I want to start this review by saying I've been a longtime fan and loyal guest at Van Gogh's Ear Cafe. I've been coming to Van Gogh's since I was a student at Kean University back in 2008. I have many fond memories of coming here for late night coffee and dessert on late nights studying. I have often called Van Gogh's my favorite restaurant and have often requested to eat here for birthdays, first dates and other special occasions. It's a restaurant that's been near and dear to my heart for many years.

Tonight was different.

A friend of mine and I were wanting to get together and I recommended Van Gogh's. We wanted to go the day after 4th of July but found out it was closed and postponed the visit. We were both excited. This was the first night I walked away completely disappointed by the service and the food to some extent. I should also mention that I have nearly 10 years of restaurant experience serving everywhere from Cheesecake Factory to fine dining and catering to small mom and pop diners. I understand the ins and outs of the industry and I understand things happen.

Tonight as I was traveling to Van Gogh's to meet my friend, my car's battery light came on. I was 5 minutes from the restaurant and my car's engine started to sputter. I managed to pull into the lot but my car was clearly broken down. When I entered the restaurant, I told this to my server when she asked, "Hi, how are you?" The server said she would ask around to see if anyone could help charge the battery. She never did.

We ordered lots of food. 3 appetizers, 2 entrees, drinks and a dessert. After the main courses the server came over to ask for our dessert order before clearing the dirty dishes. I had to ask her to do it. I don't mean to be rude but that is pretty much service 101. During that dessert I was trying to work out my car situation with AAA. My friend barely ate her meal and didn’t take leftovers. No one bothered to ask her if she liked her food. While I was on the phone talking to AAA, the server came over and asked "Can I get you anything else? We're going to close early because it's slow." This was REALLY unprofessional and uncalled for. It wasn't even 9 PM. I understand wanting to close early on a slow night, but you don't force customers out the door! I was trying to resolve an emergency and all the staff seemed concerned about was getting home early. No one once asked me if I was safe or had a way home. Instead my friend and I were promptly asked to leave the restaurant well before 9 PM and more than an hour than Van Gogh's posted closing time - NOT COOL. After we left the restaurant my friend told me that she really disliked the food and that the guacamole tasted store bought and that she didn't taste any rose in the milkshake she ordered (I'm not sure exactly what it was). I thought the food tasted okay but I will say my falafel was drier than I remember it being years ago. This was disappointing because I advocated for this restaurant. I told my friend this was my favorite place. I've been coming here for years and tonight I felt completely unvalued as a longtime patron and guest. I was a little embarrassed I recommended it.

Thankfully, the wonderful business owners at Rose African Hair Braiding were so kind and allowed me to sit inside their salon and charge my phone while I was waiting for the tow truck to arrive. They made me feel safe in a stressful situation where I was completely alone.

I used to love Van Gogh's. Now I have a sour taste in my mouth and I honestly can't say I'll return any time soon. When I worked in restaurants, I always valued my guests. I've handled everything from guest medical emergencies to helping guests find safe ways home when they've had one drink too many. Tonight's experience showed me everything about how management has trained their staff to treat guests and its not a good look. If you're looking for a business to support, I would recommend looking elsewhere and visiting the wonderful women at Rose African Hair if you're ever in need of getting your hair braided.