Green Parrot — Restaurant in Newtown Township

I went to Green Parrot for the first (and last) time the other evening to meet friends for a Bridal Shower. After entering I went with my friend to the hostess (happened to be a manager I believe) and as neither of us had been before we asked where the bathroom was, and he gestured to the door behind him to the left and told us there. I was expecting the door to maybe be a hallway that had a mens/womens door- but it was just the bathroom. The bathroom (with unmarked door besides a decorative wreath/bow) had a central sink area, followed by individual bathrooms (not stalls- individual restrooms) and I thought at first that it was odd that it was co-ed but considering it was in Newtown- but having never been there before and seeing they were all separated rooms and not stalls I just assumed (as well as the female I was with) that’s how it was. When we were washing our hands a mid-40/50 year old woman with a few friends opened the main door and began yelling at me and asking what I was doing before she even entered- I replied I was going to the bathroom and she told me it was the women’s room and to get out- to which I immediately apologized and left, also saying I didn’t know and I was directed there. When we returned, and she left and went back to her group she went to each member of her party- particularly the 40-50 year old men she was with and one by one they started starring at me from across the room with anger. She then went to the hostess- luckily the same manager that directed me there- and told him the situation. He came over to me from there and asked to speak privately (privately I guess meaning less than one foot away from the group I was with)and informed me that he firstly hated to be the messenger of this- but that although he directed me there with my friend, it was a mistake (assuming he only glanced at us when we asked, I as a gay male with a top handle handbag and longer hair presume he thought I was a female and didn’t think anything of it before gesturing to the unmarked door telling us there) and if I were to go in there again I would be asked to leave as a complaint was made concerning the her safety- without telling me where the mens room would even be located. Assessing the situation and seeing the entirety of her party giving me angry/threatening look- and knowing if I had to use the restroom again I would have no option but the unknown location of a mens room, along with the grown men looking angry at me from across the establishment- and having just arrived to begin with- I asked him to walk me out as I have no desire to be anywhere where I am clearly not welcome- for both the safety of myself, and I suppose the convenience of others. In hindsight- I am very doubtful he also told the woman that this was his mistake- as when I left I still saw each person she was with- herself included- giving me a death glare over something I had no fault in. Had he told me where the men’s room was at first without telling us both it was there- I would have gone in there to begin with. But having been mis-gendered by him, sent into the wrong restroom, and then penalized for it being approached and spoken to as some sort delinquent in a growingly unsafe environment without any responsibility taken is unacceptable. I do not fault the woman for being surprised or asking me to leave- but after telling her it was an honest and simple mistake of the hostess/manager- her escalating the situation, making it an unsafe environment, and then the management not having a care in the world in terms of my safety was unacceptable. It very apparently became less of a safety concern on her end- and her seeing some sort of grounds to have the power to have an LGBTQ individual removed- knowing that management would take her side.

I cannot stress enough how horribly this was handled, and can also not advise particularly other members LGBTQ community enough to stay clear of this establishment- as the convenience and righteousness of others will not take priority over your safety- even when you were doing as...

I am leaving this as it will not allow me to reply to your response.

The doorman/hostess/apparently not manager/whoever it was that pointed us in the direction of the restrooms only gestured towards what turned out to be the women’s lavatory, as that was the only door in that corner of the room in which they advised. I was not gestured in any sort of direction to two separate marked bathrooms, my friend and I were gestured towards the corner with an unmarked door having a decorative wreath or bow of that nature on it. Should you have any questions on this- I ask you to check your cameras.

The narrative that children were in and out of the restroom is completely false, as I had come from my friend from the pub under your TV’s after arriving, and did not encounter one person under the age of 21 for the duration of my time there.

I can respect that you view your restaurant as strictly a place for food, drinks, and fun, which all establishments of your nature should be, and not a place of social stance – but with that being said in a social setting that is a restaurant; social stance will take place.

Moving forward- I would suggest placing signage on the restroom doors, and advising your staff to be more vigilant when dealing with/advising your customers.

As a side note, it is unfair for you to hide behind being a small business and that any honest negative feedback is some sort of bashing- as every company large or small should aim to create environments that are safe for all parties they serve. My review was not bashing you for being a small business, it was holding you accountable for the misdirection of your staff, refusal to take responsibility when confronted by your other upset customer and creation of an unsafe environment. In the event your staff that directed me there, that also happened to be the person the other upset party addressed, had taken any sort of responsibility this would be a drastically different story. A simple reply of “my apologies, they asked for the restroom and at a glance I thought they were a female and pointed them there.” to the upset party would have sufficed. I am sorry you do not like the feedback given, but this was an honest review of my experience with you, and your treatment/actions do not get a pass for being a small business. I would have left this review for any company, restaurant, store, or anyone that serves the public- especially to let other people (particularly of the LGBTQ community) know this may not be the safest environment for them.

Moving forward- I would suggest placing signage on the restroom doors, and advising your staff to be more vigilant or pay more attention when dealing with/advising your customers- I hope this is taken seriously to avoid the creation of another unsafe situation...

Unfortunately, the best I can say about this place is that it's okay, and that's too bad for me to ever go back given the number of restaurants, taverns and gastropubs in the general region that are far better.

The menu covers a broad array of dishes, with a large selection of pub foods and snacks. The issue for me is that everything was just barely satisfactory given the cost of the meal. The food wasn't bad, but it was as if the person preparing it never tasted what they were making or considered that it was going to be eaten. It's like the food was made by a student who was working a summer job, not a professional cook.

For example, the crab and avocado stack sounded good on the menu but looked small and tasted underwhelming given the $14 price for the appetizer. It is a six inch tall egg roll wrapper shaped into a tube and filled with avocado and crab, and served on a bed of arugula, tomatoes and some sort of mildly spicy creamy dressing. The issues were too little crab, too much rubbery, unripe avocado, too little dressing blobbed here-and-there and no description that this was more of a salad than an appetizer.

Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls, a staple at many area bars, were tasty but the presentation was on the sloppy side with the rolls placed on a stripe of ketchup and served with just a spoonful of sautéed onions.

BBQ Ribs didn't taste smoked as the description said, but the sauce was nice and tasted like it was spiked with beer - a nice touch. They were tender but not that exciting. Portion was small for full rack of ribs (longest bones were maybe 4 inches long?) but adequate for the price. Chicken Pot Pie was served with a side salad along with the dish. It was the size of a small bowl of soup... Bigger than a cup, and enough for a meal with no leftovers, but kinda surprised that it was $14. Meh.

On the plus side, the place looks like a warm, welcoming and cozy "Irish" tavern of the American variety. Also the open-air porch/patio is a great place to spend time on a lovely evening. The servers and staff were also attentive, friendly and helpful. No problems there.

Newtown is developing a serious food scene and this place will get left behind if it doesn't step up its game. I won't ever return for a meal, but I might go back sometime for a drink as the bar experience was more than acceptable. I just know that I can spend my dollars more wisely only a stone's throw away.

To sum it up, If you don't go with high food expectations you'll be fine. I've simply eaten too well to...