Boycott The Foundry

[darksirenlady.livejournal.com]

Please join me in boycotting The Foundry in Davis Sq. I've been feeling low lately and thought that I would treat myself to a nice dinner. But guess what? The Foundry won't take reservations for OR seat just one person. I flat out asked if that was their policy and I was flat out told it was.

Apparently only couples + are allowed to fine dine, and I think that's so antiquated and shameful.

Comments

[spacehawk.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had no idea that actually happened!

[psocoptera.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's terrible. I've been wanting to go there, but, ugh, yeah, not somewhere that needs my business.

[ominousspectre.livejournal.com]

I went there just once and the food wasn't worth the price. I've had better for much, much less.

[enveri.livejournal.com]

I've not lived in this area that long, but I've noticed alot of restaurants have absurd policies.

Christopher's, with an empty dining room, refused to seat a party of two because we wanted to split a couple of appetizers and have some drinks rather than doing a traditional entree. They insisted we sit at the bar (which did not have two seats available).

I've read that Five Horses is trying to directly compete with Foundry, but they turned me away last night because I didn't have ID. I'm 33 years old. I do not look under 21, I had no plans on ordering alcoholic beverages, all I wanted was some damned dinner. :P

[theorangebird.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience at Christopher's. On my birthday, seven friends and I wanted to get drinks/apps; they refused to let us sit at one of the many empty tables because we weren't having dinner (this was later in the evening, though well before closing. But Tavern happily obliged and gave us our own corner of the restaurant.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

I've had similar experience at Joshua Tree a few years back. A group of 5 of us went out. 2 people wanted to order dinner, the other 3 wanted to order apps, and we were all going to get drinks. They wouldn't seat us at a table, instead instructing us to stand at the tall tables up front, despite the fact that it was not crowded at all. We left, and i don't remember where we went instead.

[bex77]

Yes, when Five Horses first opened, we stopped by on a Saturday afternoon about 4 pm when it was empty. There was a "bouncer" type at the door who was very friendly, showing us the menu and chatting. Then he wanted to card us to enter. I am WAAAAY past age 30, and said "I don't drink liquor." He said they're carding everyone. I said "then I don't have to eat here" and strolled along to another establishment. I was hoping they'd change as they got settled in, but doesn't sound like it. I do not understand why they think that makes a good policy... very unwelcoming and somehow tied to the assumption that you can't enjoy their place if you don't drink? No thanks.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

As a side note, the Boston area is, in general, VERY strict about having ID. Assume you can't get in anywhere without an ID. I suspect it's because of the high student population.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Really? That deplorable! And thoroughly discriminatory.

Well, I've never eaten there, but now I never will unless that policy is changed. I hope someone from their management team sees your thread.

[teko.livejournal.com]

I've found a lot of neighborhood places have bizarre policies depending simply on who's running the place that night. I've been turned away from an empty dining room at Redbones because my friends and I wanted to order some apps and drink beer, which I was told wasn't something they'd seat us for. And at Foundry, I had to try three times to use a Groupon before they'd allow it... and when they did, the manager was amazed that they'd refused to let me use it previously.

I'd suggest calling or stopping by when an actual manager is there to ask why you were told you weren't allowed to eat at their restaurant. They might have a different take on it.

[spacehawk.livejournal.com]

I agree -- it would also be awesome if someone went to the newspaper with stories of why people get turned away at different restaurants. Like the comment above about not having ID, despite not ordering an alcoholic beverage.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I definitely second this!!

[ron_newman]

Have you posted this on Foundry's Facebook wall? I suggest doing so and seeing what response you get there.

(there's probably some equivalent thing you can do on Twitter, but I don't use or understand Twitter)

[ceo]

That's bizarre. I went in there solo once and was promptly and cheerfully seated, but that was for lunch.

[grizzlysean.livejournal.com]

I tried to go for lunch a few days ago and was told that they do not seat single diners.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

It's not unusual for restaurants not to accept reservations for small parties--either at all, or on nights when they are usually busy. It's also not unusual (in my experience as someone who frequently dines alone) for restaurants with bar seating to strongly prefer not to seat single diners at the restaurant tables, but offer them seats at the bar/in the bar area, during busy times. Heck sometimes that even happens with parties of two. They are just trying to make the most of a limited resource--tables.

I'd find refusal to seat you a lot more weird and offensive if you had experienced this during a not-very-busy time though. Was that the case?

[siderea]

In 20 years of dining alone in this town, it has literally never happened to me. Where are you going that this is "not unusual"?

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

I was there this evening and saw at least one party of one seated for dinner, while they were absolutely packed.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

That's odd. I personally have been seated there as a solo diner twice, and received excellent service. Not at the bar, either: at a table.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

We got some weird treatment one night when we came in (3 people) for a drink and they wouldn't seat us, even though if they had we probably would have ordered food. It was 5pm and the place was flat out empty. I left a nasty review on Yelp and the co-owner wrote to me about it. You might try that.

TBH I don't think I'll boycott the place, but I think they definitely need to crystallize their rules, because I don't think everyone who works there is riding the same train.

[litia2005.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they are not doing too well and have to really try hard to maximize their profits. Sounds discriminatory, though. Imagine the furor if they had a "no kids" policy.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Speaking as a parent, I have no problem with restaurants enforcing a no-kids rule. *shrug*

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the refusal to seat a solo diner (at the bar or at a table) comes under the public accommodations part of law. You know, if you otherwise meet the requirements (shoes, shirt, age, etc.), you can't be denied service for being able to feed yourself without a chaperone.

No Reservations

[spitcurl.livejournal.com]

Redbones: go downstairs. the downstairs area has the bar and tall tables where people can go and grab a spot without a reservation. The downstairs is nicer IMO anyway -- good art, low lighting. We've used the downstairs for years and years, when we wanted to meet a group all arriving at different times and paying separately.

Foundry: Bar, or front bar-area tables.

A lot of places won't do reservations for less than parties of 4, so sometimes even couples cannot call in advance. I love to split apps or small plates with friends or partner, so we just plan for the bar in those cases. Doing so means you often get to eat or get faster service than if you waited for a table. (Plus if you tip the bartender well and become a regular, they will remember you.) With big groups with weird check splits, this also keeps the staff happy (chaotic groups at tables sometimes tip badly). Going solo at the bar, you get to be more social, but you can also get better, faster service than at a table when a place is busy.

Re: No Reservations

[teko.livejournal.com]

The downstairs at Redbones has twice refused to let me and my friends have a table when we stated we want to order beer and multiple appetizers. One time they were nearly empty.

[theorangebird.livejournal.com]

As a frequent solo diner and a former waitperson, this appalls me so much. Turning away a customer like that is cruel. Also, any concern about not making enough money from a solo table isn't necessarily true. I definitely remember making more in tips from folks dining alone vs. the schrod-and-water couples.

I still haven't been to Foundry, but this incident and the inconsistent Yelp reviews aren't encouraging me to try it.

PS - There's chatter on this incident on Chowhound:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/817271#6942935

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

I've been there solo several times and never had this problem. Were you demanding to sit at a 4- top or something? They wouldn't serve you at any of the bar seats or hi-tops?

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

This is just not true. There has to be some sort of misunderstanding.

I've been seated alone many times. Granted this was not on a Friday night or Saturday night, but I've never had an issue. I have eaten solo at the bar and at the high top table they have in the center of the room. I've only had positive experiences.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

I can see, perhaps, coming at a very busy time and asking for a table being an issue, but would they not seat you at the bar? This seems extremely disingenuous to them.

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

#Whitepeopleproblems

[ron_newman]

? I have no idea what color the original poster is.