Second Chances are Worth it: Bar and Restaurant Edition

Pretty much every person has had the experience of trying out a restaurant or bar and not liking it. If your experiences have not led you here, then you have probably tried a food before and not liked it.

I am in both of these groups. Living in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, I have seen many a restaurant and bar go UP….and go DOWN. In fact I know of 4 bars that have failed at the very same corner location in my 4 years of living around there!

It is very easy to judge a new place when it first opens. They have tons of customers, new dishes and drinks to try, and plenty of social media promos from Yelp to Facebook to everything in-between! Being a part of the RUSH is exciting. You can give your review, you are part of an elite group of early adopters, and you get to socially shame people and say stuff like “I been knew that.”

First impressions however are not usually true in my opinion. Whether it comes to people or with a bar or a restaurant, I know that something deeper lies within.

I have the policy of giving a place more than one try because I value a robust and accurate opinion. I need to see the good, bad and ugly before I write a place off.

This past week, I gave a bar superclose to my regular hang out spot a second try with 2 friends for happy hour. Reclamation Bar (817 Metropolitan Ave) is right on a main road so I pass it probably 30 times a week lol. Now me and some friends had tried it before and we didn’t like it. The service was kind of bad, it was dark in an annoying way, and the food was like this weird breakfast type taco mess that wasn’t very good.

We tried it again! Why? Because its on that main road…and I like giving second chances…and bonus they had a $5 happy hour special which is great for NY prices.

The second chance was FIRE. Drinks were on point, lighting was the good kind of dark, and they had a new food menu which included sandwiches and kettle chips with cheeses from one of my favorite cheese shops, Campbell Cheese and Grocery (502 Lorimer Street). I was in food and drink almost heaven and so thankful we gave it another try.

The thing with restaurants and bars are: Shifts change. Bartenders and waiters have bad days. There may be a racist server, but then again they may get fired by the next time you try it. Sometimes inventory is off.

Room for improvement and the power of renewal is real.

Second chances are worth it…and even when they are negative at least you know for sure.