This review is for the NYE event only. I had a college friend coming to town to ring in the New Year and we were excited to find the $80 VIP all inclusive event on Groupon. Unfortunately the deal that seemed too good to be true ended up being just that.
The night started off well with us taking advantage of the VIP early entry. I tried to order a Makers on the rocks, but was told I had to mix it (I believe they were trying to avoid allowing people to have shots). No biggie I actually get what they were trying to do, though later in the night I saw a bartender serving shots to the scantily clad. My boyfriend and visiting friend ordered vodka redbulls (which later in the night cost them a $2 upcharge) and we went to stake out a table in the VIP area. At this point major disappointment set in, since the chairs along the sides (with small coffee tables) were just for those who paid the VIP table price. At this point I was glad we got half priced tickets because if we had paid full price and the only "VIP area" was the little buffet (standing room only) area they set up I would have been pretty livid.
As the night wore on it became harder to get drinks, and the quality of the drinks available was rapidly declining. I had the unfortunate experience of needing to use the restroom, which was more like a mosh pit of teenagers trying to shove their way to Justin Bieber. Seriously, the women behind me were shoving and those in front were shoving back or yelling about being shoved. I really should have found an alternative option at that point because by the time I finally got inside the restroom I found a wet and puke covered floor.
I came back to find my boyfriend fuming because the bartender flipped him off after he politely requested service after waiting for the bartender to serve several waves of women. Since it was close to midnight we decided to stick it out, and I had to chase down a manager to find out where to get our promised champagne toast - unfortunately at the crowded bar. I managed to work my way through to the bar to bring back some for the group unfortunately missing midnight. We raised a belated toast and drank...moscato.
In the end the company completely failed to live up to what the ticket was supposed to provide. The top shelf liquor disappeared early in the night (as did mixers, like cranberry juice). The champagne toast was not what was promised for those who were able to hunt some down.