Permission — Restaurant in Houston

The food and drinks were great and our waiter did their best. The reason they lost 3 stars is due to their new QR code only menu. Online only menus are discriminatory against anyone who is neurodivergent, has diminished vision capabilities, and/or are elderly and has trouble reading and retaining from screens. My waiter had to assist a very anxious me as I retain information spatially (photographic memory with spatial triggers) due to my ADHD, Dyslexia, and cPTSD. When all you can do is scroll, there’s no ability for spatial retention, so I could remember that that there are two drinks I liked, but I could never “find” where they were to remember their names and I began to anxiously scroll up and down. It really triggered my anxiety, which killed the experience from the beginning QR codes completely kill the ambience as well. We’ve come to a gorgeous dining experience that you can tell was painstakingly decorated to provide the perfect experience and the first thing we’re encouraged to do is take out our phones and start staring at a screen. Now our phones are out and we see that notification come through when we start scrolling on social media instead of engaging one on one with the person or people we’ve come to enjoy. There have been numerous studies done where they consistently find the same results, which are that more than 70% of diners do not like QR code menus and feel they cheapen the experience, so why is an elevated establishment such as Permission now switching over to such a low rent menu form? With so many QR code scams out there and scammers becoming so incredibly sophisticated and are so easily able to realistically re-create a company’s QR code, whether it be a piece of paper or an acrylic, people will no longer scan QR codes.

I’ve been to Permission so many times as it was my preferred cocktail spot. This was the first time I’d ever been given only the QR code menu option and was told they are no longer offering physical menus.

Covid is over. The people have spoken. We want tangible,...

UPDATE: Was in Houston again last weekend and dropped in at Permission on both Friday and Saturday nights. Although we missed Peter, Shanell and Tommy were there and showed us another great night. Permission does it right! Their service is top notch. In addition to Old Fashioneds, we had Carajillos this time instead of Espresso Martinis and the Carajillos were excellent! Since Peter was not there, I did not smoke a cigar this time. Hopefully, he is there next time and can spare an hour for a good smoke!

ORIGINAL POST: Was in Houston for the weekend and had a GREAT time at Permission Whiskey last night! Peter (the owner), Shanell, Jacob, Andrew, and Tommy were all fantastic. While it was 7:30-8:00 on a Saturday night and we did not have reservations, we were able to get an outside table for three as soon as we walked in. This was perfect, as I was going to be smoking a cigar or two. While the drinks (old-fashioned, espresso martini, and bourbon, espresso martini) were excellent and the selection of spirits was very impressive, the friendly, customer service was exceptional and really made our night!! We also tried a charcuterie board which was excellent! One of the highlights of the night was drinking Van Winkle and an extremely rare blend of Glenmorangie scotch! Peter, you and your staff have a gem in the Heights!! Permission will be our “go to” every time we are in Houston (see you in 3-4 weeks)! We will definitely try your new jazz bar next time as well! Thanks again for the great hospitality and we wish you continued success for many, many years!! P.S. - thank you as well for introducing us...

UPDATE BELOW: Terrible customer service. I have entertained Permission based on a good friend’s recommendation. In the last month I have spent over $3000 at this establishment on Omakase dinner, James private club membership, and general entertaining of friends and family. In the end, the customer service is extremely poor. They seem to feel customers are a burden, charged $1500 for membership, but do not honor membership privileges / reservations. I really wanted to love this place. There are several amazing bourbon spots in Houston; this one is simply not worth the effort.

UPDATE- My initial issue was solely the fact that they told me I reserved a table, then didn’t honor it (see image below). Had they indicated in any what that it would be standing room only or we would only be in the queue, we would have gone somewhere else. We were not offered drinks until 50min after we first arrived, to which we refused because we already purchased our own drinks. But whats even worse than this simple miscommunication, and what prompted me to write a review & ask for a refund, is how Pete and the staff handled the mistake. The smug attitude, acting as though I was demanding and difficult rather than simply expressing feedback about how things could have been done different. Of course Pete was “waiting “ for my review, because I had the courage to respectfully speak up directly to him rather than going to a public forum. It’s unfortunate when ego is a barrier to progress. It was clear I was no longer welcome at Permission or the James so I requested a refund of my membership. I am still waiting for my refund to...