Navigator Taproom — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

This place is AMAZING!! I absolutely LOVE going here! The Navigator is the perfect hangout spot for when you want to meet up and actually talk to people! They (co-)host events like Drink & Draw with Artbuilds (pics), corporate meet-ups, or private parties.

Their staff is always so friendly and their customer service is top-notch.

Bring your own food, Get a drink card Choose from their Tap Wall - which is NOT just a beer wall! 🤯 It's 100% a TAP Wall because it has Wine, Beer, Ciders, Seltzers, AND Non-Alcoholic drinks to choose from. When you're done - Check out with staff or drop off your card at the door (tax+tip to be added and charged at the end of the night)

If you tap the screens - it shows you more about each drink 😯

When finished with pouring each drink - the screen shows how much your SUBTOTAL

When you're done for the night - either check out with the staff and leave your own % tip+tax or you have the convenience of dropping the drink card off in a drop-off box, where tax and an 18% tip is automatically added to the bill at the end of the night. I really LIKE this option, especially when I never carry cash, and I don't want to do math after a couple of drinks. I like that I can just leave when I want to, and not have to wait around to pay for the bill.

FYI, there are 1-2 stars reviews based solely on tipping. 😑 Don't be an entitled ass and leave a review just based on tipping alone. Don't bring down their rating over such a small thing, especially when there's so much more about the Navigator to leave a review about.

And there IS a sign ON the drop-off box. Some people just don't read or think that 18% tip is a little much, but those people don't appreciate what the Navigator has to offer.

Yes, it's self-serve, but how many times do you still tip 18%, or more, at an actual bar where you've had to wait what feels like forever for the bartender/staff to get back to you with your drink order?

Whereas at the Navigator, you can just get up and immediately fill your own glass. And where else can YOU choose exactly how much you to have of any drink, anywhere from 0.5 oz to a full pint? And what would happen to the tip if you ordered from the bar?

Seriously, it's safe to assume that those reviewers assumed they would have only been charged just their drink (sub)total when they dropped the card off. So I question if those reviewers even left a tip in the tip jar at all?

TLDR: Cheapskate reviews suck.

But the Navigator, I recommend...

I checked out the Navigator Taproom for an after-work drink based on the positive reviews. It happened to be happy hour, so the per oz prices were great, and the variety of drink and glass options were nice to have. There weren’t many people when we arrived, but more trickled in as the evening went on.

The spicy margarita cocktail I tried was fine, though very sweet and not discernibly spicy. I switched to Rosé, which was nice, though I did wish it were colder, and I wish there was some more transparency into how the wine is stored to maintain quality and freshness. I have seen “pour your own drink” concepts like this elsewhere where you could clearly see the bottle you were pulling from, and they walked you through how they keep the wine fresh. In hindsight, I should have asked before trying any wine. My partner enjoyed the beers he tried and their prices.

I think the main issue I have is with their automatic 18% gratuity. There are no servers, no bartenders, and no food service (there is a separate food vendor in the space, where you order off a QR code and grab the food yourself when it’s ready.) It is essentially entirely self-serve. When we arrived, we were told that you could request a receipt from the host, but that the standard was to drop the card in the bucket by the door on the way out and it would close you out. It wasn’t until we were leaving that we saw they tack on an automatic 18% gratuity, which seems like an example of tipping culture getting out of control. It seems like a bait and switch where low prices are advertised while you’re serving yourself, only to get an 18% markup at the end. I would have rather just paid more per oz and known it up front than to see that on my way out.

There was no service, the drinks were fine, and the automatic gratuity meant the drinks were just as much as if I had gone to a happy hour elsewhere where I could be personally served by a bartender with a freshly prepared drink. For those reasons, I would not go out of my way...

I was actually having a nice time in the taproom up until I received an email receipt stating I had closed my tab for an amount much higher than what I spent. Oddly enough, I still had my tab card in my pocket so I was also very confused about receiving the receipt. It turns out that the door person who is responsible for closing out tabs charged my credit card to someone else's bill, but then handed my card off without checking the name. So now my credit card is gone and in the wallet of another.

I was hesitant when I was first handed over my credit card, and was assured everything would be fine. So naturally, I'm upset that my credit card is missing. The manager assured me that the other tab as well as my own tab would be cleared (which, big deal, I spent a whopping $7) but then could only offer an insincere apology and suggested that, maybe if I'm lucky, the person that has my card might give it back.

So I've had to cancel my credit card and deal with the hassle that comes with that process. It's a total shame and I'm absolutely livid about this entire situation. The system software in which Navigator is using is an obvious problem. Customers should be able to swipe a card and be responsible for closing it before they leave (and if they don't, add a penalty gratuity for forgetting to do so), or if they're not willing to change the system, have an employee who is paying attention. Maybe ask to see an ID again and compare it to the name on the card for a match. Clearly, it's not enough to describe a credit card design that millions of people have in their wallet.

I think Navigator has an interesting selection of beer, cider, and wine. Like I said, I was having a nice time up until this point. However, my trust has been completely broken and I will never come back as a result. There can be up to hundred or more credit cards in the box you are currently using to store them, and would bet that this isn't going to be the last time this mistake...