1928 Public House — Restaurant in Middleburg Heights

I have been to this location when it was the Brew Garden and had liked it very much at that time, recently they closed it for a period of time to remodel it and rebrand it as 1928 public house. We went there for the first time since it opened roughly 2 weeks ago, and I am very disappointed. I went with a group of people and it seems that most of us had the same opinion of the location. They changed the interior decoration to make it more current and trendy. They moved televisions that were above the bar and easily visible to watch your favorite game on to one side of the bar. We had to turn our head sideways to see the tv’s, and there are a few other TVs around the room that are in spots a little difficult to see as well as their physical size is small. So if you want to watch a game, probably not the best place to go. Second, the menu itself is very common and mundane. There are a few items that they retain from the old menu and a couple things look fairly interesting but overall nothing really jumps off the menu at me. I ordered a herb chicken sandwich, it was probably one of the driest pieces of grilled chicken I have ever eaten. They put a variety of things on there to try and give it some flavor but the chicken itself was terrible. I ate about half of the chicken sandwich and I just could not force myself to go any farther. The french fries were good but when you’re paying $16 For a chicken sandwich with fries, I expect a better chicken sandwich. Honestly, the Mc grilled chicken at McDonald’s down the street I feel is superior in quality and flavor to this sandwich and half the price. I do not recommend the herb chicken sandwich at all. Another member in my group had the Smashburger and they said it was OK but they also said that that burger is something that wasn’t over-the-top exciting and they’re able to get that burger at five guys and probably get a better burger for less money. We did not get any drinks only food and the bill for three of us on one ticket came up to almost $70 with the tip. For that amount of money in an atmosphere that was OK but not crazy good. I honestly don’t believe I have a whole lot of inclination to visit this place again. If you’re looking for a quick bite, it’s close by to the hospital and I’m sure the drinks are fine because it’s a bar, but you can get drinks anywhere. What really draws me into Location is the service which the service here was very good, The atmosphere of the location, which to me was kind of plain and stripped down from what it was, and of course, the selection for food choices, which I felt were pretty unexciting, but priced more than what it should have been for the quality of the food.

They originally did have an amazing patio section that appears to be under some construction as well, I am hoping they don’t destroy the patio in the same way that they did the interior of the building. If they have done the same thing on the patio, then this location may not last very long. We were in the building on a Thursday during a peak lunchtime, and there were only eight people seated in the restaurant. That type of response for a location that is newly opened and remodeled seems to be very low to me, and I am imagining other people are feeling the same way that I do about their horrible choice in the remodel, menu items and pricing. Before the remodel, this was our favorite lunchtime spot, but now we will need to find a new place because it just does not make us want to come back. I may return one evening to see if it is different but one of the persons in my party said they were there on Friday night and it was not very busy and they tried to order a few drinks that were not available because they didn’t have supplies for the drinks and they were very put off by the fact that a newly open bar was not stocked well enough. I am not necessarily recommending it or saying you shouldn’t visit it, I’m just saying for the Location and what you receive, There are other choices that are far better establishments for my hard...

We dined at 1928 Public House for the second time this evening. We originally tried this place for the first time the Friday of Father’s Day weekend. The food was fine, server attentive, and it had great vibes overall. During our time, I noticed there was a man in the hallway by the kitchen door/bathrooms of the restaurant that I overheard having a confrontational tone with someone, but I wasn’t sure who it was or the circumstances. It was very brief. My fiancé and I recommended this place to his family for a birthday dinner this evening. The service tonight was not as good as last time, but I think it was to the level that would be expected with how many larger parties were there for the live band. Everyone in our party enjoyed the food and beverages.

However, when we arrived, there was some miscommunication among my fiancé’s family and we were trying to sort everything out. My fiancé’s brother had put his name down for the waiting list about 30 minutes prior to my arrival. My fiancé went to the host stand to ask about it when the manager, John, was present and John did not initially answer him - to the point where my fiancé was wondering if he heard his question.

I noticed tonight that I recognize John as the man with the confrontational tone the first time I was at this restaurant. I heard John say they did not have anyone under my fiancé’s brother’s name for the amount of people that were in our party. I asked if there was anyone on the waitlist by that name regardless of party size and John replied something along the lines of “No, that’s what I just said.” He expressed himself with a very sharp and impatient tone. I was not present for that part of the conversation, and was unaware it was a repeat question. John and I had an argument when I explained to John that his response was rude and I only asked because I did not hear the initial question. He argued back with me and accused me of being rude. It was a very awkward and unprofessional situation. Not something I would expect from the manager representing a newly opened restaurant. Eventually it was straightened out and someone from Public House put the wrong name into the system which is why they could not find my fiancé’s brother on the wait list. I received no apology from John for his behavior or treatment. My future brother in law and fiancé also confirmed that John was stand-offish and not friendly to them prior to his and my argument.

I confirmed later that John is the owner of the establishment. I hope he doesn’t treat his staff the way he treated me for asking a question. Kind of a bummer to find all this out because I like the atmosphere and menu, but definitely will have a hard time giving my money to an owner who represents himself...

BEWARE OF BREW GARDEN MIDDLEBURG HTS, OHIO this location is also owned by the same person who owns the STRONGSVILLE, OHIO location.....My 3 friends and I went to dinner on 04-21-2021 around 6:20pm. When we got there, Karesha asked us how many people, we told her 4. She got the menus and silverware and walked away. She did not tell us to follow her. When she brought our food out, she just put it on the table, didn't ask if we needed anything. My friend order a burger, and it was not done the way she wanted it done. She told Karesha it was not done right. Karesha took her plate, did not apologize for the burger not being prepared the way it was suppose to be. When the correct burger came out, the manager brought it out. The manager did not apologize, she just put it on the table, didn't ask my friend to check it before she walked away. She did not ask my friend if it was prepared the way she liked it. When I got my check # 830511 the total was $13.00 with tax $1.04 = $14.05. My 2 friends checks were off by 0.02 cents. We asked the waitress why there was a 0.01 cent difference. She said maybe the tax, she didn't know. I paid the $14.05. When I got home, I called and talked to the manager. I asked her why there was a 0.01 cent difference. She said it was because the system rounds up. I told her I know she couldn't do anything about it, but she could talk to someone who could. She said, "the owner of the company sets it up, I can't tell him what to do with his business". She said the system has been rounding up for the last 2 years. I told her I have been going to Brew Garden in Middleburg Heights for a long time and have been there in the last 2 years, and have never had a check that was rounded up. She said she would refund me my 0.01 cent. I told her it is not about the 0.01 cent, but the principal. She said to me, "let me ask you this, did you have good service?" I said no, the waitress walked away when she was seating us. I told her rounded up is not a good practice for a business, I've been going there for a long time, and will not ever go there again. She said, "well, it's for the best and I feel sorry for you because you didn't leave a tip for the waitress". They lost a loyal customer. But seems like they don't care. And obviously rounded up customers bills in hopes the customer doesn't notice or say anything. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

UPDATE: I posted my review on their FB page, in messenger and commented on a post. They deleted my post, my comment and blocked me from posting on comments...