Brothers Encore Italian Restaurant & The Pub — Restaurant in Virginia

The very first picture is how I attended work one afternoon. I was told I needed to put my hair up, and that it had to be above my shoulders. I was confused, yet i put my hair up anyway. After returning to my waitressing, I noticed that more women with the same job as I had, had hair beyond their shoulders. Then I went to the restroom to look up FDA guidelines on dress code for those with my position. It did not state that I had to “have my hair above my shoulders”. When I asked the owner to tell me where he found that information, he got flustered, and insisted I leave. That following Saturday I had a shift that I was told not to show up for, and was told to come pick up my check. I arrived and picked up my check and asked if I was terminated, and If so, why and could I have documentation saying so. My request was answered by the owner saying I left, which he told me to do. I have that too on video. Then I was told to call the following monday to see if I was still employed. And following instructions, I did, and was told “this job just isn’t a fit for you.” I was treated differently because of my hairstyle that was neat and resinates deeply with who I am. I stood up for myself and they continued to discuss the incident after I left, and it was repeated to me by other employees to me. I was embarrassed and uncomfortable. The cleanliness of this place is poor. I was to make salads when I was not tending to tables, and got criticized for changing gloves between different types of salads. I witnessed food be carried by bare hand from the freezer to the front. There are other african Americans that work there as well, and one in particular was asked to do something with her braided...

Pleasantly surprised when we walked in to see this place. Loved the fountain!! Such a great and unique feature, was great for my little one too, as the waitresses were kind enough to give her coins to throw into the fountain which is fabulous for a restless toddler. Drinks took a really long time to come out, too long. I'm not sure why. As there were maybe three other tables full. Also very confused about why it's an Irish Pub attached to an Italian restaurant. The outside is misleading because the bar is right next door and it doesn't look like it's for families and that's why we were relieved when we walked in too, as the black windows or ominous and some of the bar crowd is spilling over smoking in the front walkway and I just didn't know if the bar and the restaurant are separated, but they are completely! This is a very family friendly restaurant. Seller atmosphere. Would be nice if they had coloring mats and crayons for kids such a cheap addition and means the world to people with kids. I can't judge the food too much because all I had was a salad and mozzarella sticks. Which were good. And spouse had lasagna which was mediocre, not terrible not fantastic. But I did notice that the dressing for the Caesar salad was in a plastic package (fail) so they should make their own dressing... not a pre-packaged one. Overall I would be back because of the atmosphere and the servers were pleasant. I would hope the drinks wouldn't take 20 minutes again. And I would branch out and try something else on the menu like the eggplant since I'm vegetarian. Seems like a great place to bring your folks...

Craving pizza and the chance to be in a restaurant. Havent been to Brothers in probably 10 years, having lived further North for the last decade. I remembered the fountain being an ambient surprise in the unassuming neighborhood strip mall locale.

I was delighted by the better than average 🍕. The flavor blend certainly must come from fresh ingredients and a skillful touch. The only things I'd change would be the wetness of some toppings, as the center of the pie had a soggy bottom, but the wonderfully cooked crust. (which so many places undercook) and topping flavors more than compensated for.

As I am want to do, I noted that the bathroom doesn't have a hook or shelf for coats or purses. Personal preference that is more than often a bonus if it does materialize in establishment.

Overall a neighborhood gem that I am happy has made it through several life cycles of other restaurants and food spots in the shopping end cap of Montclair...