Pinstripes — Restaurant in Washington

We booked our 8th grade trip 10 months in advance for about 130 guests.

The food on the buffet for our 13 year olds consisted of Caesar salad, potato chips, cheese ravioli, grilled pesto chicken chunks, pieces of Italian sausage, buns, cheddar and Swiss cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, onions and lettuce. When I inquired what the hamburger condiments were for, the server stated with a shrug, and a smirk "the bread." Aside from the fact that the correct preparation of the chicken would be fried for 13year olds, I would have expected burger patties considering we had the set ups for that. A few kids chose not to eat and most were disappointed. I was disappointed with the server response and overall lack of concern for our inquiries/requests.

When speaking with the manager, he displayed signs of annoyance and a lack of empathy. We were told the tour company chose the food (cheeseburger condiments with no burger patties?! Really?!) He made it clear it was our fault, continually told us we were wrong, and generally failed in restaurant management 101.

At the end of the evening while our students were bowling, I wanted to offer the MOD some friendly feedback and was shocked to experience a resistance to even hearing what could have done better. He immediately pointed the finger back at us and when I asked about the cheeseburger set ups, he told me those were for the chicken. The pesto chicken. ?!? When we asked if there was anything he could do for our hungry kids, he shrugged us off and said unfortunately no. We saw other parties enjoying cheeseburgers (?!), Mac and cheese, French fries and other kid friendly food that would have been perfect. When I suggested Pinstripes could do a better job accommodating guests he chastised me for acting like a child. I was stunned. Needless to say, our annual trip to DC will be spent at another establishment that values customer relations.

This is the second time I've had a large party with this company where the concern for guests have been less than stellar. The other was at the Northbrook, IL location where their technology completely failed and disrupted the entire flow of our tightly planned party with 120 guests where we spent over 7k. I asked the MOD if there was anything they could do to ameliorate the situation and was directed to the catering manager. This person felt we should not have been upset with a 20-30 minute fail in a 3 hour party. I wrote letters to the GM with zero response.

I would advise against booking large parties at any Pinstripes, especially an event with school aged children. Book...

Pinstripes is a restaurant with upscale bowling and bocce. Reservations are encouraged on the weekend. I came here in May 2014 for my friend's bocce birthday party and returned in July 2021 for bowling and drinks.

We arrived a little early for our reservation. After checking in with the hostess, we were asked to pay upfront for the two-hours of bowling and shoes. It was about $85 per couple. They reminded us that when we were done bowling to kindly return the shoes to the shoe bin by the hostess stand.

You must walk passed the restaurant and bocce area to get to the bowling alley. The bowling alley had lanes with nice comfy sofas. The staff did not clear the shoes in the lane that we were assigned. With six people on one lane, we were only able to play two games.

While we bowled, we enjoyed food and drinks. For food, we recommend the Truffle Fries (served with a truffle aioli), Tomato Bruschetta, Chicken & Avocado Flatbread, and Tenderloin Sliders. For drinks, we enjoyed the Blueberry Mash (like a Blueberry Mojito), Limoncello Martini, Margarita Italiano, The Mule, Old Fashioned (except when we asked for it neat), and Puccini.

When it came to ordering the Old Fashioned Neat, the server gave us the Old Fashioned with ice so we returned it to the server. When she came back, she gave us the same drink without ice so we returned it to the server. The manager on duty came to ask us how we would like the Old Fashioned, we specified neat. The server brought out the Old Fashioned "Neat". It seemed as though the bartender added orange juice to the Old Fashioned as there was barely any bourbon in the drink and it was very pulpy. A good Old Fashioned does not contain orange juice. If you prefer Old Fashioned to be neat and not watered down, I'd recommend you to...

I brought my family who was in town visiting for dinner and bowling, and we had a very disappointing evening. There was 7 of us, and we learned only after we paid $300 for “2 hours” of bowling, that the $300 entitled us to a single lane and a couch big enough for 3 people to sit. The lane and space next to us was open, so we were told we could use the space (but not the lane) as long as no one showed up. We ordered full meals, and sure enough, shortly after our food arrived we were told we had to move. When we asked how 7 of us were expected to fit and eat on a couch for 3 people, we were told “this is how bowling alleys work.” After much complaining, they moved us to a different lane as some sort of compromise, and told we could use a second couch behind us.

Ultimately, our $300, plus the cost of food, got us a single game, plus 2 frames, before our “2 hours” were up. I put 2 hours in quotes because we were not seated until 15 mins after our lane time was supposed to start. They would not give us additional time, even though the hostess said they would when seating us. The bowling itself was also sort of glitchy. It skipped people’s turns at random, which was tough to explain to my 6 year old nephew who was upset when he missed his turn.

The food was fine, and it has the potential to be a great time, but they are definitely more concerned about maximizing the money they can get out of people reserving the space rather providing a good time for people. If you want to bowl, go to an actual bowling alley, and if you want dinner, go to a restaurant. This place does not provide the worthwhile and unique...