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| - I planned a get-together event at the Hickory Tavern Northlake for our wedding weekend on April 27, 2013. I initially wanted to have the event at the nearby Fox and the Hound, which I was very comfortable with, but the Hickory Tavern was more conveniently located next to the Hilton Garden Inn Northlake where our guests were staying.
To ease things on the restaurant, I called the Hickory Tavern Northlake about a week before and let them know I would have a big group of at least 25 people arriving shortly after 9:30PM on Friday, April 26.
About eight people from the group arrived at 9:30PM, but the majority of the group and I were a little late because our rehearsal dinner ran longer than expected. I got there around 11:00PM and the majority of the guests got there at 11:15PM.
When I arrived, I was happy to see a big space near the bar with tables that our large group of 35+ people could enjoy. As I was greeting everyone and saying hello, I thought things were great. However, I quickly became frustrated as soon as I wanted a beer and could not get any service. I waited for our server for several minutes. I tried to go the bar to order a drink, but because I had said hello to my group of friends already at the tables, the bartender said I was not allowed to open a tab unless I was going to sit at the bar. I never got a reason on why this was the case, but it was very frustrating. I finally got my beer from the server after several more minutes. My fiancée arrived a few minutes later and we had to go through the same ordeal.
As the rest of the group arrived on the bus, the problem became extremely obvious since no one was able to get a drink. Everyone tried the same thing I did in going to the bar and each was turned away as soon as they said they were with my group. Seeing their frustration, I went to the bar to figure out a solution. They were not willing to work with me. I ended up having to express to the bar tenders that our group of 35+ people was going to have to leave and get service somewhere else if the situation did not improve. We kept talking with no progress, but eventually a manager came over. The manager assigned us several more waiters, which eased the frustration in our group. The waiters did a great job and provided adequate service, but it would have been a lot easier if the bar would have allowed service there.
As a result of my experience, I would not recommend Hickory Tavern for large happy hour or drinking type events unless everyone is planning to be seated at the bar or at one table. Unfortunately the bar only seats about 15-20 people. In general, you should not expect their bar environment to behave like a typical bar, even in the 11PM - 2AM time period (the hours that we were there). We had a perfect wedding weekend and this was really the only stress or disappointment I can recall.
I cannot comment on the quality of their food or dining.
Sincerely,
Jack Michel Jr.
Charlotte, NC
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