Salsa Con Fuego — Restaurant in New York

After many years of having a great time at Salsa, I will never be back. Tonight’s service was horrendous and unnecessary. After checking their website, as per usual, we ensured there was a $0 charge. A picture is added for reference. Upon entering, my friends and I were ALL charged $20, respectively. When we tried to ask and inquire why, we were met with dismissive attitudes. To get out of the entryway, we entered the establishment and remained in the front (by coat check) as we waited for another friend. When that friend arrived, they were charged $30. Our group also witness a separate friend of ours (from our group) get in for free. We felt as though that was unacceptable and exited the establishment. I personally tried to get my $20 returned to me given I did not enter the establishment past the front desk. The female worker handling the money did not want to give me my money back, stating they do not do refunds. I tried to reason and explain that I simply crossed a doorway; I did not enjoy nor partake in the activities in the establishment. I stood at the front desk for a total of 5 minutes, if not less. Afterwards, the guards there began to surround me as if I was being an aggressor which made me immensely uncomfortable given I was alone and my friends were outside. When I asked to speak to the manager, the person that came to speak with me was a quarter manager. The female and him exchanged a private text which further increased my discomfort as I was standing right in front of them. He regurgitated the same “refund policy” the female did. To note, there was no visible refund policy in the vestibule stating that once your body physically passes the threshold, the establishment will not issue a refund. I calmly explained that all I did was cross a threshold for a few minutes. I never passed the front desk and would like my $20 so that I may enjoy my time at another establishment without a surcharge. He did kindly offer my friend free admission and drinks on the house, but I was so uncomfortable by the entire exchange and no longer felt safe spending the night there. Additionally, wouldn’t those services cost more than $20? He seemed to bristle at this and the discomfort made me want to speak to the head manager. He was visibly upset and annoyed by my request. I tried to show him the website and explain the false advertisement to him, but was ignored. When he made the phone call, all he stated was “yo, where you at?” After a few seconds, it seems as though he wasn’t able to communicate with the head manager. I asked “Is everything alright?” And he ignored me. Instead of answering me, he thrusted $20 towards me and dismissed me. To ensure all was well, I asked “Are we good? Am I good to go?” (Mind you, body guards were still swarming me). His response was “you wanted your money, right?” When I walked out, I overheard him make a comment to the bouncer. I wouldn’t be surprised if they blacklist me from the location after tonight’s exchange which is a shame since it was a neighborhood favorite for my friends and I. Lastly, the images from inside the establishment are posted below (sent to me by other friends who shortly left the establishment after me). They have written their respective reviews, but they stated there were little to no bartenders and the aura inside was not the same as they are...

