With The 2 main after hours major players on Camp Creek Pkwy being the Ultimate Bar and Grill and The Tavern at JR Cricket's, it was good to see an alternative venue open in the Marketplace that offered a little something different for the S. Fulton residents. Unfortunately, Blackwood has turned out to be a major disappointment. I try to make a conscious effort to support black owned businesses, and have visited this location 3 times thus far, though each visit has become more disappointing than the last. Understanding that that Blackwood has only been open a few months and still have kinks to work out, it's clear that there needs to be some reassessing of the business plan and model.
The highs and the lows are as follows.
I've been on a Fri & Sat night, where I'm guessing these are the live band nights. The bands sound average at best, but is a good change up from your typical DJ in a booth. The drinks are also a fair price. 1 Bud light was $3.47. These would be the only highs that I can offer. Now the lows. The scenery is decent, but simply looks like a retail space with a bunch of sofas, chairs, and a bar, with the "VIP" section right in front of the entry doors (white furniture). I'm sorry, but if I pay for VIP, I don't want to be next to the door where everyone is entering/leaving. Not to even mention when it gets cold. That's a terrible idea that needs to be changed immediately. Next, there is one television in the bar, and it's SITTING on the bar. Not sure why there's only 1 television, or why it's not mounted on the wall. I hope they don't expect to draw any kind of crowd during football season. The service staff is what I would call absolutely AWFUL. Clearly the worst in the Camp Creek area. The waitresses walk around as if they are lost, with no sense of structure whatsoever. On separate nights, I ordered a chicken sandwich, and a pizza. The night of the sandwich took 60 minutes to come out, and the night of the pizza took 75 minutes. I could go into major detail, but will save you the thesis. The only thing the waitresses could do was say, it's coming and I'm sorry. After waiting an hour for a chicken sandwich, and not having any fries because the fryer suddenly broke, you would think that there would be some kind of adjustment on my bill, but of course not, I was charged as if the sandwich came out in 15 minutes, and the fries were on the plate, piping hot. The food was average in taste at best, of which the Tavern and the Ultimate clearly have the taste advantage. On the night of the pizza, at the 75 minute mark, the waitress brought the pizza out and I told her that I didn't even want it anymore, and her question was, "Why?" I told her because I didn't realize that it would take 75 minutes! She then said, "really, 75 minutes", as if she didn't take the order. On the other night I ordered a single beer, and it took approx 20 minutes for the waitress to bring it over, of which it was semi cool by the time that I received it. All in all, if you want something to drink, walk to the bar, because you will be waiting a minimum of 15 minutes for your drink to arrive.
Overall, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best, I would grade them out at a 2.5. If they don't revamp the work flow or employee training, I don't foresee this place being around for to long. It may start with management training and direction, or it may just be because it's still semi new, but having to wait for food for 60 minutes is totally unacceptable.
Pros: Affordable Drinks, Average Live Band
Cons: The Worst Service In The Camp Creek Area
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