I am so torn on this place. I love the concept, and the layout is unique. It would be great to see a music venue with this setup in Tempe or south Scottsdale or pretty much anywhere not on what I consider the outskirts of the valley.....
They get some decent bands coming through. My last visit was to see A Silent Film and although their set was GREAT, they only played for 35 minutes which was kind of weird. Cover was cheap though at 7 bucks. The food is pricey but you have to consider that if you are taking in a show, your ass is probably planted at the table for much longer than your average dinner patron, so I get it.
The menu is vast. I like the fish and chips. They are spicy and come with shoestring fries, which always bugs me because chips should be thick cut dammit. But theirs are tasty and were still warm after the first 5 minutes on my plate.
The patrons are pretty much representative of the Compound's location. At 31, I'm definitely on the lower end of the age range in there. Kind of a downer when there is an energetic band on stage and everyone is talking amongst themselves except for a few drunk, leathery housewives "dancing" and "Wooooo!"-ing.
I have not personally experienced the crappy service many other reviewers describe. I am grossed out to read about the past health code violations, but their most recent visit netted them a "gold" award so hopefully they can keep that up.
Ultimately I wouldn't visit the Compound solely for the food and drinks. If a band comes through that I am interested in, I will make the trek up for that. It really is a nice venue.