So basically everything was a vibe except for my treatment during security he was very unprofessional! Clearly very homophobic after his words in my opinion if I do say so myself……if my sister and the guy in front of me going in with his vape !!!! Why can’t I also .. in his words why am I the gay one lol very unpredictable u ask me like he said specially for me your employee that beyond anything ….further more I told the lady I bought hookah from 2 times so 40 each I told her that my friend smoked hookah but I don’t I only vape she told me it was fine when I tired to return after stepping out for a business phone-call. The same gentleman in the men’s line disputing my previous time like I said I loved the ambiance inside I can’t express this enough the inside is very plentiful for the LGBTQ+ but the entrance process is very much secluded and judgementle as a man and I kinda have to know people to not get charged as an individual… that’s crazy and if yall don’t know that’s what they are doing creating their own bias system at the gate if I’m getting tickets reserved for me Ms my sis wile I’m in town it shouldn’t be an isssue!!!! then when I arrive the guy stole my weed said I couldn’t have it which I respect and I don’t this anything of it but then he proceeds to tell me if I give home 20 dollars I can bring it in or he will hold it for me…. and then the 2nd time he tried to steal my vape and I told him I refuse to give him the my vape cuz I felt he would just keep it like the weed so I threw it in the street due to the agreement I already had with him and he went back in it moral of the story I feel extorted violated and infringed upon because when I was trynna get help the owner stood feet away and did nothing I asked for a manger they didn’t get one and I wasn’t even drunk yet so very disappointed overall to help the situation I get it I don’t want hate if u have a good time here that’s wassup but I didn’t and I feel the need to share my experience with my fellow lgbtq 🏳️‍🌈 fam. The environment was very welcoming to me and my choice of lifestyle but however the security gentleman at the front searching the guys that was a light skinned gentleman who also spoke Spanish that refused to give me his name was not he needs sensitivity training and maybee not be at the front because he is extorting people because actions like this need cosoquences if I don’t receive a response I will be reaching out to the better businesses burrow because this is ridiculous I live around the corner and always hear of this establishment for me it seeemed many people arrived drunk already but me and my group were spending money so I feel very disrespected after the treatment I don’t finish my hookah and I didnt ever get an apology which is all I asked for before I left because the gentleman did treat me right I tipped every time I order a drink and so did my group shi I even tipped the coat check cuz he was also very welcoming and inclusive. My goal in this is for u to teach all you staff to 1 be on the same page 2 not entort me as a individual for my sexual preference and 3 to treat all the patrons with the same decency and respect as it should be. Jd love to speak with anyone in regards to this over my treatment here today February 16 2024 at...

I’m beyond frustrated with this experience, and I need to make it clear. The food was great, as always, and this wasn’t my first time there. But let me tell you—if you’re not a regular and you show up on a Thursday, don’t expect to be treated with any respect. I was there with my sisters to celebrate her birthday, and my sister had already been there for an hour before me and the other sister arrived. At that point, there were about five of us at the table. We ordered drinks, food, and were enjoying the DJ. Then things went downhill.

The waiter kept pushing us to close out our bill, even though we still wanted to keep ordering. I told him we planned on staying and ordering more, but he insisted that the happy hour bill needed to be closed out, and a new waitress would come. But that never happened. Instead, a rude security guard—or whatever he was—came over and told us to get up. I asked to speak to someone higher up, and when I approached the man in charge, he silenced me with his finger while he was texting, and then finally told me I could speak. When I asked why we had to leave when we were still willing to spend money, he told me there’s a “two-hour seating time.” Well, guess what? That was never communicated when my sister came in.

I’ve been here multiple times with my Hispanic friends, and this was NEVER an issue. This supervisor didn’t directly answer a single one of my questions. He just tried to double-talk me like I wasn’t even standing there. Throughout the evening, I watched him go from table to table, chatting and being friendly with everyone else, but he never came to our table. He even made sure my niece’s boyfriend, who is 19 and didn’t even have a drink, was forced to leave because he didn’t have an ID. It felt like they were stalking us. Meanwhile, other groups who arrived around the same time as us weren’t asked to leave—guess they were the regulars.

Let me be clear: I will never spend another penny at this place. Just because you serve watered-down 2-for-1 drinks in rainbow slushies doesn’t mean your establishment is top-tier. It’s about quality, not quantity. They think by charging low prices for comedy shows and happy hour they’re doing something special—no, they’re not. There are plenty of other places we can go. Just because we weren’t dancing and smiling to their liking doesn’t mean we should be treated like garbage. We need to stop letting businesses come into our communities and disrespect us like this.

This isn’t even a business for us—it’s geared toward Hispanics (which is fine), but our money is just as valuable as anyone else’s. They gave us one night of RnB music, and that was it. It’s time to put our dollars into places that actually value us. Rob Stapleton, there’s a black-owned comedy club in Harlem I know you’ve been to recently—that’s where we need to be supporting. This place will never get another dime of my hard-earned money. My family didn’t deserve that treatment, and frankly, we should stop accepting being treated like second-class customers. We’re not regulars? What does that even mean? How does one even become a “regular”? It’s time we put our money into spaces that respect and value every...