If it show that place is open until 12, I would assume it serves customers until then. We came at 11:30 and been told they don’t serve customers anymore, it’s not nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Josh Leibner
Good cocktails, but a surprisingly small cocktail selection vs. the original Billy Sunday (even when you consider the additional themed cocktails). Pop-up "Theme" at the moment was Moulin Rouge, but the themed decor was almost non existent, and I couldn't figure out what vibe they were trying to go for with the music.
Aside from the smaller selection of cocktails, if you compare the Charlotte cocktail menu to the menu at their original Chicago location, you'll questions whether the 2 are even related. The cocktails are nowhere near as inventive here, unfortunately.
Prices are decent for the cocktails served (though serving sizes seemed a bit smaller than I expected), but I'd rather pay a few more dollars per cocktail at Dot Dot Dot for something more creative.
ansley bolin
Service is always decent, they’re typically pretty busy when we come in so we don’t mind waiting a little for someone to greet us. The atmosphere is usually great, whether they are doing a themed pop up or their standard set up. This used to be a great spot but over time the quality has noticeably declined. I just had the worst dirty martini possibly ever. It was filthy, not dirty. The olive brine had an awful aftertaste. It was lime green. My husbands favorite cocktail in Charlotte used to be the Oaxacan old fashioned here but the last 3 visits, it has been sweet and watered down. I’m not sure we will go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
April Blanding
Billy Sunday was the place I was the most excited to visit at Optimist Hall. After seeing another content creator’s video, I wanted to go because of the holiday décor and how good the holiday drinks looked. When I got there at four, there were two women who went in before me. I watched a staff member greet them warmly and engage. When I saw this interaction, I was happy because it showed me the staff was engaging and it made me feel as if this was going to be a great experience. That same staff member greeted me, asked how many was in my party as well as my seat preference. The staff member did her job yet I noticed her interaction with me was less welcoming than what was given to the two women before me who were also first-timers.
I sat at the bar and ordered two drinks: the Sugar Cookie Martini and Reindeer Games. The Sugar Cookie Martini tasted good, but I thought it was rather small for the price. Reindeer Games, which was a lavender mocktail was perfection. The bartenders did engage with the other two women there, asking them their thoughts on their drinks, and even sharing feedback of what other customers thought. I didn’t get that same engagement from them although there were only three of us (customers) there at the time. As a result, I left not feeling welcomed as the customer service I received was noticeably different compared to what I saw with the other two women there.
When I closed out my tab, I was waiting for the female bartender to ask me how everything was like she did the other two women because that was going to open the door for me to verbalize my thoughts. She did not. Now I could’ve been proactive and told her, but I decided not to because after I closed out my tab, my experience was over. If there was something wrong with the drinks, I could give that back and let them correct that. My customer service experience cannot be corrected once I’ve had it. The staff can do better going forward, but the improved customer service experience is going to be given to the next person as I do not have plans to return. The only way I will go back is if someone I know chooses to have a birthday event or a social gathering there. I will go to support my friend.
A large part of customer service is making sure everyone feels welcomed that walks in your door. In fact, while I was there sipping my drinks, I read the Yelp reviews and learned there were other people who had my same experience. It showed me I wasn’t alone in the way I was feeling.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Bayou Vixen
Cocktails was delish but we never got our appetizers and they seems to have been short staffed or not fully prepared for their holiday event. The bar & kitchen got far behind and the Holiday music was sooooooo slow and depressing. It sounded like a nursing home's Christmas party. Next year, maybe hire a DJ to spin more UPBEAT Christmas music & definitely more wait staff. But the decorations, cups/mugs and cocktails we did get were delicious! Happy Holidays
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Deanna Cantoral
Been here a few times and loved each visit! A friend and I came for Tinseltown this past year and waited for a table and it was the best time. We had the best service and not a single drink we didn’t love! The way they decorated was seriously beyond- even the bathroom was festive!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delilah’s Critter Care
Came here at 4 when they opened. We felt out of place so asked if they were open (when we knew they were) one employee said no and the other quickly corrected and said they were. We didn’t get our drinks until 20 after. No music on until about the same time. They didn’t have the ingredients to make my drink, which was just a house G&T. The music turned off again after about 8 minutes and then they didn’t turn it back on again until 30 minutes later when we already decided we didn’t want to stay for another. This bar made the guests feel like they were imposing. Especially when the staff conversations are the only entertainment. Very disappointed based on our past experiences. I hate to even write this as it completely outs me with the specificity, but I’ve been in the service industry for over 20 years and I would be mortified to hear feedback like this.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 3
Stephanie Rivera
Don’t waste your time here. They close one hour earlier than they say online. Arrived at 10:50 PM and they denied me because they had last call at 10:45 PM. Meanwhile it says closes at 12 AM. There were still people at the bar and I asked to be seated at the bar and they denied me. They clearly do not want people’s business and weren’t friendly.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Jonathan Velásquez
I am Latino and discovering this place awakened my Christmas spirit even more. The vintage cocktails are incredible, wonderful service and their facilities are perfect 100
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Evelyn Herbin
The host (guy) with the red hair acted like a Scrooge. He was not pleasant at all. The other employees were amazing and provided excellent service. Otherwise I would have given 5 stars.
