Pete's Park Place Tavern — Restaurant in Town of Eastchester

While I admit that I have enjoyed going to Pete's for years, I will never go again.

I went to Pete's for lunch a couple of weeks ago on a Monday afternoon with my companion. Each of us came with our two month olds. As any new mother knows, life with a 2 month old is HARD. But we made the effort to meet each other to support each other and to try to do something nice for our sleep-deprived selves.

We arrived to Pete's at around 12:50 pm (later than our planned meeting at 12:30 pm, which is relevant), and generally had an enjoyable lunch. The restaurant was largely empty. Only about 6 tables were occupied, and we were seated in the back corner--which as a mother of 3, I have come to expect and am not offended by. We paid our bill and left generous tips at about 2:30. Up until that point, we had a very enjoyable lunch, akin to our prior experiences at Pete's.

Just as we signed our bills and were getting ready to leave, however, our experience took a turn for the worse. Mike (who worked at the bar and maybe was a manager there?) thanked us for our business, but then told us it was time to leave because our infants were too loud and were disrupting other customers. He also said that we had overstayed our welcome, having been there for 2 hours.

My companion and I were totally shocked and asked Mike to repeat himself, which he did as he doubled down on his comments. Not only was he outrageously rude and inhospitable, but he was so wrong. First, the place was empty, so we were not holding up any business. But second, we were not even there that long. Mike asserted that he looked at his watch when we came into the restaurant and said that we were there too long. It is absolutely incredulous that a restaurant manager/employee would look at his watch at the moment two young mothers walk into their restaurant to figure out when they should be kicked out. Mike's allegation is also demonstrably false, given that we were only there about one hour forty-five minutes--and I have the text messages to prove it.

As to Mike's claim that our infants were too loud, that was also outrageous and just plain wrong. During the lunch, I actually remarked to my companion that I had barely heard her baby's voice. And yes, while mine did momentarily whimper for a bottle, what's the big deal? I thought Pete's was a family dining establishment. This is the first I have heard that it requires absolute silence. Anyway, we were seated in the corner, away from the other patrons. And my baby was not screaming. In fact, I actually gave my baby her bottle cold (without taking the time to warm it) to prevent her whimpers from getting louder and to avoid being obstructive to the other patrons.

After Mike's instruction that we leave, we gathered our strollers (which we were asked to leave outside). I then told Mike that the restaurant was virtually empty and that we couldn't have disrupted others. But Mike doubled down and said that he knew that our babies were too loud because he was a father of four. Either time has passed and wiped his memory of the infant stage, or he just never took care of his own kids. And frankly, he should not be taking care of Pete's guests because he is costing them business.

I actually tried to contact the owner of Pete's to let him know about the outrageous experience we had (I have left a message on Pete's "contact us" tool on its website, sent a DM to Pete's Instagram page, called the restaurant, and even called the owner on his persona phone and left him a message), and I have gotten no response. I have waited over two weeks after our experience to give Pete's the opportunity to discuss our experience with the owner, but we have just gotten the back of the hand. I'll now never go there again and will inform everyone else I know about our horrendous experience.

Shame on Mike for shaming and so rudely kicking out two vulnerable new mothers. And shame on Pete's for employing this horrendously...

ABLEIST RULES NOT CONDUCIVE TO HEALTH OR SAFETY. Last night, I was told by a bartender here that I was not allowed to eat outside food in the establishment, even though it was after the time Pete's itself stopped serving food. I told her that it is not conducive to our health or safety for us to drink alcohol without also being able to eat food at the same time. I didn't even mention that I probably wouldn't be able to eat much of anything they sold there if I had gotten there before they stopped serving food due to my dietary restrictions. The bartender told me in response to my argument that I didn't HAVE to drink alcohol there, but when I asked about non alcoholic drinks, there were about two options, so it seems like people who come there after they stop serving food are being encouraged to drink alcohol (at least implicitly) while simultaneously prohibited from eating which is NOT SAFE! Not eating while drinking alcohol actively makes the alcohol affect people more quickly and intensely and there is more risk of negative effects!!!!

This is systemic ableism under capitalism. Eating food is a necessary bodily function and dietary restrictions exist and people need to eat at specific times. I don't think I will be returning here; I did not feel that I was able to take care of myself in the establishment.

Background: I've been to Pete's several times over the past few years to hang out at the bar with my friends, and it's a place where we can usually get into some conversations with strangers, which is nice. Unfortunately, I've also usually found the place pretty overstimulating. I recently also learned that I'm allergic to dairy and gluten so I've primarily been taking my own foods out and about in order to make sure I have something to nourish myself without giving me an allergic reaction everywhere I go, and additionally because I am chronically ill so I need to be eating consistently in order to keep up my energy levels. The most recent time I went to Pete's, we arrived after they had finished serving food and we sat at the bar to drink drinks. I had also brought some snacks for myself because I hadn't eaten a lot that...

My husband and I have been locals for over 15 years and regular patrons of Pete’s almost every week. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case due to the bartender, Mike. He is one of the rudest individuals I’ve ever encountered. In front of everyone at the bar, he loudly told us we had to wait outside (in the rain, no less) for our takeout order. The front of the house was nearly empty, and we were quietly waiting in a corner, out of the way.

A paying customer should not have to stand outside like an animal for food they’ve already purchased. I’ve worked in customer service my entire life and would never treat any client that way. With Mike behind the bar, I swear I will never return to Pete’s. He made us feel like lowlifes by demanding we leave and wait outside—completely unacceptable. As I was discussing my experience with the sweet hostess at the front, "Mike" decided to yell at us from behind the bar. I was speaking calmly and simply wanted to speak with the owner, whom I’ve met before. Unfortunately, it’s just not worth it. The owners should seriously consider these reviews because I’m clearly not the only customer who’s had a terrible experience...