Sonder Social Club — Restaurant in Dunedin

I really want to like this place, so it’s a bummer to give this review. I’ve been here multiple times over the last two years and unfortunately, every time has been disappointing. The primary issue is the service. Just last night myself and two friends showed up at 11:15, with multiple parties actively sitting inside and outside enjoying full drinks. Business hours online state they are open until midnight, meaning last call should be 11:30 at the earliest. As soon as we walked in the bartender walked up to us and let us know “hey guys, we’re done for the night”. He offered no explanation or apologies for closing early, etc. It was very apathetic and unprofessional, especially for an upscale cocktail bar.

We have had this same bartender on previous occasions and he has been subpar to say the least, in both attitude and cocktail making skill. It’s a bummer because we are Dunedin locals and want to support these types of businesses, but time and time again we have been disappointed with Sonder’s service. This is at least the third time we have attempted to go here during the stated hours and have either been turned away early, or they were already closed up and locked the doors. Unfortunately we have also experienced poor service when they have been open and served us.

It’s not lightly I post this review because as stated previously, myself and my friends are Dunedin enthusiasts and want to support these local businesses. Unfortunately the customer service and lack of accurate hours has proven to us that Sonder is just not the place to go in Dunedin if you’re looking to spend your money supporting local spots with quality service and product.

I hope something changes and we can enjoy this place...

Perhaps we visited on a bad night, but service was lacking when we visited tonight. We waited 20 minutes to have our first drink order taken, and at least 40 minutes from finishing our second drink to finally approaching the server at the bar and asking for our ticket. Several tables came and went while we we still waiting for service. I don’t know if it’s because we were a party of two (rather than a large group), and the assumption was that we wouldn’t tip well, or simply the fact that they were understaffed. But every table with 4 or more people received far better and faster service than the tables with 2 guests (the two-top next to us finally went up to the bar themselves to order drinks after waiting at least 30 minutes for the server to approach their table).

We were never asked how we liked our food or drinks. The Rye or Dye was painfully sweet, and the Old Fashioned was simply okay.

The decor was fun, and the ambiance was nice, if a bit loud. For the price of the sub-par drinks, we’ll find another place to frequent.

Just to add icing to the cake, the server mixed up our credit card with that of a much larger table. We were charged more than double for our order (she gave us the receipt with the lower, correct amount, so we didn’t realize until we looked at our statement the next day). We tried calling multiple times, but nobody answers, and there’s no voicemail. Reached out via the contact form on the website and heard crickets. Not a great way to encourage...

Adam, my waiter, was nice and helpful. Unfortunately he failed to mention at the beginning of my visit that this establishment charges a 20% gratuity automatically, irrelevant of how many people are in your group or what you purchase. My greatest disappointment and disgust comes from the drink that I was served and the amount that I was charged. Take a view at the receipt that I’ve published along with this, $21.82 for a shot of absinthe on the rocks. Let me be clear that I am in the city of Dunedin, which most people have never even heard of. I’m not in Manhattan nor am I in Los Angeles where are these types of prices are a little bit more acceptable. The table next to me which was a group of four people also had a less than desirable experience and after overhearing some of the discomfort and drama I had to share my opinion with them of how management had treated them as well. I have also included pictures of the current menu and listing of prices. I had somewhat of an idea that my drink, which wasn’t even an elaborate cocktail, would cost between $10 and $13. In this situation, Adam should’ve made me aware of an inflated cost when the type of liquor I ordered isn’t noted or listed anywhere. The least rating I can give this is one star that’s too bad because they don’t deserve one...