Tigre — Restaurant in New York

First and foremost, I would feel remiss to not clarify that I am not the type who spends his day writing reviews, especially bad ones, after an experience concludes. Therefore, my decision to write this was based on an exceptionally bad experience with Tigre, and especially with respect to my dealing with their "Manager," Frazier. Tigre is the latest overhyped lounge to open downtown, which is meant to serve as an alternative to the growing list of membership clubs, that dominate the NYC nightlife landscape. One of the downsides of this trend, which started in the post covid era, is that every lounge/bar that is considered trendy now requires a reservation to be made in advance via Resy, in which your credit card is put on file. While I understand that requiring reservations ensures the establishment that their table will be filled in advance, there is an expectation that once your card is on file and can be charged in case of a cancellation, that the establishment has a normal line of communication, in case changes are needed to be made. So when the venue does not have a working phone and operational phone line and a website that literally just has a link to RESY, you can imagine why it would be hard to get in touch. In the aftermath, I was charged a no show fee because my cancellation was made within its limited window of time, as I realized there was a mistake made with the reservation because RESY classified it as a "dinner reservation," which I did not want. While TIGRE is technically a lounge/bar, it nevertheless is considered apart of the hospitality business, which among the service industry requires a certain level of communication and professionalism, which was not demonstrated by its manager and the overall oddness to their no phone/limited website policy (I guess they wanted to emulate the membership clubs without the policy of requiring a membership to enter). Overall, I would not recommend going unless you're walking in because the trouble of making a reservation, or changing it is not worth the aggravation I experienced. In an ultra competitive marketplace in NYC, where the vast majority of restaurants and bars fail, being professional and embodying strong communication skills is absolutely needed to survive. As long as their disposition towards clientele remains the same...

Tigre is such a vibe! Love the decor and atmosphere. Think Boom Room (atop The Standard Highline) but at a much smaller scale, and with a better sound system while somehow being a lot more intimate!

There was no food available yet as of this review (kitchen is likely still under construction), but the martinis my friend and I had were absolutely amaze. I’m not much of a drinker so I liked the portions. Quite stiff as well so I didn’t really need more than two.

The only thing I’ll take a star off for (from the service rating) is the fact that we felt hurried to leave even though we had a reservation. But I can understand why: the place isn’t that huge and everyone wants to come, so there were actually people waiting to be sat at our table before we were quite ready to leave.

Not sure how this issue could be solved without turning people away (assume a longer reservations for every one by spacing them out more on the reservation app) to allow for one to not feel hurried once there, which is clearly not the best business move. After all, they’re a business at the end of the day and are in it to make money.

But it would be nice to tackle this from the customer experience / journey, although if they only solved for the customers currently sat, it would affect the experience of the waiting customers… who are ALSO customers :)

in any case, entire staff was absolutely friendly - very professional, courteous, and seemed to genuinely enjoy having us. Lucile (Maitre ‘D) was an absolute gem as was the bouncer, hostess, coat-check person, and our waitress. Would definitely go back.

Music was also on point and really complimented the environment really well. As a professional DJ myself (when I’m not working in the tech industry), I actually appreciated their tune selections and the volume levels, even though it was on a playlist as opposed to a live DJ. I actually wouldn’t mind DJing there sometime and will likely be hosting a few private events there...

Probably the worst bar experience I’ve had in a long time. I don’t need to put my credentials here but I’ve been around for a bit and what really bums me out is that this place probably won’t care. I bet they get more popular too, the more rude they get. The door guy was rude, the hostess was rude, and it’s one of those places that give off the vibe that you’re lucky to be there. I’m not sure how but I feel like we broke rules all the way to our table as the door guy and hostess spoke down to us like we’re idiots. We had an awesome meal at Colima and thought this would be a good after dinner cocktail spot. I chose this place and wanted to impress my friends but after waiting for 21 minutes (I timed it for some reason), one of our guys went to the bar as the bartender was leaning on his elbows talking with the server and hadn’t even started on our drinks. There was zero sense of urgency. The lounge was full but I wouldn’t say it was busy - steady, sure. There were a lot of tables that had empty drinks. Our waters were empty. We ended up walking out - I was mortified. I can’t believe I recommend this place. We ended up at Double Chicken Please, they couldn’t have been nicer and the place resonated with a professional sense of hospitality. A stark contrast to this place. Lol, they’ll probably make some stupid top whatever list based on their relationships. Doesn’t matter. Places that suck like this make the unknown, neighborhood spots you love that much more precious. Wish I would’ve just gone to McSorleys and been done with it. Maybe they’ll print this review and stick It in...