches the bar where the bartender, Dorothy and another server are standing to inquire about her food), Dorothy, the bartender (a short, hefty brunette), and the other server (a short younger black girl with 24 inch Amazon weave), begin to argue about why the food wasn’t given to the guest in a timely manner. The manager said nothing, or ever addressed his team/associates about conduct. We continue on (the cajun steak bites, potato skins and pita bread were actually delicious), so we enjoyed them and tried to ignore the toxic environment. (Side-note: upon the arrival of our app, we ordered two more cocktails which were actually abominable and disgusting). My toddler was with us and she had to use the restroom, as children do, she stood up and touched the lamp overhead while she was alerting me to the fact she needed to use the restroom, the server with Amazon weave, literally screams at my child, the entire restaurant has to look to see what’s going on. I have to reprimand the server about her behavior, and redirect her.I take my child to the restroom, while I’m in the restroom, I hear the short, chubby, brunette bartender using profanity and speaking how “the kid was touch the f-ing lamp”, and return to speak to the manager, and let him know how despicable and unacceptable his staff’s behavior was and was met with the poor excuse of how he only works Monday thru Friday and this wasn't his shift, he was only covering for someone and his shifts don’t run in this manner. However, my experience of managing several conglomerate restaurants in the past and being a General Manager currently of a well know multimillion dollar establishment now, I am very familiar with the service industry and what is and isn’t appropriate, tolerated, or considered the norm, and I expect the service I would have my associates provide, whenever I’m dining at any other establishment. Since the manager had no control over his team or the ongoings in the restaurant, I let him know we wanted to cancel our entrees and we will pay for what we had and leave. I receive the bill at 100%, no comps, no accommodations, nothing for the terrible service, the disrespect or negative experience. I have never experienced this type of service rather it be in a fast-casual, or fine dining establishment. I will not be returning, and I hope the management is able to gain more control of their staff in the future. This establishment actually deserves a half star, but unfortunately this was not an option. Leadership should know how to lead, regardless of who they are managing or what shift they are covering. The behavior and culture should curtail speaking to children in an aggressive manner, using profanity, and engaging in hostility creating possible altercations. This establishment is aside from literally one individual busser Dre, (who was phenomenal),...

Be warned: don’t use a card here. my card that I used on my meal here which hadn’t been used in over a week before going here was hacked and used to purchase items online 2 days after eating here.

If you’re looking for an experience, or even to just feel welcomed into an establishment, don’t go here.

The food isn’t terrible, really, but the salty attitude you get with every request ruins any good food they’d offer. Every request (which is really just normal ordering of food in a restaurant) is met with clenched jaws.

No one speaks directly to you when they’re speaking to you. I think they were upset because I sat at a booth when I was by myself (and the restaurant was empty), but I wasn’t sat by anyone so I chose what was most comfortable for me.

I’m short, and my legs just dangle in their high booths, so I had my foot resting on the leather seat bench across from me and someone (from the kitchen who hadn’t even been out front to know I was doing it) came up to my table to ask me to “remove my feet from the furniture” as if I had them on the table or something.

To look over in the same booth I’m sitting in and see years of dirt and grime and napkins from previous guests shoved in between the booth and the wall is just disgraceful when you’re asking someone to stop resting their foot on the booth bench seat across from them. If you want your restaurant patrons to treat it like a Michelin star restaurant, clean it maybe? Just a suggestion.

Chicken strips were good (homemade). Dressing for the onion rings (frozen, packaged) was good. Cole slaw was meh. Busser was rude. Waitress was covert rude. Didn’t interact with anyone else except the mystery etiquette police.

If everyone hates their jobs, they should maybe get...

My experience overall with this place, I’ll give it a 5/10, overall the food is good however the level of service for the customers isn’t good. I’ve ordered wings and fries from this place often and never had an issue with my order but today there was a small issue. So I went and picked up my order and usually before I pay and leave, I check my order to make sure it’s correct so I asked both the employer and manager are the order of 8 wings inside the wrapped up foil and they both replied yes so after heading back from place, I looked inside my order and gotten 4 wings instead so I called back the place and put a formal complaint in and explained to both the employee and manager about the situation and they both claimed that their were 8 wings inside the foil and I said no their only 4 wings and the manager is going back and forth with claiming that the foil looked full compared to the foil looking small and I said the foil looked full only because of the size of how the wings were but altogether I only got 4 wings and he’s still claiming it was 8 wings in there and I explained to him once again they were only 4 and then the phone disconnected and then I called back and was on hold for more then 5 minutes so with that being said instead of the boss and employers going back and forth with the customers take accountability and realize that a mistake was made and is willing to fix it vs having a debate with the customer. Overall again the food is good but I will not be coming back to this location and be serviced the way I was serviced today, no the customer isn’t always right but if a customer isn’t being difficult, come up with a solution to make the customer feel comfortable coming back, please do better servicing...