I've never been to an open mic night before, so when I saw it on the Poynt app on my Android, I thought it'd be fun to check it out-that there was food and beer was only icing on the cake.
Unfortunately, I never got to sample any of it.
At about 9:30, I walked in and sat down at one of the many empty tables across the aisle from the bar. I looked at the menu and had long since decided what I wanted to eat when I started wondering whether or not they were still serving food, as nobody had approached me about an order. There was loud music playing, but they hadn't yet ""opened"" the mic. There was a small group at the bar, but neither of the two bartender-types, nor the fellow who appeared to be the kitchen guy seemed so busy that they wouldn't have noticed someone new sitting down.
After making sure to read the front of the menu thoroughly, and that it did, indeed, say that they served at least some kinds of food til 1 ayem, 7 days a week, I started looking around. I refuse to wave a server down-I should never have to, especially considering they weren't all that busy. Instead I tried for more polite eye contact, but it appeared that the two bartenders, especially, were more interested in either shouting about touching family members inappropriately (not kidding), hugging people at the bar (a few strides from me, if that-he came all the way around to MY side of the bar to hug this person) or eating what appeared to be fries or chips. To his credit, the kitchen guy might have been into something (work-related), but I really couldn't tell.
All three of them seemed to be making a concerted effort NOT to notice me. Finally I got up and went to the large window at the front of the restaurant where Kitchen Guy was working. I asked if they were still serving food, and he began with a yes, but only if I promised not to ask for anything too complicated-I got the impression he'd packed most or part of the kitchen away.
I told him I'd been sitting at the table for 10 minutes and nobody had said a word to me the whole time, and he told me that they don't do table service, that you have to either tell him or go to the bar.
Hrm. I must've missed that memo.
Dude was very nice when we talked, and I think he might (?) have regretted that I'd had a bad experience, but I didn't stick around.
I live in a small town about 40 minutes from Raleigh, so I was not just dropping by on a whim. I went to this place ON PURPOSE, to have beer and pizza, and to have a good time watching people sing.
I've worked in retail for many years and my best friend is an experienced server. I think she'd agree that allowing any customer-and especially one who might have made a weekly habit out of Tuesday nights at Ruckus-to sit unacknowledged on a night no busier than tonight is just bad form.
Really bad form.
All they had to do was say hello. I would have been perfectly agreeable when it came to asking for uncomplicated food, and it would have been really nice to have been approached at my table and educated in their process for future reference. Unfortunately, not one of them could bring themselves to start that conversation with me.
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