Charbar no. 7 — Restaurant in Greensboro

Two nights ago my wife and I where visiting the Greensboro area with some friends. We decided to give CharBar7 a try. We walked in and noticed the nice-looking interior and some decent music playing. We were immediately punched in the face by the young hostesses death glare. I've never had a person working at the front counter as a host be more rude, awkeard, and just unprofessional. There was no high or hello, no smile, not even a fake smile, barely any noise as she put the menus down in the table she silently led us to and then mumbled "enjoy" as she walked off in the other direction. She won't even look at you this whole time. We watched for the next hour as she did this same thing to countless other guests coming in to eat. She was unbelievably rude and put off a really unwelcoming vibe.

Then, our waitress came over to greet us and take orders, and at first, she seemed unpleasant and unhappy, too. She was okay after a little while, and it felt like she was trying to be happy and professional. The other waitresses and bartender seemed just overall unhappy. I'm not sure what kind of management issues they might have or what might have caused this dynamic, but it was just not pleasant.

Our food came out after a while, and it was just okay. I ordered a ribeye steak, and it was cooked to the right temp, but it was so bland and tasteless. I dont eat steaks with sauces, and in most cases, a ribeye has so much flavor that all it takes to carry it is some salt and pepper or other light seasonings. This did not seem to have anything on it. It was so unbelievably plain. It's disappointing for sure. My wife's drink was totally wrong, and she was asking me to send it back, which she never does. When i did ask the waitress if we could send it back and ask for the drink she ordered, she said yes and seemed totally fine with it and was friendly and all that. As she took the drink back, she was stopped by what I assume was the manager, and all of a sudden, her attitude and energy were low for the rest of the evening, even towards our group.

I really dont get it, but this was a big letdown and a major swing and a miss for CharBar7. I'm quite easy going and my wife and I are not picky, not hard to please, almost never send things back, and we are both naturally friendly people persons and if say at least 90% of all of our interactions with people or restaurant staff are super pleasant and friendly. This particular experience with CharBar7 was the polar opposite of that. It was tense, awkward, and totally unwelcoming. I can safely say that we will not be going back for round two. If anyone else wishes to try this place, I do suggest that they watch the faces and demeanors of the waitresses upon walking in. If they are walking around with a face that resembles the face we all make when we smell a skunk, i suggest turning around and trying somewhere else.

Big let down from Char Bar 7. If you do anything to improve your restaurant, please get rid of that young Black hair hostess whose attitude is going to kill your business. When you let her go, please give her the actual constructive criticism about her attitude and mindset so that she can grow. I dont understand how she was even hired based on that unbelievable attitude we...

My family and I have been frequenting Charbar (Greensboro) for the past 3-4 years. We love the vibe on Wednesday nights when Patrick Rock plays. We have become "regulars", if you want to call it that. Tonight , we called ahead , as we always do. We always patiently wait at the bar for our table on the patio, as we always do.

Tonight the hosts were very friendly, diligent and professional. We waited for "our" table to clear, food boxed and bagged. As soon as the patrons got up to leave, another group of people took over the table. We watched as it all played out, knowing who these people were, people who think they own the place and are always expecting to be catered to.

The "manager" on duty approached the table, and conversed with them for at least 10 minutes, stooped below the tabletop, as to be secretive. He then went to the host stand and talked for another 10 minutes. Then went behind the bar to talk to another manager on duty about the situation. All the while, passing by us 2-3 times without paying us any mind. Keep in mind, this was over an hour and a half after us being there, patiently waiting for our table to clear.

Then the "manager" came to us and said "sorry" about the situation. Confessed to us that they were the wrong for switching tables, but didnt make them move. We were told by the manager that, "my big manager would not allow me to tell them to move to another table". We asked why. We were told that they "spend too much money here to do that". My wife asked "is it because they make more money than us" and he said "yes" with an awkward, smirky grin!!!!

I calmly told him that its pretty pathetic that he's in a position to make these decisions, although he has always been a superb manager, and treated us with upmost respect. I tapped him on the shoulder, as friends do, and he jerked away and looked at me as I was a stranger to him. Keep in mind, he knows me, and is always friendly. He told us, with a surprising attitude, "I have a family to feed".

I told him we will never spend another dime in that place and left. Later, the same manager told a friend of ours that he was on the verge of quitting. That he hated what happened to us, and was so upset that he had to step outside to gather himself. All he had to do was tell the perpetrators to move from our table. But he didnt. He didnt because his "big boss" would come down on him.

This is about principle. This is about doing the right thing for your patrons... not about who has the most money, or clout, or prestige.

I hate having to post this, because we have such a great time there on Wednesday nights with our friends, old and new. We will, regretfully, never step foot in that...

With other locations in Charlotte, Asheville, and Matthews, Char Bar 7 may soon be a familiar name statewide. But if the Greensboro location is anything to go by, this may be a case where familiarity breeds contempt.

Housed at the end of a shopping plaza, Char Bar 7 is spacious and stylish but devoid of much charm. Inside this upscale sports bar, you will find plenty of televisions and a surprisingly manageable noise level (even the requisite bass thudding in the background wasn’t too obtrusive) but a lack of a person touch. Some establishments remind you of home or of an exotic locale; Char Bar 7 calls to mind a focus group.

After being seated by a bored-looking hostess, it took several minutes of awkwardly sitting around for a waitress to notice us. Fortunately, the server we did end up with, Christine (or was it Christina?), proved to be upbeat and provided helpful answers to a few questions. Char Bar 7’s menu, while limited, had plenty of appeal: everything from steaks and ribs to mahi tacos and shortrib risotto. Burgers called the loudest though, and so we opted for a Texas brisket burger (cheddar, onion rings, and sauce), a CB7 (blue cheese slaw, bacon, Swiss, and sauce on a pretzel roll), and an order of hot pretzels to start.

The food proved to be a largely underwhelming experience. Though our app came quickly and the pretzels were satisfyingly fresh and hot, there were a mere medium-sized two of them for $4.65, accompanied by an unpleasantly processed-tasting queso. The wait for the burgers was substantially longer, but that can be perhaps chalked up to a large group that came in after us rather than a slow kitchen. Still, the results were inconsistent to say the least. The meat seemed to be of good quality and it paired well with the sauce but it had little flavor in and of itself. The same could be said for the fries: they were hot and crisp, but they desperately needed salt. The pretzel bun on the CB7 burger, however, was a limp and chewy disappointment. At $10+ per, the burgers here need to be a lot more impressive to compete, especially in this town.

To say that there is no compelling reason for CB7’s existence would be an overstatement: it’s cleaner and shinier than a neighborhood sports bar, and its menu is well-suited to its concept. However, poor bang for the buck coupled with mediocre food do give plenty of incentive to...