Revival — Restaurant in Lakeland

I have been to this place once before and before I get going I should mention that the drinks and the atmosphere in this place are phenomenal! Unfortunately, this review has everything to do with a horrifyingly bad experience. We went to this place as it looked like the type of place that would provide the complete opposite.

I am not a local to the Lakeland area but do work nearby. As a middle point to our employees we chose a hotel near Revival for our Holiday Party. After the party, 15 or so of my colleagues and their dates decided to walk over to revival for a nightcap. Some of us had glasses of wine that we walked over with unknowingly as we were in conversations and such. We walked through the door man at Revival with no problems and sat down. I walked to bar with a co worker as both of our spouses wanted water. I was met by a male bartender with some tattoos and a beard(wouldn’t give me his name) and I asked for water and I told him I wanted to start a tab. He looks at me and says for your water.... go to the water station and for your tab I need all orders now in a rude matter. We overlook the rudeness as they were obviously busy and order the couple of drinks that we needed. As I am waiting there, he walks over from the other side of the bar and says where did you get that drink? I told him I walked over with it. He mentions yet again in an extremely rude manner that it wasn’t allowed so I immediately toss the wine I had in hand. At that point, I apologized cause I wasn’t aware that it was against the law at which time he starts yelling “Really, Really dude” as he walks away at that point he is staring us down from the other side of the bar. Completely unwound and distraught my co worker says your doorman should have caught it and that absolutely drives this bartender up the wall. He comes over yells at both of us and says “I’ve had enough, you wanna talk to my manager?” At this point everyone in the bar is staring at us and most people shaking their heads knowing that this guy was wayyyy out of line.

A female bartender walks over literally tells him to walk away and she apologizes and takes care of us. What really blew my mind is that the female bartender says to us he is a bad mood. I am so sorry but he has been in a bad mood all night. We got our drinks and left.

Needless to say this Gentlemen came mighty close to ruining our night due to his “mood”. Furthermore and even more saddening, is knowing that his co workers knew he was disturbed.

As a business owner myself, this treatment is absolutely unacceptable and unfortunately myself or my staff will not be setting foot into a place that has these types providing their services. Disheartening to...

About Revival, this is as much as I can say:

I respect this place a lot. It has a lot of history. To the people that work here, this place might as well be their second home.

One thing that I caught onto immediately was the lighting. I’m trained in cinematography but I’ll spare you the details and say this: You have to admire the attention to detail that goes into what makes this place so great.

Then there are the drinks. I have been to a lot of places and I have been to a lot of bars, and you simply just can’t get a drink in any major city that tastes THAT good without paying anything under $30. I know there are some of you reading this who know what I’m talking about.

Revival is more of a statement than it is an actual place that you’d want to hang out in. If you’re looking for a place where you can just relax after a hard days’ work, it ain’t here. Do yourself a favor and don't treat Revival like it's your hangout spot. It isn’t really a hangout spot. It’s more of a stage than anything. You don’t just come here to sip a beer and unwind. That’s how the bartenders run it. They’ve got taste, presence, and they know the difference between someone who belongs and someone who’s just playing dress-up. And if you don’t pick up on that, you’ll feel it quick. This place has a pulse, and it doesn’t skip for anybody. You either get in rhythm or get out of the way.

As cute as that may seem to any outsider, these people take their own lifestyle very seriously and you need to be able to respect that if you expect to be cool here. If you need a place to un-loosen your tie, I’d recommend Tucker’s or TA Slammers. THAT’s where you’ll find the “regular” folk you’re looking for. You can’t treat Revival like a dive bar… you just can’t. To a local, that’s like as pissing on their Mona Lisa.

If you want to actually “be cool” here… I’m not the right one to give you the advice for that. Growing up here in Lakeland but never being old enough to study the ‘bar culture’ here, my personal experience at Revival is this:

I walked in here every night like I owned the place. While it became my personal sanctuary for a time. At the time I thought this was the only bar worth going in Lakeland (not true). I felt the other end of the gun when it comes to being the “who’s who” and the “who’s not” inside the walls of Revival and it’s not fun so if you’re still reading up until this point heed my warning: Treat this place with the same respect you would treat a library or a church. There’s a lot that goes on in a place like this and it’s what gives a town like...

The atmosphere is really wonderful, unfortunately that is the only thing going for this place. I have been many times in the past few months. The drinks are inconsistent between bartenders and so is the price. I just visited over the weekend and received the worst service and drinks since I started to frequent this bar. There is never any seating and the bartenders show no concern for time at all. You have to stand in line at either side of the bar to order, so even if you manage to get a seat you may lose it while ordering your drink. On average it takes 20 min to order 1 drink sometimes longer. They service the bar before guests with a table and I have witnessed regulars sitting at the bar all night ordering 4 or 5 drinks for their friends standing behind them. After my last visit I was charged twice on my card I have left phone calls and emailed the establishment without any word back for 24 hours so far. Their one saving grace is the lady that is taking care of the floor. She is on top of cleanliness and always has a smile on her face. I also witnessed a bartender serve a man working at the pizza place across the street a double in a Styrofoam cup which he took back to his shift. He walked right past the line and up to the register and slid the cup behind the bar. Where I watched her serve him I don't even think he paid.

• my name is not Alexis and I have not been in touch with anyone from your bar so how you came to that conclusion I am not sure. I love how you glossed over the illegal service to the palace pizza employee in a Styrofoam cup it was also not a Friday night that I visited I'm not sure what is going on over there but you should be ashamed or at least concerned about...