Sociable Cider Werks — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Well now, since SCW saw this 5⭐ rating (with no actual review) but still took the time to reply, I feel compelled to leave the review I didn't before. I had tried to leave a review with my rating, but my thoughts, feelings, and words flittered about in my head, and all the words turning out into the page just didn't seem to be accurately conveying my sentiment, nor doing them the justice I felt they deserved. With time and mental energy dwindling I opted to stick with simply the 5⭐ rating. Below I'll attempt to concisely convey a few of my thoughts on my first (but definitely not last) visit to SCW.

ETA: Ok, not at all concise. I guess it's essay form today. 🤷‍♀️ So here's my quick recap...

TLDR: Amazing ambiance, service, beverages, and food. The highlight being their patio area in the evening. "Well-behaved dogs allowed." Saw no restrictions posted for kids. 😜

Ambiance: INSIDE was a chill vibe. I was only in briefly to order, and use the restroom. Most of my time inside was spent staring at the ample and intriguing beverage offerings.

OUTSIDE was a reason I wish I still lived in Nordeast. I would be there all throughout the much-too-short Minnesota patio season. We sat at a wood picnic table with umbrella to accommodate our larger group. But the other seating options looked cozy and inviting for smaller parties too. The 'fairy lights', greenery, and outdoor decor were perfect. Also, they hung the most beautiful almost-full moon in the sky for us. It couldn't have been more perfect

BATHROOM was clean and well lit.

Beverages: Great selection, so many sounded delicious, it was hard to settle on just one (I was the driver) but I finally chose a blueberry flavored beverage. I don't recall the name but it. was. so yummy! It was crisp, refreshing, and just the perfect balance of sweet and tart for my tastes. The blueberry flavor tasted... like blueberries... and not blueberry 'flavoring'.

*Maybe SCW will comment and share the name of the delightful blueberry beverage. If they happen to, I'll edit this review to include it.

They serve flights here too, so you don't have to choose just one. I just wanted to keep it quick and easy that evening, to get back to the friends gathered outside.

Food: I started an ordered of nachos from the food truck, purchased by someone else in our group, so I'm not sure what they were called. I can tell you they were absolutely delicious and a perfect cider pairing.

Service: INSIDE service was great. They were friendly, patient, and happily answered my questions as I quickly narrowed my short-list selections down to the single winner of the night.

OUTSIDE service was not at all anticipated, but they came around periodically to see if we wanted anything cleared from our table, and to see if we needed anything. They were polite, friendly, and not intrusive, just helpful.

LOCATION: Now apparently they mention this on their website, but I didn't pay attention bc I always just use Google Maps. Goggle Maps got us there perfectly, but it didn't look like it until we were at the very end of the directions. So trust Google and keep driving down the seemingly dead end, short residential street. At the end is a large industrial style gate you drive through to access the parking lot. Drive slow through the gate, there's a bit of an unanticipated bump.

Final Thoughts: I hadn't gone into this visit intending to leave a Google review and add such, didn't pay particular attention to all the things. So I'm relying solely on my memory of things, as recorded while busy enjoying a fun night out with friends, and my memory is a bit sketch the older I get.

Please consult SCW's website to ensure you're getting accurate and up-to-date...

I want to express my deep disappointment and frustration with the experience I’ve had while trying to book a meaningful event at Sociable Cider Werks to celebrate my son’s graduation and birthday. Unfortunately, the subsequent process was marked by limited communication, inconsistent follow-ups, and ultimately a cancellation that left me extremely disappointed.

Shortly after booking, I reached out to the listed contact, Olivia, to confirm event details but received nothing back. On April 25, I visited the venue in person and was told by a bartender that Olivia did not organize events anymore and that Taylor Girocco, Taproom Operations Manager, was who I should have contacted. I called Taylor that evening and, as she was attending a wedding reception, told her she would call me back the following Monday. That never materialized.

Over the course of the following days and weeks, I continually attempted to reach Taylor over the phone, via email, text, and even face to face. While we were able to quickly exchange some words on April 29 regarding coordinating significant event details, I never received a catering menu as promised. Despite providing an alternate email address and numerous follow-ups, I heard nothing.

On May 7th, I visited in person and was met by courteous bartenders who understood the challenge and volunteered to sit down with Taylor to talk it over. While I appreciated their professionalism and sympathy, I was understandably nervous and frazzled by the growing vagueness of the event.

Subsequent follow-up visits, both in person and by phone, continued through mid-May. On the 21st and 22nd of May, I visited again and spoke with two of employees (one a manager, the other named John) who were also empathetic and relayed to me that Taylor was under stress due to an event that was to take place. They were polite and tried to reach Taylor for me.

Finally, I was emailed on May 22 by Taylor informing me my booking was being canceled because of how I interacted with staff. This was shocking and upsetting. Weeks of attempting to get a response from them made me feel punished for requesting straightforward communication and clarification.

I am sharing this in the hopes that my experience will be taken seriously and that measures will be taken to do better for future customers. I wanted to be able to celebrate my son's milestone with ease and joy, but what I got was endless miscommunication, no response, and finally a cancellation that left us scrambling.

While I do appreciate that Taylor has made a gesture to refund, I will not be doing business with Sociable Cider Werks again. I also feel that I owe it to my community to share my experience so others are informed.

I truly hope this feedback inspires introspection and change in your customer communication and event planning processes. No one should have to endure the level of distress that I experienced when planning such a milestone...

I hosted at Sociable for the launch of my debut book "The Shame Game" and I am SO HAPPY I did. From start to finish, the staff at Sociable were super professional!

Praises: Staff. Olivia was super responsive to my needs pre-event, making it that much easier day of. Having staff on hand day of and a private bartender for my event/party made it a breeze. They were courteous, professional, and were quick to offer solutions/a helping hand. Space was a great value. It can be hard to find event spaces for smaller creatives, and Sociable had all the aspects needed to make it a successful event. Perks of the mic set up, your own audio set up, tv screen connected via apple, and even the sandwich boards offered, brought it to life! It meant a lot that I could afford somewhere nice for my launch--thank you Sociable for making reasonable pricing--you can really tell they are community-focused in that way! Ambience/Layout. The space at Sociable allows for a really great flow for the party and if you have nice weather, having the option to overflow via the door and have open air made it beautiful. The space makes it so that you really don't have to do much work to make it beautiful--it's already beautiful! Extra perk: easy/safe parking! :) Drinks/Food. Having so many options for drinks, including N/A was a perk. I loved being able to host drink tickets. The option to have your own catering was super helpful to meet the needs/bring in your own special touches. Visibility. Between the usual crowd at Sociable and my own guests, it was a great spot for others to see the message. Afterwards, Sociable shared the posts of the party on their social media. For someone doing marketing solo, this was a perk.

(I might have fooled some of my attenders into thinking I had a whole "PR team"--a bit of planning, a great space, a great crew, and a few good friends made it sing like I did!)

Thank you so much Sociable Cider crew! Appreciate you!

[Note: I realized that my original review never posted, and just found this, while a bit delayed...wanted to sing...