Rookie's Sports, Food & Spirits — Restaurant in Durham

I am STUNNED this place has 4 stars! Have those who’ve given good reviews ever been to a good or even mediocre-quality restaurant? This is the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. I’ve been to rookies more times than I want to admit. My husband and I would come just to watch the penn state games with the alumni association, but we are at the point where the horrible dining experience has trumped the joy of watching the game with fellow alumni. This review is a summary of the many experiences we’ve had at rookies. First, the service is absolutely horrible. Bartenders/waitstaff are extremely rude. Once you sit down, you likely won’t be greeted or have your order taken for 20-30 more minutes. Then, once your order is taken and you finally get your over-priced bottom shelf drinks, it’s a good possibility you may not see your server for another hour or so. Last night my friends and I ordered drinks and then did not see the server for an extended period of time until she brought us the same drinks we had ordered for the first round. We explained that we didn’t order the drinks and she told us she couldn’t take them back to the bar once they’ve been handed to us and they would just get tossed out. She made it sound like they would be comped from the check. (I’ve worked as a server and this happens a lot.) Once the check arrived we noticed we were still charged for the drinks we did not order. We asked if she could modify the check to reflect what we ordered. She said she’d check (she was in training). A few minutes later her trainer came to our table and said we would not blame her orientee for something just so we could get free drinks. As the penn state game entered the 4th quarter, and the restaurant was still mostly full, except for a few tables around ours, servers started putting up the barstools on all the tables. They even started putting up the barstools that were at the front end of our table obstructing the view of the tv. I’ve never been to a restaurant where the employees did not care one bit about the customer (and I’ve been in their shoes, I know what it’s like to be super busy, understaffed and overworked). The last point I want to make is the food is absolutely low-quality fried junk that has had my husband and I running to the bathroom the next day. I wish I could say this only happened once or twice, but the service at this place is horrible and the servers act like you’re a burden to them. We’ve been to this place approximately 10 times or so and each experience has been dreadful. Every single time we say we are never coming back, and then enough time passes and we are swayed by the love for our alumni association’s meet ups and we figure we can tolerate getting a couple drinks and watching the game. After last night we are adamant that we will never be back. You couldn’t pay me to patronize this establishment ever again. 10...

So I get to the pizza buffet about 11:30 and I'm the first one there of course, but let me just ask to see if they are serving the buffet today cause it looks totally dead with no lights at the pizza bar, no music and puzzled staff. I ask the older man with glasses at the register 'Are you all serving pizza today?. 'WHAT?! was his reply. I repeat myself and I guess it registered then cause he nods with a 'yeah yeah and gestures his hand towards to sitting. Ok. I go to pick a seat and nobody comes to my table. So I go to wash my hands to comeback and sit. So I'm waiting, other people starts to walk in with friendly greetings from man at register. They sit, and a young man that wrapping silverware jumps right up to bring them silverware and drink request. I'm just looking wondering is anybody going to acknowledge me and my daughter? So I wait and no avail. So I get up cause obviously I have to get their attention. I walk up. Same older man with glasses I ask, 'Can I get some utensils? 'WHAT?! He replies. I'm pretty much disgusted at this point and I say, 'I'm sitting over There and I'm eating Here, can I get forks and knives and something to drink?? He was about to tell me they don't have the box juice for my daughter but I told him that's what I usually get cause he wanted to offer juice from the fountain. I assume he found it and brings the juice and aggressively puts my drink down. 😆. Wth yo I say to myself. Finally we eat. More people walk in as the available staff rushes to get drink orders 😏. So can I get a refill? I place my empty glass at the edge of the table to no avail of course. As I'm gathering to leave here comes the older man asking do I want a refill to me it's a little to late for that as we are motioning to the register. And now I'm standing at the register cause I didn't get my check, finally the one waitress (whom was very nice) on the floor rings me up at the bar. I don't know what was going on today but I do know they was short of staff but that doesn't explain the rude disposition of service. Anyway the pizza was good as it is early. But the customer service today was trash. I'm always cordial and polite regardless of what they got going on but today I seen something totally different. I don't spend my money at places to get service like that...

While visiting this town I stopped off after work to have something for dinner. They were clearly very overwhelmed by two large parties (40 and 25 top). I asked the bartender how long the wait for food was and he honestly said an hour, which is expected and completely fine. So I ordered a beer and just sat there, honestly it was a long day and it didn’t bother me because i work in the restaurant business and I felt their pain. After my second beer I asked for the check as I just wanted to go “home” and I was greeted with a mandatory 20% gratuity. When I asked why I was told by the manager that since Covid they have been putting a mandatory gratuity on special occasions or when big parties were in house. The special occasion was that there was. DJ playing at 8pm. I closed my check out at 7:58 pm. I was also Told that because they were around hotels that was another reason why there was an auto Grat. I honestly was going to tip more than the auto grat but the fact that because they had big parties in house and a dj that I was not going to be there for and the demographic in this area I was going to be made to automatically pay for something I was not even going to be there for (dj). The manager was honestly a bit rude about it too, I understand that she was in the kitchen expediting food and it is a pressure situation but there is on stage presence (front of house) and back stage presence (kitchen). There is no need to bring her negative presence when a guest is trying to ask why they are being charged for something that they aren’t even a part of. I am not looking for anything I am just upset how it was handled: You are in the Hospitality industry,...