Sweet Chick — Restaurant in New York

We spent $78 on food that was inedible, then had to go elsewhere to eat.

My wife and I came here to eat two weeks ago (Saturday September 13th). It took about five minutes for anyone to acknowledge our presence, despite several employees standing around; this should have been our first sign to leave, but we were excited about Bloody Marys and biscuits and gravy, so we gave them the benefit of the doubt.

BIG mistake.

The first person who acknowledged our presence flailed their arms in the direction of the dining floor and said, "Sit anywhere!" There was no signage anywhere to indicate that guests should seat themselves, and they had ample opportunity to tell us this before but just decided not to.

It took more than four more minutes for us to get menus, which was our second sign that we should have left to eat elsewhere. Foolishly we did not. One of the servers made eye contact and smiled at us at least six times while she was casually strolling around the restaurant talking to people, but she refused to speak with us or give us menus.

Finally the gentleman behind the bar brought us our menus. But no water. No discussion of drinks or what we wanted. Meanwhile, people who had walked in after us were seated by the other server and given menus and water right away.

SIX MINUTES LATER (I was timing everything at this point, because I just couldn't believe how long everything was taking) our server returned. He asked what we wanted to drink and we said "Bloody Marys!" What we'd been looking forward to since we first read about this place! We were then informed that they did not have Bloody Marys. "Oh, did you run out today? Popular drink?" "No, this location has never had Bloody Marys," he said. "I don't know why they don't take them off the menu." This was the third sign that we should have left to eat elsewhere, but we did not. I asked for a "tequila sunrise with mezcal" and he said, "Oh that's not on the menu, let me see if we can make it."

A tequila sunrise consists of three ingredients. Tequila, Orange Juice and Grenadine. I wanted it with mezcal instead of tequila. I could see with my very own eyes that there was mezcal, Orange Juice and Grenadine. They were all also listed on the menu.

Our server confirmed that the other server could make such a beverage, and I reminded him "With mezcal please!" and I heard him tell her twice "With mezcal." Somehow I got a drink with no mezcal in it.

And look, I get it! Some restaurants do not allow substitutions. But if you don’t allow substitutions, just say “We don’t allow substitutions.” Don’t say you’re going to make it the way I want, and then fail to do so.

Moving on — we ordered our meal: I ordered biscuits and gravy with cheddar on top, and my wife ordered a breakfast burrito. “Cheddar on top, I got you man,” our server lied.

More interminable time passed before our cocktails arrived, then more interminable time before the food arrived.

As soon as it got there I noticed the complete lack of cheddar. Again, I get it! Some restaurants do not allow substitutions. But if you don’t allow substitutions, just say “We don’t allow substitutions.” Don’t say “Cheddar on top, I got you man,” And then fail to put the cheddar on top.

Then I tasted the food, and I knew we had royally screwed up by choosing Sweet Chick. The biscuits and gravy were so salty that I only had two bites. The breakfast burrito, on the other hand, was so devoid of flavor that it too was inedible. The restaurant’s staff took away both uneaten plates without questioning if there was an issue, and didn't give us an opportunity to raise any issues.

In the end, we had to go eat somewhere else — we paid for two meals that day just to eat one, because Sweet Chick couldn’t provide the bare modicum of AN EDIBLE MEAL.

We spent $78 on food that was inedible, and had to go elsewhere to eat.

If Sweet Chick is happy with this mix of inedible slop and atrocious hospitality, then they need to admit they’re just a junky fast food restaurant — and drop the whole pretense of being a respectable dining...

I visited Sweet Chick in Fort Greene today and unfortunately had one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a while.

I sat at the bar and ordered based on recommendations from the bartender and a male customer seated next to me. When my frosé (a mango flavor — which was actually amazing) arrived, a waiter unexpectedly placed a plate of pancakes in front of me. It was clearly not my order, and I immediately informed the staff. They realized the plate belonged to the customer next to me. He seemed hesitant to take it after it had been placed in front of me, possibly because he noticed I was coughing from a cold but she eventually did.

About 10 minutes later, a staff member came out calling my name with a takeout bag. I told him I was dining in, and instead of clarifying, he looked visibly annoyed and returned to the back with the bag. I waited a bit longer and then let the bartender know what was going on. Her response was a dismissive, “I thought it was to go.” I replied, “You didn’t ask if I was dining in or taking out, why would you just assume that?” Instead of acknowledging the mistake, she seemed annoyed, and there was still no apology from anyone on staff.

What really disappointed me was the lack of professionalism after that point. I sat there for about six more minutes watching the same staff member handle takeout orders with what I assumed was my food, still with no apology or acknowledgment from anyone. At that point, I canceled my order entirely.

I understand that mistakes happen, it’s part of the restaurant business. But the complete lack of accountability and failure to apologize is what upset me most. To make matters worse, when I received my refund receipt, I noticed I was still charged a service fee… for what exactly?

The restaurant was practically empty, yet the service was careless, dismissive, and frankly, disrespectful. Sweet Chick has a great reputation, but today’s experience left a bad taste in my mouth, and not...

The perfect way to get our day started! We began with brunch at this local eatery. As we entered the location, we were greeted with melodic sounds of Al Green and laughter. It’s the perfect recipe for a good time. But it wasn’t just the laughter of the patrons. It was the laughter of those who were employed there. Their excitement and joy was good for the soul. I love to see people enjoying what they do. You can feel it in EVERYTHING around them. We were told that it would be about a 10 min wait. Cool! We were able to take in the aroma around us with a different entree passing us by. “Oooh, what’s that? Oh wow! That looks amazing. I want that”, was shared between the three of us! We giggled and laughed at our expressions and excitement. In less than 5 min, we were seated, drinks poured and orders were being taken. Some minutes later, our food had arrived and there was silence at the table. But first during the wait, I leaned over and was talking to the ladies at the next table.They were all smiles had the giggles too. Pure joy and empty plates. Anywho, our food arrived and much to our delight, the taste was much better than we could have imagined. It was simply the BOMB(such an old school term but how else can you describe it)? I ordered the shrimp and grits with maple bacon! Initially, I was disappointed because I had my heart set on the Cajun style. I know I’m in New York but the heart wants what the heart wants. Well it was tomato based but it packed a big punch. So yeah, no disappointment here! The maple bacon was cooked perfectly! My friend said that her chicken was seasoned and reminded her of home fried chicken. #winner and my sister had the home style fries. She said that her aunt use to cook them just like they were prepared at Sweet Chick! So yeah, I would say that this was a definite win for this trip...