Chuck’s Alibi — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I scheduled my baby shower for July 22nd from 3p to 7p. I received a phone call from my guests around 4p stating a bartender walked in saying they had to leave by 5p because we were only scheduled from 2p to 5p. When I arrived at 4:30p I immediately asked to speak with Ray as he was the one that took my final deposit. When he came in he stated there was no issue and we did not have to leave but kept trying to point to the order sheet that I did sign but he and I know I did not agree to the time and when I signed the sheet it was not completely filled in. My guests then told me the pitchers of juice soda and water were not served because they had to wait for me to arrive, according to a bartender even though my dad is the one that paid for the pitchers. I then was told around 5p that I had to move my things off stage because the dj was setting up for the fish fry, again by a bartender. Ray told me I did not have to move my things I just had to make sure they were not in the djs way. At 5:53 another random ghetto chick comes up to me saying I had to get ready to clean up as my party was over at 6p. Now which one is it because I paid for 3p to 7p, then I was told 2p to 5p and now she is saying its 6p. I went on stage and opened my gifts. As I was opening my gifts the same random chick yells out "CIERRA, it's 6p ya party is over". I completely lost it at that point because that was very disrespectful and it was uncalled for. I was even more irritated because when they felt I needed to leave they unplugged the juk box that my dad and aunt just put money in then when I was announcing my gifts they plugged it back up I guess so no one could hear me. And the whole time Ray, the manager, I believe allowed this to go on then the minute I start going off wants to tell me to not worry about them and to keep opening my gifts. As a manager, staff should have been in check and none of that should have happened. One girl even had the nerve to open the door around 6p telling my guest to leave. Now let me tell you how all of that came about. Back in May I called to schedule the baby shower. When I originally called I was placed on hold for about 15 minutes just so the chick who schedules the party could see if the date was available. She never returned back to the phone so Damon picked up and stated "the date is available and you can come in and make the deposit". I went straight from work and paid the deposit. July 1st I came back in and met with Ray. Ray informed me that Damon had no business scheduling my baby shower and that there was a fish fry from 6p to 9p that day and asked could I move my baby shower up to 2p. My boyfriend and I told him absolutely not as the invitations had already went out and that was a mistake on Damon's part not mine. I also never filled out the order sheet with Damon so I did with Ray to make the menu, give my contact info and confirm that I paid in full. The order sheet was not completely filled in when I signed and I didn't think it would be a big deal because I saw that the original book had my baby shower scheduled for 3p to 7p. Plus Ray, myself and my boyfriend confirmed that 3p to 7p was fine. We ate there that same day so once I made that payment I continued my meal and was hesitant that I did not get a final copy of the order sheet once it was finished but I thought I could trust these people as I had just threw my dad a b day party there in Oct that turned out wonderful and my family and I always come there to eat. So much for being naive and given the benefit of the doubt because it completely back fired. Ray told me even though the fish fry would need to come in they would not interfere with my VIP section and they would be at the other end of the bar. Plus I also told him that we probably wouldn't open gifts until 5p so how in the hell would I be able to agree to the baby shower ending at 5p. But again before you put your John Hancock on anything make sure the form is completely filled out...