Been coming to their Christmas bar for the past 3 years. We show up right at 5 to secure a table inside, and normally spend several hours there. This year, we made the same plans, were sat, and then 2 hours in were told to leave as there was a 2 hour time limit. It was not posted anywhere about a time limit and the person seating us did not say anything before we ordered and spent over $300 as a table. Needless to say we won’t be back, there are not many other options at Optimist for cocktail bars and it’s not worth the trip. They were doing this to all tables and the table next to us was also rushed out. Their reasoning was so “everyone can experience the pop up”
Andrea Richter
Went to Billy Sunday for a Christmas Girls’ Night. Drinks were cute and loved the vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tracy Olsen
Went for the Tinseltown holiday pop-up. Decorations and cocktails were amazing. Friendly and great service. Sugar cookie martini (Kidnap Sandy Claws) was delicious and the presentation on the Lump of Coal was awesome! Even the bathroom is decorated for the holidays :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary Regeis
Honestly, my friends and I were looking forward to a really fun night and were really disappointed. They said they close at midnight, however they do “last call” at 10:30, but last call isn’t even just for drinks, it’s for anyone else to even enter the bar. My friends and I came at 11pm, and they said they would not seat us / serve us, even though online they say they close at midnight. Very sad, was looking forward to a fun night with my friends
jesse nettles
Poor Service that would appear to be the result of Poor Management. This was my experience, hope yours is different.
If it show that place is open until 12, I would assume it serves customers until then. We came at 11:30 and been told they don’t serve customers anymore, it’s not nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Good cocktails, but a surprisingly small cocktail selection vs. the original Billy Sunday (even when you consider the additional themed cocktails). Pop-up "Theme" at the moment was Moulin Rouge, but the themed decor was almost non existent, and I couldn't figure out what vibe they were trying to go for with the music.
Aside from the smaller selection of cocktails, if you compare the Charlotte cocktail menu to the menu at their original Chicago location, you'll questions whether the 2 are even related. The cocktails are nowhere near as inventive here, unfortunately.
Prices are decent for the cocktails served (though serving sizes seemed a bit smaller than I expected), but I'd rather pay a few more dollars per cocktail at Dot Dot Dot for something more creative.
Service is always decent, they’re typically pretty busy when we come in so we don’t mind waiting a little for someone to greet us. The atmosphere is usually great, whether they are doing a themed pop up or their standard set up. This used to be a great spot but over time the quality has noticeably declined. I just had the worst dirty martini possibly ever. It was filthy, not dirty. The olive brine had an awful aftertaste. It was lime green. My husbands favorite cocktail in Charlotte used to be the Oaxacan old fashioned here but the last 3 visits, it has been sweet and watered down. I’m not sure we will go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Billy Sunday was the place I was the most excited to visit at Optimist Hall. After seeing another content creator’s video, I wanted to go because of the holiday décor and how good the holiday drinks looked. When I got there at four, there were two women who went in before me. I watched a staff member greet them warmly and engage. When I saw this interaction, I was happy because it showed me the staff was engaging and it made me feel as if this was going to be a great experience. That same staff member greeted me, asked how many was in my party as well as my seat preference. The staff member did her job yet I noticed her interaction with me was less welcoming than what was given to the two women before me who were also first-timers.
