Savalas

02/12/09

Not Only For The Weekend Anymore.

by NameYourMember at Citysearch

The last time I went to Savalas on a weekend, the crowd was cool, the DJ was great the PBR was... $4!?! Needless to say I suffered a little bit of sticker shock, but I paid my $4 and went out for a smoke. Outside I realized I had missed that for a dollar more I could get a shot of whiskey with my PBR. I went back in and after little coaxing, the bartender happily gave me the forgotten whiskey shot for a buck. I have since been back during the week when PBR is sold for a more reasonable $3 and a couple of their pints are only $2 all night. Oh, and ask the bartender what a 'pickle back' is. She'll probably do one with you.

• Pros: cheap weekday drinks, great DJs, dancing, outdoor patio, nice staff
• Cons: loud, packed, hot

09/03/08

Crazy Bouncers, Over-Crowded & Rude Hipsters

by gjashnan at Citysearch

Savalas has always been either dead or way too packed, and the drinks are hit-or-miss, but I have a friend who DJs there, so I've gone a handful of times.

I've heard rumblings of "racism" at Savalas, but I figured it was people reading into things. I WAS WRONG. I invited some friends to meet me there, and they invited their friends. When I got there, we all showed our IDs & walked right in - mostly whites & Asians. It was jam-packed, and people were drunk and rude, bumping into us and our drinks.

Then, the friends-of-friends showed up. They were young Black and Latino men, three of them, dressed "hip-hop." One of them was 12 O'Clock of the Wu-Tang crew. As soon as they walked up, they were told it was a private party, & that they couldn't enter. They were far more polite than the drunk hipsters inside the bar and totally sober. They asked, they pleaded, and 12 O'Clock said he just wanted to celebrate releasing his first album (which had come out earlier in the week). Our mutual friend tried to intervene, and as she argued w/the bouncer, he let more white & Asian hipsters into the bar without a word.

The bouncer kept insisting on the "private party" story, and wouldn't let in the people dressed "hip-hop," while inside, the desirable clientele danced away to that exact kind of music. Finally, after 20 minutes of arguing, these three men cursed out the bouncer & left, as did the dozen of us who were already there. I talked to the DJ, who said that this had happened before. Then, I spoke with the party promoter, who thanked me for telling her and said she would talk to them right away. Unfortunately, she's still throwing parties there, but we all vowed never to go back.

I had a hard time believing what I had seen happen, and then I looked up reviews of Savalas the next day. THEY'VE DONE IT BEFORE. SAVALAS IS STRAIGHT UP KLAN, TRAPPED IN THE PAST. Don't give them your hard-earned money when there's a thousand other bars in Billyburg.

08/17/08

Entitled Bartender Ruins Night

by SpringBreakJake at Citysearch

Since when do bartenders enforce the "leave a tip or I'm kicking you out rule"? If the handsome mustachioed bartender here knew anything about customer service he would have thought twice before opening his mouth and demanding a tip on $4 PBR can, which was $3 during my last visit. What's customer service. How about a sorry you thought that, we've changed a few of our prices update? Inform and engage your customers.

Only in NY do prima donna service staff so often feel that 20% tip is expected. Gratuity by definition, a tip, is never legally required, and its amount is at the discretion of the person being served.

Telling a customer that they are going to be kicked out of your venue as a result of not leaving a tip is absurd. Maybe your team should use all those tips to hire a busboy to clear off all of the bottles and glasses that sit around every table and ledge EVERY NIGHT until the end of the night. Above all else worry about keeping your venue clean and serviceable.

Maybe you should put your back into it, drop your head - make drinks quicker, prep more mojitos, check your back stock and properly stack your napkins, ensure there's soap and toilet paper in the bathrooms etc. then when it comes time for customers to dole out cash drinks a tip won't even be considered it will be delivered.

Get a grip homeboy, you're entitled to nothing. Although, I do appreciate having a trashy go to venue. Thank you for your hard work! Your venue no longer merits consideration.

• Cons: Entitled Service Staff