The Baton Show Lounge — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I understand that The Baton is under new ownership and currently undergoing some upgrades and renovations, and while that’s a good start, the building isn’t the only thing that needs attention. There are much deeper issues here, and unfortunately, they begin with the staff and extend to the food and drinks. I’m not sure if the staff carried over from the previous ownership or if they were brought on by the new management, but either way, some serious re-evaluations need to happen. Our waitress, Barbie, was not friendly, attentive, or welcoming. Frankly, she’s not a people person and shouldn’t be in a customer-facing role. There were four of us in our party, and we hadn’t had dinner before arriving, so we figured we’d grab something there. That turned out to be a mistake. Based on the look and feel of the place, I was already a bit uneasy about what might come out of the kitchen, so I played it safe with mozzarella sticks. Another person in our group ordered the nachos. She said she was so hungry she had to eat something, but how she managed to eat any of those nachos is beyond me. I tried one and it was absolutely disgusting. There was something seriously off about the cheese. It tasted wrong, artificial, maybe even spoiled. To make matters worse, one of the food orders was incorrect and it took forever to get what was originally requested. As for the drinks, they were no better. I ordered the same drink, an old fashioned, three times, and not once did it come out the same. One time, what I received wasn’t even an old fashioned at all. When I brought this up, Barbie seemed to argue with me about it, which I found incredibly unprofessional and frustrating. The bartender also needs to be seriously evaluated. Consistency and basic cocktail knowledge are fundamental, and sadly, neither were present. I truly hope the new ownership takes a hard look at what’s going on inside this establishment. It's one thing to fix the exterior, but if the service and food don’t improve, I don’t see The Baton lasting long. Unfortunately, based on my experience, I won’t be stepping foot...

I'll just post my review here since I posted this on their Facebook page and it was immediately deleted. On June 8th I went to brunch here. Hadn't been since the place got sold to new owners. I was taken back when we were greeted by a guy in a tank top and sandals. I really thought he was just a guest until he offered to show us to our seats. I couldn't tell if he was going to the gym or the beach. All I know is he was not dressed to be seating people. The food and drinks were ok. But the show...I don't know what happened to show. As I said earlier, this was my first time going since it got sold. And it is clear the new people need help with the show. First it was barely an hour, I mean barely. Second the host was new and she had no energy, she was young so maybe she was inexperienced. The brunch show used to come with high energy and fun. Third, the new cast members don't measure up to the old ones. It was like a battle between girls you see on Drag Race and Baton Girls. There is a difference. I don't know what direction they're going in with this place now, but it is bad. I can see drag anywhere! I want glitz and glamor, faces painted to look like women, not clowns. Unfortunately on this Sunday I didn't get that. I hope this was an off day because if this is the direction they're headed in, they will lose clientele. I hope they fix this because The Baton is an...

I would give this show a 0-star rating if I could. I was really excited for the experience, and was terribly disappointed. I was with a group of 12 other girls for a friend's bachelorette party. The women would come on stage, lip-sync horribly, and walk from one side of the stage to another (sometimes!). This was the extent of the performances. I come from a dance background, so walking from side to side on the stage, or little hip-shaking moves don't impress me. Audience members would walk up and tip (which I did not understand! These "performances" were not worth another dollar), so half of each "routine" was spent with the performer standing at the front of the stage accepting tips. There was no real "host" of the show, which was advertised on the website (Ginger). I assume maybe Ginger has been around since the beginning of the Baton club (46 years), because she seemed older, having difficulty going up and down the stairs, and barely moving when on stage. There was no comedy or real MC-ing by her. Some of the other dancers also looked aged, having a limited range of motion with their dancing (I wouldn't even call it dancing, maybe just "moving"). Our group spent the majority of the show talking to each other instead of watching the show. The show was a terrible...