The Velvet Elvis Grill and Tap — Restaurant in Milledgeville

This would have been a 5 star review but the last 5 minutes of our visit totally destroyed all the hard work of the hotsesses, server, and chef.

Dinner was over, bill received and paid. We were recovering from eating way too much and I had literally just taken the last sip of my wine and sat my glass down and this man (perhaps the manager or an owner) came over and said he didnt want to rush us but he had a party of 6 and the only place to seat them was by pushing our table together with the table next to us, but again, take our time. Maybe 3-5 minutes at most had passed since the server brought back the final bill & credit card. If this was a manager, he needs more training and may consider something other than a service industry with interaction with customers. If he is an owner his actions show that good quality service is not a priority and is only interested in turning over tables and herding paying custers like cattle to increase profit margins. Either way it was pathetic.

We were 2 couples in our 40s & 50s out for a nice relaxing evening; we were not loud or rowdy, we are all established mature adults so it's not like we were causing problems. The combined 200+ years the four of us have been on this planet not once have ANY of us ever experienced such incredibly RUDE behaviour with a restaurant/bar manager or owner.

Below explains the 5 star review worthy details leading up to the 1 star review provided. Sad really because if not for the unacceptable behavior of the man mentioned above, we would have become frequent visitors, however my husband and I will not be returning.

Three of four of us were at the restaurant and seated by 5:15 on Friday for dinner. Our 4th member was delayed at work and arrived at around 6:15. During our hour wait for #4 we ordered non-alcohol drinks and and an appetizer. By 6:30 our 4th person arrived and we all ordered steak dinners and a couple of cocktails. Our waitress was perfect and the food was very good. The only complaint would have been that we were all freezing because our table was right by the door but The Velvet Elvis can't harness Mother Nature and when asked for another table away from the door the AC was adjusted and made more...

We arrived around 12:30 anticipating a place with a cool vibe. It was not. There was only 1 other couple there which was surprising on a Saturday at lunch time. I first noticed the door glass and all the windows looked so dirty. The beautiful hardwood floors had lots of dirty blobs stuck to them all over. We walked in and had to adjust to the darkness, which was fine, it could make for a really nice experience. My husband had to use his phone to see the menu in our booth. 🥴 I feel the darkness was more so to hide the grime of the place than to create a vibe. After being seated, the table felt sticky..it happens, so, I wiped it down and went to the restroom. As I entered the area where the restrooms are, it smelled strongly of urine. 🤢 I proceeded to the women's bathroom and upon entering, I wondered..."If the places the public sees, like the windows, table, and floors are so nasty I'm concerned what the kitchen is like." I went back to the table and my husband had ordered spinach dip. I told him my concerns and he felt the same. We decided we would only eat the dip and go. I was very surprised to see the Heath department rating was 100. I wasn't close enough to see the date it was completed. Perhaps the kitchen was cleaner than I supposed, but having worked in the food industry before, I felt it was highly unlikely. It just didn't add up. Maybe staffing shortages mean things aren't cleaned as well..who knows. Then please hire a Cleaning company. I only got pictures of the bathroom but it's indicative of the grime I saw everywhere in the restaurant. It desperately needs a deep clean.

The dip was very good, the chips hot, fresh, and crispy. Perhaps eveything is delicious; but for those of us who like a clean restaurant, it was not inviting to stay and try at all. Not much service was needed, but our server was...

My family have been loyal customers of The Velvet Elvis for many years. Unfortunately, our recent visits have been ruined by repeated negative experiences with our server, Alyssa. She’s consistently rude to my family and goes out of her way to harass me. On our last visit, she frequently and rudely interrupted our table in a way that made us feel rushed. Despite this, when we were ready to leave, we waited over 30 minutes for her to bring the check.

After our visit, I was surprised to receive unsolicited text messages from her on my personal cell phone, claiming we had stayed beyond two hours and suggesting she was doing us favor by allowing us to remain. This was not only inaccurate, as we did not exceed the 2 hour table limit, but also highly inappropriate considering we are not associates and she should not have access to my personal number.

When I attempted to address this matter directly with the owner, Chan Howington, I was met with dismissiveness and a lack of concern. His response, “What do you expect me to do about this?” made it clear that the business is unwilling to address inappropriate employee conduct toward customers.

The Velvet Elvis was once a place my family and I enjoyed, but it is no longer a space where we feel welcome or respected. It is disappointing that this type of unprofessional behavior and harassment toward patrons is tolerated. My family and I will no longer be supporting...