Table25 Fork + Wine — Restaurant in Douglasville

Upon hearing about this place we sought out to get reservations when our parents came in town for the holiday. On their website, we saw that they have igloo dining (an outdoor heated clear igloo tent decorated where you can dine), however, using their selected reservation service (Resy), there was no way to select the igloos for dining. So we just reserved a table and decided we'd call during their business hours to see if the our reservation could be changed to include the igloo dining. The day before our reservation, we called and were informed that we could change to the igloo, but that it would be a $50 charge and $100 food minimum (no problem). We accepted and looked forward to our time there....Now here's where things go very left.

THINGS GO LEFT: The next day, we arrived to our reservation to see empty igloos that were undecorated outside and then to be told that no one had informed them that we wanted the igloo, that the fee was actually $100 with a $250 food minimum. When we explained what we were told, the owner was not apologetic. She continuously used words like "IF that's what happened," (which almost insinuated we were making this up) and upon us saying we felt what we were quoted the day before should be honored were meet with comments from the owner like "I can't just give you things for free," which is not at all what we were requesting as I/my party can afford whatever we decide to consume/service we want to use.

REDEMPTION: When I pulled the owner aside and had a heart to heart conversation about my disappointment in the way things were handled and how I was spoken to by her, the fact I just wanted what I had been told the day before I would get, and that I in no way want anything free because I can afford it, her demeanor changed. She explained they were training staff and admitted they did not give us all the proper information and seated us in the igloo, offered us a bottle of champagne, and took $25 off the newly quoted fee of $100.

THE IGLOO: It was very nicely decorated and warm. A lovely tablescape adorned the table. Faux fur throws were thrown in each seat which added to the warmth and ambiance. We felt like we were in our own covid safe VIP section in a clear bubble. Such a cute concept.

FOOD AND SERVICE: After waiting 45 minutes for them to prepare the igloo for dining, we were seated. We were immediately greeted by our server Tyler who offered us his sincere apology (despite this NOT being his fault). Tyler was so personable and pleasant. He offered us suggestions, and solutions since most of the higher ticket items were 86'd (there were NO filets, and only ONE steak left in the whole restaurant, which made it hard for us to make the required food and beverage minimum). We ended up starting with 2 orders of the LOBSTER ELJEAN for our appetizer. It was beautifully plated and delicious. The lobster tail lightly coated and fried and the crab meat was a good portion too. For dinner, we ordered 4 RIBEYE & LOBSTER SURF AND TURFs that were plated on a bed of mashed potatoes with grilled asparagus. The ribeyes were very flavorful, but two were fatty and a bit stringy. We also got 1 HAWAIIAN STEAK which had a sweet and savory flavor with hints of pineapple in the marinade. A few of the drinks we wanted were also not available.

MY SUGGESTIONS: The igloo dining is mismanagement of a great concept and one of this restaurants greatest attributes. It offers customers unique ambiance and safety in these covid times. It could EASILY be a large part of this restaurants appeal. However, with a menu full of lower price points, and the kitchen being out of most of the higher ticket items, it makes no sense to have an igloo reservation fee AND a food minimum. I also think that the establishment should work on better staff communication. Management/the owner should work on their conflict resolution approach to customers: simply apologizing and admitting there was a breakdown in communication, and honoring what the customer was told would have gone...

Unfortunately, I have had 2 unpleasant experiences at Table25 in Douglasville. I cannot recommend a place where the staff is rude, inattentive, and uninviting. I took my friend out for her 60th birthday on Saturday, August 10, 2024. I made reservations for a 9:30 pm seating (the evening was suppose to be an Intimate Evening with Carl Thomas, according to their flier...it was advertised free parking, food & drink specials, sexy vibes). We were seated after the manager was observed being rude to a young man trying to establish our reservations. After being seated (in an area with no light...we had to use our phone flash light to see the menu) and waiting for 20 minutes or more, a young server came to our table and she asked what we wanted to order. We were given 2 menus for 4 people, so I explained to her that I had not had an opportunity to look at the menu and could she bring us some water (we were seated outside) while we decided. She said, "Ok, I will be back." She didn't return with the water until after 20- 25 minutes. During this time, two of my friends and I were dancing with the DJ (the DJ was awesome...he was the only positive experience we had there), a hostess approached my friend that was still seated (she doesn't dance) at the table and informed her that she needed our table and we would have to move. My friend informed her that we had a reservations and she would need to speak with me regarding our reservations. The hostess then proceeded to ask her, "what time was your reservation." She told her our time (9:30 pm)...it was a little after 10:00 pm when she asked this questions. The hostess tried to explain to us that the server informed her that "she was unsure if we were going to order," What is interesting is that the server never came back to our table to ask us if "we were ready to order...she flat out lied...the nerve. My friend that was seated at the table was appalled at the hostess' behavior and nerve of her to state what she said. This truly made all of us angry. We wanted to support a BOB, but if this is how you are going to treat people, we cannot patronize an establishment that allows this to happen. The first time we visited your establishment (recommended by DJ Samuel Davis), we were met with hostility from the lady manager, we let it slide, but to be disrespected a second time, is unacceptable. Customer Service should always be top priority and unfortunately, it is lacking here. As far as management is concerned, if you tell a patron that you will handle a situation, be considerate to inform the patron that the problem has been addressed. There is so much more that happened this evening, it was best that we left and continued our...

This past Sunday was our second time coming here. The first time was a month ago when we came for dinner. We loved the dinner. There was one hiccup but they made it right.

This time we came to try their brunch. When we set the appt on the day prior using Resy we requested a booth for 11:30. We also called the day before and asked if they would be having live music and they said they were. When we got there they didn't see our reservation or request. All the booths were already reserved. We sat at a regular table. One of the ladies that worked there came to our table and informed us that they had to reboot the system and was now able to see our reservation. All good. Things happen. Also there wasn't any live music when we got there at 11:30.

Our major issue was our server Tyler. He was very Ho-Hum while attending to us. Had a vibe like he didn't want to be there. At first we figured it may have just been his personality. However when he was greeting other tables he was grinning ear to ear. I don't know what his issue with us was but we had to flag him down several times for refills and syrup. When I asked him for salt and pepper he acted as if I asked him for one of his kidneys. He rolled his eyes as he went to go get it. He walked past us countless times tending to the table behind us but wouldn't check on us. Another server must have noticed this and asked us if we needed anything. We were excited to hear some live music but by the time we finished our food we had to go. Still Tyler was nowhere to be found. We flagged down the owner and she quickly got our check and rung us out.

We were excited to hear some live music but the owner was going from table to table informing everyone that the band was running behind but will be here. We left around 1pm and as we got to the parking lot we saw the band unloading their equipment. This would've been a 3 star review based on Tylers service but the owner, the ladies who greeted us when we came and the server who checked on us made up for that. They were very nice. The TBL 25 omelet was pretty good but everything else was just basic. I had the chicken and waffles and the TBL 25 omelet and my lady had the Ol Country Breakfast.

We will be back for dinner but probably not for brunch. Hearing the live music may have encouraged us to come back for brunch but we didn't get a chance. Great music was playing over the...