Ivy Inn — Restaurant in Princeton

Good Lord. What is there to say about this place. It's Princeton's hole in the wall. Super cheap drinks. Awesome bartenders. Horrendous clientele. Wednesday and Thursday night are karaoke nights which are normally miss on Wednesday and less of a miss on Thursday. Friday and Saturday can either be a DJ or a band. The DJ normally plays... well... typical hole in the wall music. Billboard 100, hip hop, 90s throwbacks, some 80s stuff lost in there somewhere. "Sweet Caroline" is literally this place's damn anthem. Friday and Saturday nights this place is PACKED. I'm talking you gotta do some type of flamenco dance or ballet to get through this place on a weekend night. You WILL touch at least 20-30 people who are spatially unaware of their physical existence, and also seem to be completely deaf when you say excuse me, and seem to be even more braindead when you literally shove them out of the way, they kinda glance at you, and go back to their weird existence. Some of the newer bartenders get SWAMPED easy, and while most of them have a great sense of urgency, some just kind of dawdle. But hey, the bartenders are pretty awesome here. Door staff has to be the friendliest set of bouncers I've ever seen. They have some pool tables always being run by the local Guatemalan guys that work at all the restaurants, so be careful. Some dart boards and the best part, when it's last call, they got some beautiful take out beer and wine. Decent selection, too. And yet, this place has the worst clientele of any of the local nightlife hotspots in Princeton. Guys aimlessly and drunkenly trying to find Narnia, the most asinine females just ramming into you and shoving you out of the way with out so much as an "Oops, sorry." And these girls are DETERMINED. I've seen several girls BEELINE it in my direction without so much as glancing at me. Sorry girls, you wanna act tough and try to walk through me? A stiff arm to your neck and an elbow in your ribs it is for you. The biggest offense is the bathroom situation here. There is one bathroom. The men's bathroom has one toilet and one urinal side by side, no divider. No big deal. Except when you get the little shy guys who close the doors and form a line of existential crisis. So yes, you will be waiting AT LEAST 7 minutes for the bathroom and a female will run into the guys bathroom and take it up for 15 minutes AT LEAST twice in the night. Honestly, you DO NOT want to come to this place alone. I recommend a group of at least 6 people to actually have fun... and also to form your own defensive perimeter against the absolute drunken zombies that flock to this place. Honestly, you need to be drunk, or stupid, or both, to enjoy this place by yourself otherwise. But hey. It's a hole in the wall. What...

Introduction: In the realm of customer service, interactions can sometimes take unexpected turns, leading to lessons that stick with us. In this blog post, we'll delve into a personal experience that involved a rather distasteful engagement with a restaurant employee. The goal here is not to dwell on negativity, but rather to reflect on the encounter and extract valuable insights that can benefit both customers and service providers alike.

The Encounter: During a recent visit to a local restaurant, an unfortunate interaction unfolded that left a lasting impression. A minor mix-up with the order escalated into a heated exchange between the customer (me) and an employee. The employee's tone and choice of words were less than ideal, and the situation quickly spiraled into a more unpleasant interaction than anyone would have anticipated.

Lessons Learned:

Importance of Empathy: The experience highlighted the significance of empathy in customer service. No matter how frustrated a customer might appear, it's crucial for employees to empathize with their concerns. A simple acknowledgement of the problem and a willingness to rectify it can often diffuse tense situations.

Effective Communication: Clear and respectful communication is paramount. Both customers and employees should strive to communicate their thoughts and concerns without resorting to hurtful language or aggression. In this case, the conversation escalated largely due to misunderstandings and poor choice of words.

Professionalism Under Pressure: Service industry employees often encounter demanding and sometimes irate customers. Staying professional, composed, and courteous, even in challenging situations, not only diffuses tension but also preserves the reputation of both the establishment and the employee.

Turning Negative Experiences into Positive Ones: While the initial encounter was disheartening, it spurred reflection and discussions about how to improve customer interactions. This incident served as a catalyst for the restaurant to reevaluate its customer service training and processes.

Conclusion: Every interaction, whether positive or negative, can be a learning opportunity. The distasteful engagement with the restaurant employee revealed several crucial lessons about the importance of empathy, effective communication, professionalism, and the potential for positive change. In an era where customer feedback can influence the success of a business, it's essential for both customers and service providers to approach interactions with understanding and respect.

Let this experience remind us all that, in the grand scheme of things, kindness and professionalism can go a long way toward creating a positive and harmonious atmosphere in customer service...

Very nice place, good music - can't confirm others' objection regarding it being "too loud", to me it was just right! Efficient bartenders and a nice backyard.

Unfortunately, my friends and I repeatedly had bad experiences with the staff stopping to serve one of us (or even throwing one of us out) due to "drunkness". The pattern was always the same, with especially the Mediterranean members of our group seemingly attracting the bartenders attention. While I agree that louder behaviour may generally serve as an indicator for "that person had enough", this may not apply across all cultures in the same way, and the staff doesn't seem to be sensitive towards this distinction. In other words: I always was at least as drunk as my friends, but I was never thrown out/stopped serving, simply because I'm a bit more quiet. The others may shout more etc, but they're all responsible adults (all post-docs) even when they drink, and the bartenders so far showed bad judgement in this.

Finally, and that's the main reason why I'm writing this review: after a night at Ivy, my female friend came forward and told me that a drunk person at the bar (seemed like a "regular customer", but I wouldn't know/I wasn't there) asked her loudly "Do you wanna earn some 40$ tonight?" (roughly paraphrasing, but clearly implicating sexual demands in exchange for money). My first reaction was "well, did you tell the bartender?!", to which she replied "the bartender overheard it himself, and laughed." That's seriously messed up. My friend does not wish to come forward and file a complaint on this, but I urge the Ivy Inn crew to internally investigate this.

In summary, educating the bartenders in cultural sensitivity and reacting to sexual misconduct seems necessary. But again, this may only reflect our experiences with the Inn, and apart from this its...