The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company — Restaurant in Philadelphia

So this was my first and last time at The Franklin Bar. A friend of mine was taking me out for my birthday. We walked up and no one was outside. It was pretty cold out and with no sign of anyone, we opened the door and stepped in. It looked like the kind of place where you needed to be seated so we stood there looking to make eye contact with someone who worked there. A man with a mustache and a red leather jacket who wad talking to a group of people at a table got up and walked over to us. The first thing he said to us was that in the future, if no one's outside we need to wait outside. I was kind of taken aback by his tone but I said, "all right". He asked for our IDs and we handed them over. He asked if anyone else will be joining us and I told him, "no", which he replied, "are you sure?" I said, "100%." And he said, "good." I'm not sure why it was "good" but the tone was already an unwelcome one so I wasn't going to say anything else about it. He told us to follow him and led us to a table. We had just gotten dinner so we had a small bag with us. We sat down and my friend put the bag on the table while he took his jacket off. The man with the mustache told him to take the bag off the table and a server will be right over. Now I'm not sure if this is how most people are treated. I'm going to say probably not because I was so upset by the treatment that we had received that I observed the way this man interacted with other guests and it was like night and day. I'm not entirely sure why we were treated that way but it's sad because the server that we had and the wait staff were great. The drinks were delicious but the way we were received put a sour end to the evening and a bad taste in my mouth in regards to this establishment. I won't be going back and I won't be...

Have visited Franklin bar atleast once a year for the past 3 years, its just one of those places that I feel I must go to when I am in philly. I have had both good experiences and bad experiences, but the good mostly outweigh the bad. I will agree with a handful of reviews that the vibe has certainly changed. Used to be really quite (if memory serves me well) and had nice seasonal menus bound in leather. When I visited this past weekend, house-type music was blaring and I would have to raise my voice a bit to hold conversation. Menu was now a piece of double-sided thick piece of paper. Regardless of how the atmosphere has changed, The Franklin Bar consistently delivers on their complex, experimental cocktails. $15 starting price for a cocktail may seem steep, but being a bartender myself and observing the care and quality of ingredients used in this bar makes me understand the price range. Bouncers are hit or miss, some are extremely kind, others seem to police who enters the franklin or instead directs them towards their more tiki themed bar (which I believe is a mezcal bar now) upstairs. I have been there with groups of 8, years ago, but was also turned down when I was with a group of 5. Was nearly turned down when the bouncer accused one of my friends of being drunk (he had not had a drop of alcohol, was very fatigued because he just got off the bus from DC). Was let in but then treated rudely.

All in all, I would say avoid it if you are in a group of more than 3 people. Do not include it in your bar hopping list. However, if you are looking for a place to have post or pre dinner drinks and arent looking to get piss drunk, stop by and try something new and try not to get the same thing twice. I have never been disappointed with drink from The...

Updated 2022 Oof please tell me this is under new ownership or management because the former Franklin mortgage/Franklin bar etc was a place for serious cocktails with super interesting ingredients and knowledgeable staff and this just ain't it.

Maybe it's because it's attached to the hotel with drink specials for out of towner's in baseball hats and flip flops but if I'm paying $20+ for an overly sweet unimaginative cocktail I'd at least like the service and ambiance to match. Case in point ordered a drink with Thai chili would assume that some sort of spiciness is incorporated into a simple syrup, bitters, shrub, tincture, liqueur -- something!! Nope-- just a really sweet bland drink with a raw whole Thai chili just jammed into the top of the glass as garnish as if that's a thing. No one is eating a raw Thai chili

There were dead bugs in the lights over head, inattentive bar staff who were more interested in gossip then working (seriously it shouldn't take 3 people to linger around the POS while newly seated folks are left adrift). The last nail in the coffin was the $17 "goat cheese" which was a few Everything flatbread crackers and a jam jar of goat cheese mixed with sour cream or some sort of diluent 👎$70 w/o tip for two subpar cocktails and some snacks, hard pass

If I sound harsh it's because I'm REALLY disappointed. I'll hit up some of the better craft cocktails in the city because this is now a tourist trap and it's making me sad.

Also if mgt is reading, please address the bar stools, leave breathing room between them and get ones that are easy to maneuver in and out of -- I'm petite and there was maybe 4 inches between each chair. We saw multiple people having trouble getting in and out of their seats and multiple staff commented...