I sat at the bar and ordered two drinks: the Sugar Cookie Martini and Reindeer Games. The Sugar Cookie Martini tasted good, but I thought it was rather small for the price. Reindeer Games, which was a lavender mocktail was perfection. The bartenders did engage with the other two women there, asking them their thoughts on their drinks, and even sharing feedback of what other customers thought. I didn’t get that same engagement from them although there were only three of us (customers) there at the time. As a result, I left not feeling welcomed as the customer service I received was noticeably different compared to what I saw with the other two women there.
When I closed out my tab, I was waiting for the female bartender to ask me how everything was like she did the other two women because that was going to open the door for me to verbalize my thoughts. She did not. Now I could’ve been proactive and told her, but I decided not to because after I closed out my tab, my experience was over. If there was something wrong with the drinks, I could give that back and let them correct that. My customer service experience cannot be corrected once I’ve had it. The staff can do better going forward, but the improved customer service experience is going to be given to the next person as I do not have plans to return. The only way I will go back is if someone I know chooses to have a birthday event or a social gathering there. I will go to support my friend.
A large part of customer service is making sure everyone feels welcomed that walks in your door. In fact, while I was there sipping my drinks, I read the Yelp reviews and learned there were other people who had my same experience. It showed me I wasn’t alone in the way I was feeling.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Cocktails was delish but we never got our appetizers and they seems to have been short staffed or not fully prepared for their holiday event. The bar & kitchen got far behind and the Holiday music was sooooooo slow and depressing. It sounded like a nursing home's Christmas party. Next year, maybe hire a DJ to spin more UPBEAT Christmas music & definitely more wait staff. But the decorations, cups/mugs and cocktails we did get were delicious! Happy Holidays
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Been here a few times and loved each visit! A friend and I came for Tinseltown this past year and waited for a table and it was the best time. We had the best service and not a single drink we didn’t love! The way they decorated was seriously beyond- even the bathroom was festive!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here at 4 when they opened. We felt out of place so asked if they were open (when we knew they were) one employee said no and the other quickly corrected and said they were. We didn’t get our drinks until 20 after. No music on until about the same time. They didn’t have the ingredients to make my drink, which was just a house G&T. The music turned off again after about 8 minutes and then they didn’t turn it back on again until 30 minutes later when we already decided we didn’t want to stay for another. This bar made the guests feel like they were imposing. Especially when the staff conversations are the only entertainment. Very disappointed based on our past experiences. I hate to even write this as it completely outs me with the specificity, but I’ve been in the service industry for over 20 years and I would be mortified to hear feedback like this.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 3
Don’t waste your time here. They close one hour earlier than they say online. Arrived at 10:50 PM and they denied me because they had last call at 10:45 PM. Meanwhile it says closes at 12 AM. There were still people at the bar and I asked to be seated at the bar and they denied me. They clearly do not want people’s business and weren’t friendly.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
I am Latino and discovering this place awakened my Christmas spirit even more. The vintage cocktails are incredible, wonderful service and their facilities are perfect 100
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The host (guy) with the red hair acted like a Scrooge. He was not pleasant at all. The other employees were amazing and provided excellent service. Otherwise I would have given 5 stars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Been coming to their Christmas bar for the past 3 years. We show up right at 5 to secure a table inside, and normally spend several hours there. This year, we made the same plans, were sat, and then 2 hours in were told to leave as there was a 2 hour time limit. It was not posted anywhere about a time limit and the person seating us did not say anything before we ordered and spent over $300 as a table. Needless to say we won’t be back, there are not many other options at Optimist for cocktail bars and it’s not worth the trip. They were doing this to all tables and the table next to us was also rushed out. Their reasoning was so “everyone can experience the pop up”
Went to Billy Sunday for a Christmas Girls’ Night. Drinks were cute and loved the vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for the Tinseltown holiday pop-up. Decorations and cocktails were amazing. Friendly and great service. Sugar cookie martini (Kidnap Sandy Claws) was delicious and the presentation on the Lump of Coal was awesome! Even the bathroom is decorated for the holidays :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Honestly, my friends and I were looking forward to a really fun night and were really disappointed. They said they close at midnight, however they do “last call” at 10:30, but last call isn’t even just for drinks, it’s for anyone else to even enter the bar. My friends and I came at 11pm, and they said they would not seat us / serve us, even though online they say they close at midnight. Very sad, was looking forward to a fun night with my friends
Poor Service that would appear to be the result of Poor Management. This was my experience, hope yours is different.
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