I don't believe all these 5 star reviews can be real. They must be friends of the owner because this was the most sleazy, money-grubbing experience I've ever had. They try to squeeze every penny out of you in such an uncomfortable way.
Once I was seated I was asked what I would like to drink, I replied "nothing right now, thanks." The server then told me that I'm required to buy a drink. I felt bad for her, because it was such an awkward thing to have to tell someone. I wondered what would happen if I refused... would they kick me out? They lost any future business from me right there and then anyway. Its not like it was busy either, there was one other table occupied.
Then I was told that me and my three friends couldn't share a hookah, we had to pay for two, even if sharing only one.
"Oh but we don't have menus" so here have an awkward moment using my point of sale app on my iPad so you can decide a flavor, because we don't want to spend the money to print a list of flavors.
The thing was, I wasn't looking for a bargain. I really wasn't concerned about the price. But by being forced to buy multiple hookahs and forced to buy a drink it made the experience very negative, despite the fact that I would have purchased those things anyway.
Otherwise the service was good, but I mean there was no one else there so I can't give them too much credit. And the hookah was sub par. The vent on the hookah was clogged (this is something you would only notice if you have a lot of experience with hookahs) meaning you can't clear the jar of smoke and it doesn't hit efficiently. This is a sign that they don't maintain them very well. This was the case on both of the hookahs we ordered. I had to open the valves myself and clean out the bearings there so we could vent our hookahs properly. When I worked at a hookah lounge we would replace your hookah if the valve was not working properly.
The server insisted I smoked from a piece of fruit instead of a ceramic head. After telling her "no" more than once I finally submitted, and as I expected the fruit provided less smoke than a ceramic head. I imagine they use some cheap tobacco that burns up really quick, so they push the fruit to make it last longer. It does last longer, but at the expense of good and heavy smoke.
MY ADVICE TO THE MANAGEMENT: Instead of trying to squeeze every penny out of your customers in order to raise your average sale, try to provide great experiences. By the lack of customers on a Friday night, I'm guessing your current methods aren't working very well!