Seventh Street Cafe — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Racist! I would like to start off by saying that I had previously visited the seventh street Café a couple of years ago for brunch. Today, I was in the neighborhood and needed to go to the restroom and decided to stop by the seventh street Café. Upon entering the café, I asked the gentlemen “may I use your restroom.” He proceeded to tell me that I could not bring my bag with me in the restroom. He further stated that I could leave my bag with him and go to the restroom. I was taken aback by this as I am a female and had feminine products in my bag. Furthermore, I did not see a sign posted that stated that bags were not allowed in the restroom.

Most disturbing is that I witnessed a Caucasian women going into the restroom with a bag in her hand. The gentlemen didn’t say anything to this woman or ask her to leave her bags before entering the restroom.

It appears that I was judged and racially profiled because I am an African American woman that was carrying a bag into a restaurant/bathroom. This is highly unprofessional and has deterred me from ever dining at this restaurant in the future.

I would not recommend any person of color to dine at this restaurant unless you want to be subjected to being racially profiled in 2023.

**Response to restaurant to the below comment:

Thank you for your response. However, I do not accept this response as it lacks professionalism. In your response, you start off by stating "we have run a very successful restaurant here for over 30 years." Please note that the amount of years you were in business is "irrelevant" and does not negate the fact that you could have members of your staff that are racist. You further stated "Why did we stop you? Obviously, not due to race." Please note that using terms such as "obviously" is highly unprofessional and does not appear that you understood the concern/complaint filed against you. It was not that "obvious" if you received a BBB complaint and a negative Google review.

Since you state that you have been in business for "over 30 years", you should know how to properly respond to a complaint filed against you with such serious accusations. Perhaps a response such as "I apologize for the way you felt while visiting our restaurant. Please be assured that this incident had nothing to do with racism as we treat everyone equally. Please be advised that we recently changed our policy regarding large bags due to recent incidents that occurred at our restaurant...We hope that this does not deter you from dining from our restaurant in the near future." As you can clearly see the difference in responses, your response lacked professionalism and tact!

Please also note if this is your policy, you should have a sign stating that large bags are not allowed in the restroom. Further, the staff member you have telling anyone entering that they must leave their bag behind should state the reason why large bags are "required" to be left behind. Perhaps that can alleviate issues or perceived racism at...

It’s tough to leave this review because I’ve always enjoyed seventh street for years. However, I’ve been here a few times in the past 2 years and each time has been just as bad. I’ve reserved leaving a review because I figured it was just an off day but it has become a pattern. The quality of the food has severely decreased. The food and ingredients don’t seem to be fresh or well seasoned as it once was. The service has been tough as well. We’ve had servers forget orders multiple times, coming back 2, 3, or 4 times to confirm orders. We’ve had servers forget about drinks, or get drinks wrong. We’ve experience heightened wait times to order and receive food, with staff rarely (if ever) checking in. Most recently, we were almost finished with our meal when the staff asked if we’d like fresh cheese. This is typically asked when you receive your meal, not during or after. I will say it was quite comical to receive cheese towards the end of the meal :). The silverware has also been dirty on multiple occasions. We’ve had glasses that are dirty, or have had lipstick on them. Prior to leaving this review, I’ve read how the restaurant responded to poor reviews and they seem defensive rather that constructive. My suggestions:

Get back to quality food! Attention to detail is key, clean and serve spotless silverware and glasses! Train staff communication Encourage staff to write orders down Invest in a PR or marketing team who can respond to reviews in a way that customers feel heard, and that changes can be implemented if deemed necessary

There are some positives I’ll mention. The ambiance is still nice, and parking is very convenient. The prices are not outrageous, however, don’t justify with the quality.

I’d like to reiterate, I am not talking about one single experience, rather multiple experiences over the past two years.

Unfortunately I don’t think I would return to seventh street until I see a “under new management”...

I am very disappointed and put off by the treatment I received earlier today. I came to lunch with a longtime friend, requested a booth, were seated, ordered a large Pelegrino and we each ordered a salad for lunch. Thirty five minutes beyond placing our orders I suggested that my friend go find the waiter and ask how much longer it would take for only 2 salads to be served. Less than I minute later both salads were on our table. At that moment I asked for the check so that we could leave soon after eating.

The waiter returned handing the check to my friend even as I motioned that I would take the check. I placed a credit card on the check and left it at alongside my saucer. The waiter took the bill and my card away and a few minutes later I noticed a Garden City policeman standing facing me and watching us. I just watched what was happening but said nothing. When the waiter returned he again tried to hand my friend (I am Black and she is White) the bill and credit card and when I insisted that the card was mine he glared at, withheld handing me the check and card clipped to the small wooden board. Then the next few moments of bad service caught my friend’s attention as she declined to take the check/charge paperwork from the waiter, even as I had continued extending my hand to accept the payment paperwork.

He reluctantly gave me the payment paperwork. I signed for the food, left a tiny tip and as we prepared to leave the policeman stopping looking at us, talked w a staff person and left the restaurant just as we stood to gather our things and leave.

In closing, as a tenured faculty member and recent special assistant to the president at Adelphi, I am no stranger to the restaurant…although it has been some months since I last dined there. I don’t feel welcome st this point and am not at all certain I will dine there again. Dr....