Tea Lounge

I Should Have Read The Review First. I am a big fan of puerh tea. Between my hectic schedule and living in Brooklyn, I do not have time to travel to Manhattan to make purchases. Therefore, my only recourse was to spend additional money in shipping fees. While surfing the internet, I was elated when I found the Tea Lounge carried puerh tea. In an effort to avoid the hassle of limited parking in Park Slope, I decided to go early on a Saturday morning and make a very large purchase.

When I entered the Tea Lounge at 9:30 in the morning, I greeted the young male employee with a hearty "Good Morning". To my surprise, the young man responded with a slight sarcastic "How can I help you?" almost as if I was interrupting whatever he was attending to. I inquired about the puerh tea and he looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. I politely repeated the same thing a second time and it was obvious the young man was clueless. His response was " If you JUST give me a minute you can look at the tea menu." I was completely baffled by his curt disposition. The place was empty and in no way was I in the least bit inpatient. He went behind the counter and gave me a menu. To my dismay, puerh tea was listed on the website but a black line was drawn through it on the menu. His action and expression indicated he worked in an establishment that sold tea yet, he was not familiar with the products listed on the Tea Lounge website. In addition,I got the distinct impression puerh tea was something he never heard of. One would think he would at least be able to inform patrons that puerh tea was no longer available as opposed to appearing totally clueless.

I did not want to to walk away empty handed so I decided to inquire about the two different types of Oolong tea, listed on the menu. He responded in a smug manner to my question with "I Wouldn' t Know." With all the attitude I had to put up with from this ill manned employee, I realized I was much better off taking my business elsewhere.…

Tea Lounge. I think that the Tea Lounge is excellent for working and having a snack. You walk in and it's practically the epitome of tranquility. I love it. The only negative is that the bands are loud and sometimes they serve as a distraction,…

Extremely hostile employees. On 10/23/09 I took my kids to the Tea Lounge to hear some live children's music. I don't frequent the Tea Lounge often since it seems to be suffering from some form of identity crisis - a baffling dissonance of openly irked young professionals trying madly to focus on their laptops while the place is overrun with kids in the afternoons. In any case, the place was hopping today with buoyant 4 and 5-year olds who came to hear the band. At some point my daughters and one of their friends went to the bathroom. After a while, I heard them laughing and carrying on a bit loudly, so I looked in on them. My daughter was still mid potty break, and the others were standing by, waiting their turn. A highly miffed employee appeared and said that only one person at a time was allowed in the bathroom. I tried to alter the tone of this meeting by making pleasantries, but he was in no mood (I somehow doubt he ever is), and only repeated the demand for one person in the bathroom. I asked all the girls (except for my daughter, mid potty break) to leave the bathroom, and stationed myself outside the door. At that point I noticed that the door was locked, and asked the man if my daughter would be able to open the door from the inside. Sarcastically he replied, "It locks from the inside, so I doubt it." I pointed out tactfully (as I was more alarmed than anything else at this point) that he told me that all but one person was allowed, and he snapped, "I didn't mean YOU - you're her mother, you should be in there with her." I replied that as my daughter was almost five and often wanted her privacy, it wasn't uncommon for me to wait directly outside a bathroom for her, and how could I have known the door would lock automatically? "ALL doors lock automatically," was his inane reply. Ignoring this extravagant absurdity, I asked him what the plan was when my daughter inevitably tried for the door and it wouldn't give. He made no reply and walked away. My daughter started shaking the doorknob and crying out for help, and I tried to calm her while attempting (unsuccessfully) to get someone's attention from the counter. Finally this same man returned, and tried to jimmy the door with a credit card-like device. It didn't work, and as my 4-year old became more upset, he had the unbelievable audacity to say, in as sarcastic and irreverent manner as possible, "Yes, yes, it's terrible isn't it? How awful, I know...how tragic." I was too stunned to speak. After his efforts to unlock the door had failed, he left again without saying a word. I calmed my daughter and someone else returned, also attempting to jimmy the door with a card. I told him what had happened from the outset, and he informed me that he was the Manager and assured me that he'd "take care of it." Moments later, I saw him with the other man behind the counter, sharing a laugh.

I wonder if the owners of the Tea Lounge endorse their employees making sarcastic reference to Park Slope parents, sneering at and attempting to intimidate their patrons, then going so far as to mock a small child who is hysterical because they're stuck in a bathroom that "locks automatically"? For a place that is supposedly kid-friendly, it's immensely chancy to have a bathroom door that locks automatically, and perhaps even poses a fire hazard. It's equally irresponsible to hire someone as openly insolent and antagonistic towards parents and kids, in an establishment reputable for catering to both. Management was equally dismissive and flip. I can't imagine why parents frequent this place, but for a hyped up reputation for being kid-friendly, which it most decidedly is not.…