the Social Kitchen & Cocktails — Restaurant in Hayward

Honestly one of the worst experiences I have had in a long time. We came with two children and were waiting for a low table in the dining room which the manager said she would seat us at when it was free. We asked if we could wait where they had couches and she said it was no problem. A waitress came over and assumed we were dining on the couches but with two small children plus needing a high chair we told her we were waiting for a table. She then proceeds to take us to a high top table as the manager had seated someone else at the low top table. So while one child could sit in the chair a high chair was now out of the question. We then waited for over 15 minutes and then had to ask at the bar for someone to come over to us. We got a waitress who we put our order into right away. We ordered a grilled cheese off the kids menu for our child, my husband ordered the beef sandwich, and I ordered the chicken and waffles. We also ordered an appetizer that clearly required utensils. Our sever dropped off the appetizer and I asked for plates and she brought back the plates but no silverware so we had to ask for that.

The real kicker is that my husband and child received their food and they told me that mine was given to another table. The manager apologized and said they were going to re-fire mine right away. I said it was not a problem and that I would wait. My son and husband finished their food and the waitress asked if we wanted the bill about 25 minutes later. I politely inquired about mine and she said she was told I didn't want it. The manager then came over and said she took my response as I didn't want it? Which makes no sense as I never said I didn't want it I just didn't get upset with them as I have worked in restaurants and know that accidents happen. However the fact that she told me that they were re-firing it and I said ok no problem she someone took that as I don't want my food? Why would I be in the restaurant and have ordered food if I didn't want it. The sheer lack of common sense or clarifying a point is truly surprising for someone in a "management" position.

Overall, the place is beautiful. I was hoping to try the food but was denied the chance too. This restaurant while having a kids menu is not actually very kid friendly but the largest problem was the complete lack of communication from the quote on quote manager who clearly seemed to have no actual idea on what she was doing or how to handle customers. Maybe if I had been rude or angry I would have at least received some food with my family. Just disappointing for a place that looked so promising. I am hoping my experience is a one off and hope that if the owner or management reviews comments or reviews that they take the opportunity to train their staff on setting clear expectations with their clients. Sadly I would not return and will advise others to stay...

I was very happy we found this gem. We had been to the other local place down the street on July 4th and it didn't have great servers like The Social does. It lacked the personable, happy bartenders.

They had menus outside and that's the reason I went in. Originally I ordered the Thai chicken wrap to go. When I found out they had my beer I decided to dine in. My partner showed up to share the erap and a lobster roll. The bartender was great and took good care of us. The hostess was friendly and didn't stop smiling.

It was a holiday weekend so they had a special limited menu. Apparently it had been a super busy day and they had run out of most appetizers.

The Thai wrap would've been even better if it had been grilled on the outside. I'm not a fan of wraps that don't have that extra layer of flavor and maybe a little crunch. It tasted good and we ate it all. My guy wanted more peanut sauce and the owner happily brought him more.

I've never had a lobster roll. This tasted really fresh. The bartender said it's something they do on holidays. I'm not sure if they always serve food in paper baskets or if it's because of the holiday. The silverware was high quality.

We decided to give the peach cobbler a try after our meal. It came out quickly like the rest of our food. We were disappointed with the cobbler. It was not warm at all. It was obviously not made fresh that day. It taught me to ask questions before ordering next time. It totally didn't affect my review and I still paid for it even though we each only had a bite or two.

Our bartender's shift ended and we got another gal. They were both amazing and took great care of us. We may have stayed a bit longer than we should have stayed. We left with smiles inside and out. I'll be happy to come back and try out the real menu rather than the busy holiday menu.

The owners.... what were they thinking?? Opening a restaurant after most of their children were grown was very brave. They both work other jobs during the day and here in the evening. They were both very personable and friendly. I'm happy they chose to make this addition to this small town. The Social was 100% our favorite part of this trip to Hayward.

Looking at other reviews it astounds me the Mr Jake Johnson wrote such a negative review after saying how many great times he had there before one bad experience that he didn't really describe. No restaurant can be 100% all of the time. Employees come and go. More people should show grace now and then. They also shouldn't write one star reviews when the larger fraction of visits were great. If you enjoy reading reviews like I do, please start writing some good ones yourself! This...

Solid lunch experience.

The great: Cheese curds. Fantastic. Beer cheese sauce- must try, worth the +$2. Patio looked great.

The okay/nit picky: -We would love to have had the option for pan seared fish at lunch, but I get why it's dinner only. -iced tea. I think they may use a slightly more fancy black tea but the flavors were a tad weird like a minty finish for the glass of iced tea I was hoping for. NBD but it was something that stood out. By the end of the second glass it was not as intrusive. -service was good but not amazing. See below for why the extra 8-10 minutes for our server to come by to get our order ended up mattering in the long run. -the food took a while. Sounds like it was typical for lunch tickets (of one entree) to run 30+ minutes. We weren't in a fuss about it, but it was noticeable and could be a deal breaker for some. -this is an old school thing but I never prefer the staff wear open toes shoes. Too naked/bare feet for my taste to be so close to my dining experience.

Overall rooting for this place and hoping you find...