Germantown Café — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Update: While I appreciate the response from the owner - the explanation and rationale behind "event production" for a large party doesn't really justify or make sense. It isn't the norm and the restaurant wasn't slammed. Busy - but there wasn't a wait. So justifying heavy preparation and logistics doesn't really check for me. We were a party of 8 and the largest party I saw while there. I also find it interesting two servers explained how much they disliked the fee, that it DOES NOT go to them, it goes directly to the owner and what a disruption it's been to patrons. But you guys do you. The consensus I've found when asking friends in the industry if this sounds like a legit charge, found it appalling. The food was great. Drinks were great. Atmosphere was cute. What I don't understand is - this "Event Production Fee" which was explained to us by our waiter as "a kick back that goes directly to the owner for parties of 10 or more." For starters, we were a party of 8. Secondly, we were already charged the standard large party 20% gratuity that was included (totally fine). Kitchen Love? I've never seen that before but ok. Event Production? What did I miss? It was standard service that was just "ok." What are you producing other than putting a couple of tables together? Was it the jello shot with a candle in it that we didn't ask for? There was absolutely nothing different or special about our service as a larger party and the fact that the owner(s) are sneaking this into customer's bills is ridiculous. That means that they would have made about $20 just off of our table alone. This might be acceptable at an event venue - but not a restaurant. Please do better.

Noting here that our server is supposed to have this removed (since we were a party of 8 - glad I asked) but two different servers told us that they hate the fact that this is a charge and that we should indeed complain. So hi. I'm here...

Came here with some friends a little before noon last Sunday, the food was decent but the service left a lot to be desired. We showed up, were seated at the bar and treated like outsiders the entire time. Our bartender initially came off as very matter-of-fact and didn't really engage with us other than taking drink orders which I honestly didn't mind at first since the restaurant was pretty busy. The thing that stuck out to me was she was welcoming and inviting to every customer other than us...she'd be smiling and having conversations with everyone else but would come around to us stone-faced, giving as little effort as possible to make sure we were helped. We seemed to be her last priority because we eventually had to flag down another bartender just to order food because she was off chatting with different groups of customers, some of which arrived after us. The longer we stayed, the more it became increasingly evident she was treating us differently than everyone else. I do want to mention the bartender that took our food order, I believe his name was Jayson F., was great! He was kind and friendly which caught me off guard considering our experience up to that point.

One thing that really bothered me was when she refilled my drink, she gave my used glass to another customer and didn't bother sanitizing it. Regardless of whether or not that's a slight towards me, that is grossly unsanitary for the man that received that glass. I ended up sick afterwards too, so maybe my new glass wasn't washed either.

We weren't rowdy, we weren't loud, and we weren't causing any kind of stir so I'm struggling to understand what it was we did wrong. The last thing I want to say is it's because of how we looked, but that seemed to be the biggest difference between us and everyone...

I had a wonderful experience at the Cafe and highly recommend it to anyone, no matter the occasion. I heard the bartenders make great drinks from a friend, so I got there early, before my dinner reservations. It had been a while since I’ve had gin; typically I just get it with tonic, but I asked Dani if she had any good cocktails she liked to make and she suggested something called a Bijou. It was so good I ended up getting another before I was sat for dinner. Dani was very busy, but she made the experience seem like I was the only one there. Professional, witty, and quite knowledgeable about her spirits; everything you want to see in a bartender. For dinner, I started with the French Onion soup. Since I was a child, no one could compare to my mother’s French onion soup. I don’t have the heart to tell her she is now second on my list; if you don’t try the French onion soup you are truly missing out. It’s absolutely sensational! When I asked my server, Keely, to guide me in making my final meal choices she took the time to ask me questions about my diet, foods/ingredients I don’t typically like, or possible allergies I could have. Once again, I felt as if she was invested in me not as just a customer, but as a friend. I ended up getting the GTC Burger. Though I’ve never really tried sweet n’ spicy pickles, they matched perfectly with the rest of the burger. My only regret is that I did not get my own Mac and Cheese; stealing two bites from my friend was not enough! Great job Germantown Cafe…from the hostess, to the kitchen staff, to Dani and Keely…I’ll...