If I could give Zero Stars I would…And being a Business Owner Myself I understand how hard it is to find good help…But at the end of the day, you hire who you hire and if you don’t pay attention you never know who you paying to run customers away…So here goes…So I go in Chucks on a Friday night…Bar pretty crowded so I go to the booth in the back to order my food…I’m thinking shrimp and chicken tacos…I ask the young lady with braids and glasses about tacos and she quickly tells me “We don’t have that tonight.” Okay “Cool.” So I ask for a menu and while I’m looking through the menu I notice the young lady putting a fork full of Salmon Alfredo in her mouth from a platter she is eating…I say to the young lady that looks good, I think I want that..:She immediately says,” oh that’s not on the menu.” Me “Really? What is that?” Her “Teriyaki Salmon Alfredo” I say okay do you guys have salmon Alfredo? “yes”…How bout with shrimp? “That’s extra!” Okay so the only difference in what she was eating and what I wound up ordering was the teriyaki part….Cool…I ordered “2” orders of Salmon and shrimp Alfredo…$65 and I pay with my card…Bar still kinda full so I go and wait at a booth for my food…20-25 minutes later I see someone leave the bar so I go and take the vacant seat…Order a double shot of grey goose and a corona while waiting for my food…Now I’m sipping and notice the same young lady in braids bringing food to customers drinking at the bar so I patiently wait for mines…another 25-30 minutes go by, No Food…Eventually the young lady in braids delivers food to a lady customer sitting next to me…I tap the young lady and ask her if my food ready…She says “your food been ready, it’s up there I didn’t know where you were at”. So me being the dumb customer waited thinking now that she knows where I’m at she will bring me my food…Naw I had to sit and watch the young lady socialize at the bar drinking and chatting it up with what looked like her friends…I waited another 15 minutes and than I took a picture of the back of the this young ladies head as I watched her continue to be socially at the bar like she didn’t have a care in the world…No food…So when my bartender came by again I said to her hey I ordered some food how do I go about getting it? Bartender says to me maybe the food not ready yet…I say no the young lady told me its been ready…Bartender(very nice lady) gets strange look on her face and says I’ll be back…Not sure what she went and told the young lady in the braids but all of sudden the young ladies in braids comes to me with my food in hand…She comes and puts the food next to me on the bar counter and says “Boy I’m not here to serve you your food.” Mind you this braided young lady is my daughters age…I immediately tell her well you can keep that food or give it away, I don’t want it…she walks away and says nothing…Now I’m finishing my second round of drinks but I have NO interest in eating a morsel of this food I just paid $65 for…My spirit wouldn’t let me just walk out on that note…So I summoned the manager for the night….And someone tipped the braided lady off because as the manager was approaching me the young lady had joined her pleading her case before she even knew what I was going to say…To make a long story longer I spoke to the manager who did her manager thing…She listened to me…And I finished my second round and left $65 worth of food sitting on their bar counter and walked out…KEEP THAT...

Last night, I went to Chuck's Alibis with my cousins visiting from North Carolina. My cousin and I are frequent customers of this restaurant, particularly enjoying their seafood. However, the prices at this place have become outrageous. I ordered a shrimp scampi bowl with a side of spinach and had three cranberry and vodka drinks, with Tito's as my vodka of choice. When I received the bill, I was shocked to see it came to $117. I couldn't believe it.

What made it worse was that they charged us separately for each component of the drinks. They charged $8 just for the cranberry juice, separate from the vodka. The double shots of vodka, which I never requested, were $16 each. So, in total, one drink of Tito's Vodka with Cranberry Juice came out to an absurd $24. I've never seen a place charge separately for cranberry juice in a cocktail—it’s clear they are looking for ways to overcharge customers. This seems to be a desperate attempt to cover some financial issues or overhead costs, possibly due to the new renovations.

We confronted the owner and bartender regarding the prices, but the response was extremely aggressive and dismissive. Despite explaining that we were regular customers, the owner showed no interest in our feedback and was only concerned about getting paid. It was clear that customer loyalty didn't mean much to them.

To add to the shock, my cousin’s bill was around $150 to $160 for just a few items: two or three drinks of the same Tito's Vodka and Cranberry Juice, some barbecue chicken wings, and fish tacos. For that price, you would expect a high-end dining experience, not bar food and drinks.

I understand business, and I also understand the rate of inflation. However, the prices at Chuck's Alibis do not align with either. They are overcharging in a way that doesn't reflect standard business practices or inflation rates, making it clear that something is wrong with their pricing model. If these prices keep going up, I don’t expect this business to be around much longer. They are really making it bad for themselves.

It seems like the new ownership has spent too much on overhead, particularly with the interior construction, and they are passing those costs onto customers. Unfortunately, this has significantly affected both the food and the service. The quality of Chuck's Alibis has taken a nosedive since the new management took over.

I will not be returning to Chuck's Alibis again. The once-enjoyable dining experience has turned sour with the high prices, sneaky charges, and poor service. I'm giving this place one star because that's the lowest rating I can give. If you want to avoid overpriced meals, hidden charges, and rude service, stay away from Chuck's Alibis. I will never come back here...