Finns Beachside Pub — Restaurant in Flagler Beach

This pub had the absolute worst customer service I've ever experienced. My 9 year old niece got locked in the bathroom for 20 minutes with no windows on a very hot day. During this emergency, the staff could not produce a key to unlock the bathroom (but did try to open it with 4 credit cards and a giant butcher knife, admitting that this has happened multiple times before), showed absolutely NO urgency to help the situation (even took the time to bring us our food DURING it, which we of course did not eat), and even escalating it further to YELL at our party while we were trying to get her out after we were explicitly told that the key was allegedly off-site with a different manager and there was nothing they could do. The fire department eventually had to come and break the door down to get her out (after a CUSTOMER had to call them because the staff refused).

After that, our server came over and asked if we wanted some boxes while looking at our untouched food, I said sure, and then not a single employee returned to our table for over 2 HOURS. No boxes were ever given, the checks never arrived, and most importantly not even an APOLOGY or even an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT from any of the unhelpful staff members.

While we were distracted saying goodbye to family members, the staff took away our untouched food without asking and without bringing boxes or the check, then REFUSED to comp our meals that we could not eat or take home. This caused another completely inappropriate response from the staff, who became hostile again, with a manager (who was not there at the time of the incident) saying that she doesn't have explicit permission to comp the meal. Everyone there is somehow a "manager" of some sort, but with no actual authority or any leadership skills. The blame was shifted to us, saying she was told that we simply just "didn't let the staff unlock the door" as if we didn't beg them to open it and as if the fire department didn't have to get involved to get the door open. We asked again for proof that a key existed and got a wishy-washy answer from her, and a flat no from another manager who was actually there at the time. She also blamed my sister for letting her daughter go to the bathroom alone, which was ridiculous because both parents and 13 other family members were sitting 2 feet away from the bathroom (where our tables happened to be) and watched her go in - she is 9 and is fully capable of using the restroom by herself, and even so her parents were quite literally 2 feet away at all times.

After paying for food that we did not eat or take home, the manager said let us know if there's anything else they could help us with, and I asked them to please find the keys for the rest of the rooms so this doesn't keep happening (like they admitted to before). Considering they have to get a new door for the womens restroom on the rooftop, I hope that will be an easy one, but other rooms at that establishment were in horrible condition as well. The mens restroom's locks didn't work either, and both doors were basically already off their hinges. Of course, when I (a woman) mentioned this that manager angrily accused me of using the mens restroom which I personally did not, but the men in my party I was with did and even took a video of the broken locks - as if me using the mens bathroom was relevant in any way, and considering the womens restroom literally had a door broken in pieces there were a few women that understandably did use the mens restroom.

To Finn's Beachside Pub owners and management: Please fix doors, locks, and any other run-down equipment that pose a dangerous risk to your customers and staff, and PLEASE invest in more emergency management and customer service training for ALL of your staff members. The way this entire situation was handled was completely unacceptable for a business establishment, let alone a nice tiny pub on the beautiful beachside that I'm sure would have otherwise provided a nice environment to hang out in. Please reach out if you'd like more details of...

Based on my experience...had dinner here earlier I would only rate this local eatery 4 stars. "Not a five" only a 4. BTW, we were gonna leave and depart the 2nd floor had no one come over/ wait on us/ and put our drink orders in. Non weather related, the upstairs was pretty crowded but not chaotic crowded. That still didn't account for having waited nearly 10 to 12 min for a staff member to see us that much later. It's one thing being patient, it's another having to wait for X amount of time before an employee shows up at the table to take off us. *Now I get it, the restaurant has a laid back..beach-y type of vibe to it..being light casual fare and a few "NOT a flight of steps" steps better then KFC, that I understand. I knew at the time I wasn't in a mad rush to order everything. Had it been nice to receive the appetizer out first..vs being served everything ALL AT ONCE would've been extremely nice, more appropriate and professional. For their sake not just from a customer's perspective! "I guess no matter how opinionated and critical customers are in regards to sharing "good or not so good" feedback the way the restaurant operates some 4 years from 2022...it'll never change! They may never change but really...I mean WTH?! It's freaking 2022, its not 2001! Certain local restaurants remind me of dogs in MANY ways.."stubborn is, as stubborn does!" - Some of the food entrees weren't ALL cooked deep fried and had more variety of options to chose from..I'd rate the restaurant a 5. "Still not a ten." Better than a 4 but not at all perfect. I've had very good meals at other local restaurants in the area (both at Flagler Beach and in the city), and by far were 5 to 9.5 star ratings. "I mean hell, I've eaten at Chic fil' A several times, Five guys restaurant, Johnny Rockets diner, and Steak N' Shake numerous times in the past. I know from first hand experience and being to those eateries repeatedly....I'd MUCH rather eat there than at Finns. I know fried food isn't the best choice for anyone. However in terms of how the business and those certain restaurants operate and everyone does their jobs extremely well, I give the staff/ employees a huge pat on the back!! Especially at Chic Fil A, they work their darn tails off and with a good amount of pressure as well. The staff at Finns does a well job. Obviously NOT a fantastic nor a million percent excellent job at the restaurant. The staff should at Finns should see how Chic Fil-A runs and operates. They'd get a better sense of appreciation and a wider range of feeling how good it feels to make sure every single customer(s) get their meals on time. Not just tossed on a table and say, "oh here's your food. Enjoy!" I do rate the location of Finns restaurant an 8, but for everything else...was a 4 nothing higher. -- I used my fingers to eat the food b/c the staff throws away all silverware and doesn't do any good. "Not 1 bit!" To flimsy, can easily snap in half if used incorrectly, and the big one is being tossed in the trash. To me the more silverware that get tossed in the trash eventually land up in landfills or worse in the oceans and harming all and any ocean life!!! The restaurant should deeply consider using reusable silverware for customers. If the dishwasher employees cleans pots, pans and everything else in between...it can't be too difficult to wash forks, knives, spoons?! I also have to nip pick at the entree plates....which weren't plates!! The food was FAR from being put on a decent size plate. "Oh gosh, oh no"...our beach vibe restaurant doesn't and won't allow employees to serve warm entrees on a plate?! In my dead honest and truthful opinion...to me I consider that PURE laziness!!! I don't care what they think, say, reason is, or anything else more...

The atmosphere isn't bad although I wish we could get something a little bit more sophisticated in the Palm Coast Flagler beach area. What I wanted to say was their bartenders do not know how to make a drink! The first mojito downstairs was okay. Not great. My wife ordered a cosmo that tasted like hell, and the glass wasn't even. I ordered a vodka tonic and they gave me a glass of tonic water, or at least it tasted that way. Not in a rock glass, but in the water glass. It was supposed to be grey goose but it tasted like the worst bottom shelf vodka I've ever tasted. Grey goose triple filtered and smooth. So definitively bottom line they refill their bottles with bottom shelf liquor. Then we went up to the rooftop and so we figured well after that bad experience let's go back to a mojito. Mojito upstairs was horrifically horrible how to make a decent drink when your vodka and rum taste like bad medicine. So we tried 3 different bartenders and none of them did really great at making a drink. I will say there aren't very many places to go out here in the Palm Coast Flagler Beach area that have dancing, so I give them a star for that they had a band downstairs which was good. DJ upstairs on the rooftop balcony. If you need to make some repairs it seems that the local people are a bit rowdy seems like somebody broke the latch or the door frame in the men's bathroom so they put a sliding bolt lock on it. It feels like a mix between a Harley biker bar a beach bar and a club. But none are wonderful. But when it's all that's around I guess you have to say I'm glad that there's something. But I can't say it's a...