Makers Union — Restaurant in Washington

We’re a Black family who made a 4:15 PM reservation on May 10th to celebrate my graduation. My mother, sister, nephew, and I arrived first; my father and brother were parking. I confirmed our reservation with the hostess, who asked us to wait briefly. A few minutes later, she returned, said “Party of 6,” and led us to our table.

As we approached the table, a white man suddenly confronted my mother and barked, “We have a reservation!” My mother calmly replied, “We have a reservation too,” as we were clearly being seated by the hostess. Still, the man threw his bags on the table and let his child sit down. Confused, my mother asked the hostess what was happening. She shrugged and said, “I don’t know,” then walked off, leaving us to return to the waiting area while the man and his family remained seated.

My sister asked to speak with the (white) manager—whose name might be Jamie or Jeremy—but he ignored her concerns. My mother followed up with him directly. He offered to seat us elsewhere, but the new table was beside the restrooms—an insulting alternative given the occasion.

As we sat, we began to process everything. My mother, sister, and I were upset not only by the customer’s behavior but by the manager’s indifference and lack of support. When my mother attempted to explain our frustration calmly, the manager patronizingly told her, “You can tell me what’s going on, but don’t get upset while doing so.” He acknowledged the other party was in the wrong but refused to move them.

When my brother arrived and heard what happened, he was equally upset. He considered confronting the customer but chose not to out of respect for the children present. Before leaving, my brother calmly addressed the man, but the manager immediately assumed my brother was being aggressive—even though he was composed. The manager claimed we were disrupting others, ignoring the fact that we were the ones disrespected from the beginning.

We left deeply disappointed. I had looked forward to this day for weeks. This was supposed to be a celebration of a major achievement, but racial and gender-based microaggressions and poor customer service turned it into something else entirely. The manager and hostess failed to handle the situation properly or stand up for us. Their lack of professionalism and empathy showed how bias still operates in service spaces.

What made this even more disheartening is that I was genuinely excited to support this Black-owned restaurant. I had read so many good reviews and saw other Black patrons dining in. I thought it would be a welcoming, celebratory space. Instead, we were dismissed and disrespected. I truly hope this business reflects on how they treat all customers—especially those from their...

As an avid advocate for the restaurant industry, the hour and twenty minutes spent here was underwhelming- mainly in terms of the customer service. I usually can understand if someone’s having a rough time or day but from walking into this establishment to my departure, there was little to no feeling of being welcomed or valued as a customer.

Upon entering, I walked past a young a lady that was having causal conversation while leaning against a wall, for directions to the ladies room. She politely pointed in the direction as I noticed that she actually was employed there, but didn’t provide any form of welcome.

I sat myself at the bar and the bartender slides the menu my way while literally facing and speaking to another guest. Again, no salutation or acknowledging my existence on planet earth. I was served a glass of water as I requested some time to review the menu…the bartender never made his way back around to me lol. Oddly enough, the trainee bartender saved the day by taking my order and actually engaging in conversation with me (which isn’t even a baseline requirement, just toppings on the cake). But as luck would have it, he left for the evening and I was back to square one with the not so welcoming teammates.

Moving right along, my check was placed in front of my glass and presumably that would close all of requests for the night since they were minutes from closing. Ohhhh- the server/bartender did ask me if I wanted dessert :) but I politely declined; there was nothing sweet enough in their kitchen to turn this semi-frown upside down. Plus that was just a ploy to gather the menu anyway so….yea.

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering how was the food, drinks etc? Everything (lamb lollipops, brussel sprouts, and marg.) was creative and delicious, no doubt about it but the team mates in the back sometimes get outshined by the personnel in the front :/

I’m sure the couple sitting across and the man sitting two seats down from me would have pretty good reviews, I had to soak in the sun rays from all the positivity they were getting- and even a farewell shoutout as they were leaving so I know they’re capable of being polite. I meditated the morning of, set my positive affirmations, put on freshly laundered and pressed clothes plus perfume; who really knows what went wrong?? Either way, I’ve worked in customer service in many capacities and know that it’s inexcusable.

Maybe I’ll have better luck...

We visited Makers Union to celebrate my cousin’s high school graduation and unfortunately, our experience was disappointing due to poor customer service from some staff members.

When we first walked in, we were not greeted at all. We had to ask the bartender whether we needed to seat ourselves. The general manager, Justin, approached us but didn’t offer a greeting or introduction—instead, he abruptly said, “No you don’t” in response to our question. I had to initiate a polite exchange by saying, “How are you?” before he returned the sentiment.

We were seated at a table for six and inquired about happy hour. Justin informed us that happy hour was only available at the bar, so four of us moved there, leaving our two younger family members at the original table. We had a great time at the bar with Laura, who was fantastic and made the experience enjoyable.

After we ate, paid, and tipped at the bar, we returned to the table to check in on our younger guests. At that point, staff repeatedly hovered around us and asked if we were okay. While checking in is understandable, the constant presence felt like we were being rushed to leave.

Things escalated when we asked for the check and noticed a large party charge added. We questioned this, since we had already ordered, paid, and tipped at the bar. Our server, Danielle (or Dani), responded with noticeable attitude and passive-aggressive behavior—including waving her hands in a dismissive manner. When we asked her to keep it respectful and that we were simply asking questions, things got more uncomfortable.

We asked for a manager and explained that the only two guests at the table were underage and not participating in the bar portion of the evening. The manager replied that they “should have moved to a table for two,” which felt dismissive and lacked empathy or common courtesy.

That said, Laura and Samera were the highlights of our visit and deserve recognition for their excellent service and professionalism. However, Justin (General Manager) and Danielle need serious improvement in customer service and hospitality.

This was a celebratory evening that should have felt welcoming and joyful, but instead, we left feeling disrespected...