Bottles & Bones — Restaurant in Suwanee

We ate at Bottles & Bones on Valentine's night, and I need to say that this will be our final time dining at this restaurant. Since it opened, we have eaten there several times. The food has always been very good - we have never had any complaints about the food. The table service has also always been very good - the staff has always been courteous, prompt, and helpful. And the atmosphere is very nice.

However, it's issues we have with the front of the restaurant that will keep us from coming back.

The last time we went, we had called in advance and requested a table. Not a booth. Not a high-top. A regular table. When we arrived, we were taken to the bar area and sat at a high-top. When we explained that we had requested in advance a table, the woman helping us did not seem to care and developed a sort of "take it or leave it" type of attitude. We had a few members of our party that are short, and sitting at a high-top is not easy for them. We weren't trying to be difficult just for the sake of being difficult.

We made the decision to give the place another chance for Valentine's Day. My wife called weeks in advance and again requested a table. Not a booth. Not a high-top. A table away from the door. When we arrived, we were told that they had a booth for us. So, when we explained that we had requested a table away from the door, they made us wait while they got a table ready. A table right next to the door.

Additionally, when we made the reservation, they never mentioned that on Valentine's Day they would have a fixed menu. I understand the purpose of having a fixed menu on special occasions and have dined at other restaurants under such circumstances. However, when making the reservations, those places made sure to inform us that it would be a fixed menu - allowing us to decide if that's what we wanted or not. Bottles & Bones did not do this. So, when we were seated and presented with the menu and informed that it would be $125 per person, we were caught off guard. Again, I understand the concept of a fixed menu. It just should have been communicated when the reservation was made. Lastly, the food we had, while good, was not worth $125 per person (they did not even have any bread service available that evening to be included in the $125 price tag.)

Again, my issues are not with the quality of the food or service. Those have always been very good. I just have an issue with a place that repeatedly does not honor requests made in advance and fails to be upfront about how it handles...

My name is, Bishop Claxton.

On New Year’s Eve, my friend and I chose your restaurant to celebrate the occasion, amidst many other options. Mrs. Bryant, who lives in Metro Atlanta, recommended your establishment. I am a resident of Detroit, MI.

After researching your festivities, amongst many other restaurants that we could have chosen, we decided on yours. we decided to choose the pre-fixed NYE menu priced at $125 per person, so we could enjoy the music and celebration. I selected the surf & turf, and Mrs. Bryant chose the 22 oz. bone-in ribeye, listed as “for two.” When our food arrived, Mrs. Bryant was served a Delmonico steak instead. As a retired cafe owner and steak aficionado, she immediately pointed out the error.

Mr. Elliott, the manager, explained that the ribeye was meant for two people to share at $125 per person, which was confusing since the same steak was $105 on the regular menu. This led to a heated argument. The only resolution offered was an additional $20 charge, bringing the total to $155 for the ribeye.

During our conversation, Mr. Elliott was very rude and condescending. When I mentioned that he was the manager who was supposed to return my call, he brushed it off saying it wasn’t important. This was very disrespectful and explains his nasty demeanor. Additionally, several items we wanted were unavailable, forcing us to choose substitutes we didn't necessarily want. We attempted to call the restaurant for clarification on seating and the menu, but the young lady who answered couldn't help, and the manager never called back as promised.

Moreover, we were charged $12 for butter, which is absurd. Though we agreed to the additional $20 charge, we ultimately spent $135 + $20, which was more than what we would have spent from the regular menu. Furthermore, if there was an additional charge or if the steak was meant for two, this was not disclosed upon ordering. When we asked the server, she agreed that what was presented to us did not make sense and she was unaware of this as well.

Our evening was disappointing due to these issues and the lack of customer service. We hope higher management will address our concerns and provide a more favorable resolution than what was offered that night.

Sincerely,

Bishop Anthony...

My fiancé surprised me with dinner at Bottles and Bones. It was my first time but he had been before. We had the full course meal. I can’t lie, the steak was seasoned perfectly and crab cake was good. However, the overall experience was horrible. From the initial check-in at the hostess stand, my antennas started to rise. We had a 8:15pm reservation but arrived around 8/8:05pm. Once we checked in we were told 20 mins but the hostess’ face said otherwise….Red Flag! We waited for 40 mins then my fiancé goes to check and was told 30 mins. I’m feeling some type of way because I see couples who appeared to have come after us, get seated before us. Anyway, after about 15 more minutes of waiting, my fiancé goes back up and we finally get seated after him constantly asking for an update. Now we’re seat….waiters weren’t bad as we had two. However, they ran out of garlic mashed potatoes so when my food came out I was missing a side. I would have preferred to know this prior to my meal coming out so I could have substituted it. My fiancé’s steak was undercooked….maybe because of the rush. We complained to our waiter and were told he was going to speak to the manager. I noticed the manager walking to other tables “apologizing” but never came to our table. We basically had to demand to speak to the manager in order for him to come to our table. Mind you, we see him going to all these other tables that weren’t occupied by African Americans. (Not making this a race issue but I’m stating what I observed.) He finally comes after being stared at by us and apologized by saying they over booked, they’ve never experienced this before and they opened at 4pm with 15 tables booked. We did not leave until a little after 11pm! Valet was basically shaking his head at the situation as he said he heard about the experience through many people. We did get 50% off our meal but in all honesty, money wasn’t an issue and I would have rather had a great experience for Valentine’s Day.

Read the reviews and beware when booking this place for a special occasion!! I would not recommend and definitely...