Groove — Restaurant in New York

Traumatizing Experience: Physical Assault and Racism at This Establishment

During my birthday week, I visited this bar to meet a friend and enjoy a drink. Unfortunately, what should have been a joyful occasion quickly turned into a nightmare.

Before I could even place an order, I needed to use the restroom. When I informed the bouncer of my intention to make a purchase, he accused me of lying. Despite my assurances, he aggressively pushed past me as I was walking down the stairs to the restroom, nearly causing me to fall. Once I reached the restroom, he physically blocked my access by holding the door shut and cornering me with his arm.

This unprovoked assault was shocking, humiliating, and completely unacceptable. To demonstrate my genuine intent to make a purchase, I even offered to buy a bottle of water afterward, but the manager rudely dismissed me, insisting that I leave instead of staying for a drink.

Rather than politely communicating their policy or simply observing whether I made a purchase, the staff resorted to hostility, physical assault, intimidation, and verbal accusations. The bouncer’s aggression was compounded by the manager and another staff member, who further accused me of lying and guarded the restroom to prevent my access. As a young woman, I was horrified by their behavior, which was deeply humiliating and dehumanizing.

This incident went beyond poor customer service—it was a blatant example of racial profiling and a complete disregard for basic respect. I felt targeted because of my race and youthful appearance, leading these individuals to assume I wasn’t capable of paying for drinks. This baseless assumption, fueled by racism and aggression, was both deeply insulting and traumatizing.

As someone who has previously visited this bar to support friends performing live music, I never imagined I would be treated with such hostility and disrespect. The fact that I was physically pushed and prevented from using the restroom is inexcusable. Their actions reflect a disgraceful pattern of profiling, misogyny, and hostility toward women and people of color.

I will never return to this establishment, and I strongly urge others to reconsider visiting. Their actions were not only unethical but also illegal. If they continue treating customers this way, it is only a matter of time before they face serious legal repercussions.

This experience was beyond disappointing it was traumatic. I hope my review encourages this establishment to reflect on their behavior and implement changes as I feel completely violated and traumatized from this experience.

Pictures of the aggressive and disrespectful individuals involved are...

I never write reviews but this was a must. If you have any form of emergency during your time here, they will kick you out. They are awful awful people.

I am in my early 20s and my friends and I decided to go to hear the live music and get a few drinks. One of my friends is prone to seizures. She was unconscious at the table. Within seconds, the manager SHOVED the check in front of us, forced us to pay, and made us carry her outside. We had told him she was not drunk or high and was in fact having a medical emergency. He did not care. We had just ordered another round that was left untouched but we still paid the $200+ bill just to be able to better assist our friend.

We got my friend outside and she gained consciousness again. Not a single staff member or the manager came to check on us. We had to go inside the bar to PURCHASE orange juice and water for her. She was okay. Once I knew she was okay, I tried to confront and speak to the manager. He said he could get us our drinks from the table that have been sitting there unsupervised for 20+ minutes. We said no, of course. We asked if we could be refunded for the drinks we did not finish before we were kicked out. He said absolutely not. My friend was in a better state, so any person could tell she was not intoxicated but in fact, experiencing a medical emergency.

I understand the need to protect your business but you would have no business if it weren't for customers. As young adults, we were pretty scared. Instead of being taken care of or at least considered, we were kicked out and shoved to the side.

The manager did not care about us. Once the ambulance came, we left to get her proper care. We were still charged the entire amount. Very disappointed. I work at a bar now, and this would have been handled so much better. All my regulars know not to come here now. I tried reaching out via email to the manager and nothing....

Have read other reviews about the 'man bun' manager so clearly I'm not the only one with a terrible experience. I was sat at the bar, waiting for the music to start (which by the way was incredibly good!), when I heard and saw this manager shouting at all the bar staff, telling them not to serve the band any more drinks (I had seen two people get served a glass of wine and bottle of water, not exactly a piss up!). Extremely awkward watching this as a customer, the staff were visibly embarrassed. He kept pacing around the venue nervously, every few minutes coming back to scream more at the waiters. I felt so sorry for them as they'd done nothing wrong. He came to stand near me so I asked if he was the manager, he very aggressively said he was. I told him it wasn't great to speak to his staff in the manner he did in front of customers or otherwise and wow, did I get abused for my comment!! He started yelling and pointing his finger at me, aggressively asking if I'd ever ran a bar, calling me honey in a patronising manner, telling me to mind my own business.. I was absolutely revolted that an individual like him could be in charge of anything, let alone in a customer service position! Do the owners of the venue not care what sort of people they hire to run their business? I stayed for the music (and just to annoy him) but spent $0 after that. I've seen a few complaints about this same manager and I'm not surprised. Staff asked me to write a review so that something could be done - I hope they all find other jobs sooner rather than later and leave this ape (sorry, that's an insult to apes) to run the bar without any staff. Would never return which is a shame as the...