Apollonia Grill — Restaurant in Florida

Discriminatory practices against physical disabilities and age. Or, just a VERY unprofessional hostess who needs remediation on how to treat guests with disabilities, hospitality, and how to represent this fine establishment.

Husband and I brought his parents here to celebrate their 53rd anniversary and father's 82nd birthday. Wanted to treat them to a special meal/experience. We came ready to spend money and have a good time.

We were greeted by a young hostess who couldn't bring herself to say anything friendly to make us feel welcome or even pretend like she cared that we were there. Unfortunately, it only got worse.

I knew it was Happy Hour, and given the very special occasions we came for, wanted to make the parents feel like we were celebrating, and do something fun like participate in the Happy Hour tapas before ordering entrees.

I asked the hostess if we could start with tapas by sitting in one of the 4 or 5 booths that was in the bar area. She said "No, unfortunately, you must sit at a high top to order from the Happy Hour Food Menu." I responded with discretion, "My father in law has a disability and is physically unable to sit in a high top chair. We are here to celebrate his 82nd birthday and 53rd anniversary. With that in mind, can you please make an accommodation for him by allowing us to participate from one of the booths, which is also located in the bar area?"

She only repeated "Unfortunately he'd have to sit in a high top seat to order off the Happy Hour food menu." Not even a sorry, apologetic/empathetic tone, or any other words! Just robotic, flat, uncaring, cold. I gave her very direct and polite communication about the reason being due to a disability, and that was her chance to use some critical thinking and make not only the compassionate and right decision, but also the legal decision. She failed on all counts.

On top of all that, she did not respond in kind with any sort of discretionary tone or volume, so my father in law was extremely embarrassed in front of other waiting patrons! I was so embarrassed and upset for him. In his embarrassment, my father signaled he didn't want to press the issue, despite this clearly discriminatory decision made by an employee who failed/was unwilling to use any sort of judgment or at least discretely escalate the question to her oversight.

The kicker was that this hostess ended up seating us in a booth in the loud bar area, instead of in the restaurant area. (Yes, we had a reservation!) We sat directly next to two, long, high top tables that were completely unoccupied on both sides (so, it's not even like we would have been stressing their Happy Hour offering). And proceeded to order full price appetizers while not even getting restaurant area seating. I can't even begin to express how insulting this entire situation was.

Thankfully the food was great, and the service by Jenna even better. She is amazing and exemplifies kindness, professionalism, personableness, and humor/wit.

Please do not promote that hostess to waiter. I shudder to think about those nightmarish 3 inch nails anywhere near a plate. More importantly, if you place her level of judgment (or lack thereof) in such a role it will be a disaster for your customer interactions. She's already a disaster, in the role of the first person any patron encounters when walking into your establishment. Your restaurant/food/brand are way too high quality to be represented by somebody as atrocious as this.

Feel free to reach out to me to discuss further. I have a photo of said hostess, which I won't post to respect privacy, but can share with restaurant management to confirm identity.

Attached is a photo of our BAR seating with a reservation. Check #90, Table 26 4/6/23 5:47 PM

This is my first less than 5 star review for an establishment. I usually try to settle such issues in private, and use reviews for positive feedback only. However, I believe this was serious and that the public deserves to be aware of such a policy, especially given the local...

