Dunns River Lounge, Inc. — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Disappointing Experience Despite Efforts to Accommodate

I made a reservation for 7:30 p.m. two times over the phone with someone at the restaurant. However, the owner called me the next day to inform me that there had been a mistake with the booking, as the 7:30 p.m. time slot was no longer available. She said she would try to rearrange seating to accommodate us and that she would call me back. I thought this was a great effort. Later, she informed me that she wasn’t able to rearrange anything and suggested we take a 6:30 p.m. seating to at least guarantee a table. I agreed, but I made it clear that my party wouldn’t be fully there until 7:30, and she assured me that would be fine.

Had I known that we would only have one hour to eat after my party arrived at 7:30, I would not have made the reservation. The restaurant seemed ready to push us out as soon as it hit 8:15 p.m., which was very disappointing and not communicated upfront. The lack of clarity about the time constraints led to a rushed and uncomfortable experience.

The service, unfortunately, was very disappointing. While the waitress was initially friendly, the tone shifted quickly. During our meal, she repeatedly asked if we were finished and brought out trays to pack our food, even though we had just started eating. She also kept saying multiple times, "You have to leave by 8:30 because we have another reservation," which felt very unprofessional and rushed. I've never been to a restaurant where the staff pushes customers out the door like that, and the constant reminders made us feel uncomfortable! Even my pregnant friend felt anxious eating and the waitress was just pushy with no sympathy.

To add to the rushed feeling, the owner offered me a free drink about 10 minutes before we were expected to leave, but how can I drink that when you rushing me out the door??

Another issue was when the birthday cake was brought out during my entree, disrupting my meal, and the candle was placed on the other side of the table instead of in front of me. It was such a rush that I couldn’t even get a decent photo of my cake, which was disappointing for such a special occasion.

I've also seen similar comments from other customers in the reviews regarding the space layout and the rushed feeling due to timing restrictions. It’s clear that this has been an ongoing issue. Usually high end dining in the city, is two hours table seating. I just wish she made this clear when I said half of my party can make it 6:30 and the rest 7:30, because I have an 8 months pregnant girl friend coming out of her way, not to be rushed to scarf and eat food in less than an hour and constantly be reminded to get up and leave..

I spoke to the owner prior to leaving and let her know my disappointment, especially on a birthday. She said you could have taken the 9 p.m. reservation. Who is going to eat dinner at 9:30? Maybe if she proposed it on the phone that you would only have 1 hour to eat from your party arriving at 7:30. I would have reconsidered and ate somewhere else and probably reconvened back at this location later on at the night so she can still get some of my business from the bar at least.

I understand that mistakes happen, but clear communication and better service could have made this experience much more enjoyable. I would have appreciated being informed upfront about the timing restrictions, and I hope the restaurant can work on offering a more relaxed and professional atmosphere for future customers.

Overall, the restaurant seemed more interested in double booking tight reservations for sake of getting business and rushing them out unprofessionally, than actually accommodating guests in a way that ensured a positive experience to encourage business...

Visited Dunns’ for the first time for a quick celebratory dinner for my fiancé. I was able to make a reservation for 7:30 on a Thursday night on Yelp! about 4 hours before, so that was helpful. We were greeted by a super friendly host with brilliant energy. The ambiance of the place seemed liked your typical chain restaurant initially, but quickly changed when their live music started. The singer dubbed “J-buzz” was sooo incredibly talented! We were just completely enthralled by his performance. He sang some of the greatest reggae hits that everyone was singing or swaying along to! The whole vibe changed and it was quite a wonderful experience. Since we had 7:30 reservations, we still had about half hour left of happy hour and got margaritas that were like $6, I think. The drinks weren’t super strong but tasted great. I got the curried goat and my fiancé got jerk chicken with rice and peas. He said his tasted alright, but my goat curry was unbelievably good! The portions were also hugee! Neither of us could finish our meals, perhaps owing to the fact that in addition to large portions, we had also ordered appetizers. The codfish fritters were delicious but the coconut shrimp had a sweet, artificial coconut taste about it. I imagined they may have used packaged coconut flakes which usually have flavor additives. Our server Alec was lovely and attentive. He checked in often, took our orders in a timely manner, and the food came out pretty quickly as well. He really got in the drink orders before happy hour was over! Lol. Besides the sweet coconut shrimp, I have nothing but positive things to say about this place. There is a general assumption and stereotype amongst Caribbean folk that Jamaicans tend to lack in hospitality and customer service, and this is an experience I have had time and time again. I did not know Dunns’ was a Jamaican restaurant (or at least they serve Jamaican cuisine) before I made reservations and I’m glad I didn’t, because had I chosen not to go, it would have been a missed opportunity for great food, great service, and a welcoming and lively environment. My fiancé and I have agreed we’ll definitely hit up this spot again in the...

Approximately 1 year ago, I used to visit this restaurant/lounge every Friday religiously. My bar tab was minimum $80.00 and up every week. Even the security personnel at the front door knew us fairly well. Everything fell apart one Friday when we arrived and as we looked inside, there were a bit more than the usual number of white female patrons at the bar. I was wearing a dark blue casual suit...but was told by the front door security personnel that the owner instructed him to refuse us admission. I said to him that he sees us here every week...but he said he can’t let us in. The appearance taken by us was that this represented a form of reverse discrimination...as the black owner is trying to cater to the minority white customer...seeking confirmation needed by white patrons that this establishment passes their standards. I didn’t spend a lot of money...but I did spend quite a bit more than $3,500.00 per year at Dunn’s River. I self promoted the establishment...and had a lot of friends going there as well. That night that they refused us entry because we did not look well dressed enough for their white patrons, I promised myself that I would never set foot back in that place again. That night showed me a reality that I have never really paid attention to. You see, being from Jamaica, I have always lived by our coat of arms: ‘Out of many, one people’. Even though I am an Ivy League graduate(Cornell University), and even though I arrived every week in a $120,000.00 car...and dressed respectfully adequate, I was denied entry by an owner that is the same color as me...from the same country as me. In Jamaica, we have a saying: ‘Rat bat cock up dem tail a talk bout dem a s$&t pan God...but dem a s$&t pan demself! All you did was lost quite a bit of business...as we have not been back...