Foundry On Elm — Restaurant in Somerville

My party’s waiter was super nice and his service was great. However, my friends and I did not have a pleasant experience overall due to the way a manager treated us at the end of our meal. We were in outdoor seating, in a back corner of the seating area. Due to the wood base and floor of the outdoor seating being rotten, uneven and having gaps, my friend and I changed the seats slightly so that while it was awkward looking compared to the rest of the seating, it was safe to sit at. It also helped not having the sun directly in our faces too. Specifically, we moved our seats and adjusted the table a bit so that our seats and table were stable, and were not in danger of falling through the gaps and weak points of the wood base. As more people were seated around us, we saw some of them also move the seating similarly due to the wood. We had our meal. We were a bit disappointed with the food as the wrap was not good, and there was no steak sauce available for the steak. At the later part of our meal, a manager came to us. We thought he would ask us how the meal was or if we needed more water, as most management usually does, but he came and spoke to me directly, saying: “The way you are sitting here is causing us a fine as it’s in violation of our code.” My friends and I were taken aback by his stern voice, how he interrupted us in the middle of our conversation and was speaking to me only/directly, and how he phrased what he said. His vibe was just off. People around us - specifically the ones who also moved their seats - fell silent. We did not appreciate how he could have just asked us more politely to move the seats back to original seating instead of what felt almost like a threat to us, that we were causing the restaurant a fine. He didn’t even pose a question, just statements. We didn’t think we were causing an issue as we had been sitting in that way for about an hour, and our table was at the end/not in anyone’s way. We asked for the check and left. It also did not sit right with us that as we were waiting for the check, the same manager was staring at us from inside the restaurant. Straight up his vibe was just mean. As a person of color, and the only one at the outdoor seating, I had a gut feeling we were singled out in an unfair way. I say this as POCs usually have a gut feeling when they’re singled out. I’m not saying they did anything directly biased, but POCs know the gut feeling.

I really recommend to please get some steak sauce for the steak, and if management could figure out a more kind way to ask customers to move seats back to their original place. Or just build more stable & safer bases. We would’ve moved asap if we were asked to do so (politely). The way it was said to us really felt unfair and just straight up mean, to the point I’m taking time to write this review. (Please note - this is a redo of a previous review I wrote for this restaurant for the same experience. In attempts to edit my review with an updated version that addressed the restaurant owner’s concerns that my claim of racism was unfounded and I was disrespectful in describing the manager’s physical features to specify which one he was, I accidentally deleted it. This is an attempt to communicate the same review while making it more respectful, clear and constructive. Apologies for any offense I caused in describing the manager’s physical features through...

I came here on Cloud 9, feeling happy as I could on my birthday right after a show. For all intents and purposes, this would've been an incredible place to eat, but I didn't even get that far because the restaurant apparently cut staff to a single server which served all the tables.

I didn't see him for a solid 8-10 minutes, and when I did, I was about to leave the first time. I decided to give him a second chance and asked him about the St. Paddy's day specials whether they were 86 or not. He said he'd check and get back to me. A couple minutes pass by, and I get the beer I asked for. Great! I ask if he's the only server (which he confirms) and then promptly leaves to service other tables before I can put in another word. Sure. I get it, he's busy. Totally fine. Third time's the charm.

Another gentleman comes in, is seated, and then his order his promptly taken in less than the time I've been there. Stellar. So I yell at him at this point (having had 20 minutes pass by at this point). No answer. Walks off.

At this point, I'm frustrated to the point that I go up to the host to close out my tab as I'm not being served. He goes back to the back of the bar, talks to the server, to which I throw up my hands. "What are you doing, dude?"

We have a little 15 second chat and it turns out I was defaulted to getting the corned beef. I didn't even get asked for my order (I wanted the bangers and mash), twenty minutes in. The kitchen had 10 minutes left to churn out an order. So I left because I didn't want to make them mad about firing up a dish on the fly and I didn't feel like waiting any longer.

I've run a kitchen (500+ covers a night) and know how hard the industry is. I always try to treat everyone with respect, with multiple chances of redemption, and without raising my voice or expressing frustration. But to have gone ten minutes without service, another ten trying to get a server's attention to put an order in...? That's inexcusable. Why was there a single server on a reasonably busy night? Is the food actually good? Why was I served so poorly? I'll probably never know, but the experience has left me quite sour and my stomach empty. Could I have stayed and eaten corned beef that I didn't want? Absolutely. But I chose to go hungry because of how horrendous my experience was. My appetite's gone.

Edit: the beer I had was at least good. I should say that in...

I unfortunately had a negative experience at this restaurant while having dinner with a friend. I ordered a drink, and while I was taking the first couple of sips, I realized the lip of the glass was uneven and sharp. When I looked, I saw the glass was chipped. I let the waitress know, and she apologized and brought me a new one. We continued with our meal and enjoyed our food. When we were ready to pay the bill, I asked the waitress if it was possible to get a discount on the drink due to the chipped glass. She said that she would ask. Someone who I assume was the manager came over and asked about an issue regarding a chipped glass and I explained that I was wondering if it was possible to get a discount on the drink due to the situation. He asked if there was an issue with the new drink and there wasn't, which I told him. He explained that policy was to simply bring out a new drink. He then asked if I was "trying to get it for free" which rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like he was implying I was trying to cheat my way out of paying my bill or that I was trying to get a free drink because I didn't like it and not because the rim of the glass had a sharp edge. I said okay and he explained the policy again before leaving our table. We paid our bill and left. I felt as though my concerns about safety went unheard and that the manager was dismissive of the situation. I felt less than welcome after this...