Finally made it to Appolonia, we had heard it was great, and it has great reviews. The food was awesome and our server was so sweet. The following is my reason for only 2 stars, when it would have been 5: my friends and I met at the restaurant last Monday for a birthday celebration/happy hour, we had all looked at the menu on line and the happy hour food choices looked wonderful. When I arrived, two of my friends were there at a high top table table in the bar area. Knowing my physical limitations/handicap, they had already asked our server for a lower regular table which was also in the bar area, right next to the high top. Our server told them no, that only happy hour DRINKS were allowed at the lower table, not happy hour FOOD. Strange rule. When I arrived, my girlfriend told me she had tried 4 times before finally getting up on the high chairs with no backs and that the floor was very slippery. I again asked our server, who acknowledged that the floor was slippery, but that no, we could not have happy hour food at the lower table, which is what we came for. She did not offer to get the manager and we did not ask for the manager. I said I would just stand but my friends wanted me to sit and attempted to assist me but the chair slid out and I fell about 4 feet to the floor. Luckily as I was falling my friends each grabbed my arms which helped the fall from being what could have been a way more serious situation. They weren't able to hold me up to stop the fall completely, but with them each holding an arm, I fell straight on my behind with my feet out in front. I would have gone backwards and most likely hit my head and maybe even broke an arm or leg. I still hit pretty hard and the impact jarred my whole body. Somehow I got up, our server came over. I was crying, I guess from the shock, maybe some embarrassment, and also the fear that I had maybe done serious damage to my back. The manager/owner did not come at that time. Our 4th friend then arrived to find me crying and when told what had happened asked for the manager/owner. He came out and was told I had just fallen, he did ask if I was ok, and then my friend asked him if we could sit at a lower table, he said yes, of course, but when asked if we would be able to order food off the happy hour menu, he hesitated. My friend asked if he could make an exception and he said, "yes, I make an exception". He never looked back at me again and he never came out again in the next 1-1/2 hours to see if I was ok. We ended up having a great time together at a much more comfortable table. Again, we loved the food and our server, this would be a place where i would visit often and bring them a lot of business. But I left there feeling, and still do today, that I was not treated very well and was not shown the caring or compassion from a business owner whose customer had just fallen at their establishment. It was very disappointing and unfortunately I would not feel comfortable or welcome visiting this establishment again.

What I hope may come from this review is two things: 1) that the establishment place something on the bottom of the stools to help prevent them from slipping and 2) that the happy hour food AND drink be allowed at the lower tables.

Not allowing customers who have difficulty getting up on a high stool to be able to order off the happy hour menu is discrimination and just bad customer service. Although they did make an exception for us AFTER the fall, good customer service, especially on a Monday in the middle of July, would have been to allow us the lower table when we asked several times in...

THIRD UPDATE: This establishment has delivered more good than not in the dozen times we've visited. One afternoon, I ordered and enjoyed the delicious Chicken Lemon Rice soup, and suddenly felt ill. The bartender canceled the rest of our order, comp'd the soup, and told us she looked forward to next time. Disappointed we had to leave, but extremely grateful for the exceptional service. Management could take a lesson from this bartender!

UPDATED REVIEW. Once a 5-star review, this is a 2-star review given today's experience. 2-13-2024

We were thrilled to return to make a 40-minute drive to enjoy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants today. Sitting at our usual spot, we encountered met a server new to us. We tried to order our usual: Greek Fries and Beet Salad. We were told Greek Fries are only served during Happy Hour. How difficult would it be to toss some Feta cheese on top of the fries, we wondered. Since we thought the server was new, we asked if we could speak with the Manager.

Quite a while later, a woman who was visiting with two gentlemen at the bar made her way over to us. I greeted her with a smile and asked if she was the Manager. She did not return my smile, nor introduce herself, and her tone was matter-of-fact. She launched into “Greek Fries are served at Happy Hour only. They’re really popular, but they are only on our Happy Hour menu, but the kitchen will make them for you.” We thanked her and smiled again. That makes it twice that she didn’t smile in return. As she was leaving, I asked her name. “Jen,” and she was gone. (As an aside, if the Greek Fries are so popular, why not add them to the full menu?)

Our modified order, featuring a lamb patty and a Chicken Ciabatta that turned out overcooked and dry, was delivered by our server, who then disappeared. Throughout our meal, both the server and Manager, Jen, were engrossed in a wine tasting with wine reps at the bar, neglecting to check on us. (Check out the photos.) This starkly contrasted with our usual positive experiences at the restaurant's bar, leading us to reconsider the once-glowing 5-star review.

INITIAL REVIEW I grew up on authentic Mediterranean cuisine in the suburbs of Metro Detroit. Since moving to Sarasota 10 years ago, I've searched for the food I so miss from our hometown. This is the best restaurant for elevated authentic Mediterranean fare. I just wish I would have found it 10 years ago! Excellent service, delicious Chicken Lemon Rice soup, and hands down the world's...