Tobacco Road Sports Cafe
| Address: | 280 S Mangum St #100, Durham, NC 27701, USA |
| Phone: | +1 919-937-9909 |
| Site: | tobaccoroadsportscafe.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Ryan Catherman
Ive been here a few times and I really want to like it, but I just cant get there. Below average service, misses the mark on the food, and just generally overpriced for an experience no better than going to a chain. I like the advertised philosophy regarding the sourcing, and I especially liked seeing someone try to do a sports bar with more than just burgers and wings. My most recent visit was this evening, and it is probably the last time Ill go back. I refuse to support something that doesnt care whether Im there or not with my money. This evening, I arrived a couple hours early to see if advance notice of a bigger party was helpful and couldnt have been met with a more aloof set of people at the front area. I walked away not really sure if they were interested or not in us coming back to them for the birthday dinner we had planned. Ive never been a big fan of the compulsory gratuity but having served before, I also know how much it stinks to get stiffed on a large table. In this particular case, my server did not earn a single bit of his required 20%. What incentive does a server have to care if the grat is a given? He clearly had other tables assigned, which is a management no-no, and it was like pulling teeth to get very simple things the children at the table requested (like ketchup) to actually come out of the kitchen. The kids waited 20 minutes to get any food in front of them, and another 20 to get their condiments. If you have kids, you know what Im talking about. The thing to take from this is that this may not be a good choice as a family destination for you. If you want a beer and a TV, its as good as anything else. If you actually want to feel like the people are happy to work there and are proud youve chosen to eat there, its the wrong place.
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apamplin08
DONT CHARGE GRATUITY AND PROVIDE POOR SERVICE! I was highly disappointed with how our group was treated the other week. On March 26, 2016 we came to the restaurant with a party of 8. We were sat at a small/cramped table and told it was busy so there would be a wait. That was fine. When we were seated things started off nice, but our waitress (Bailey) seemed like she did not want to be there. She wasnt very knowledgeable about the drink menu. My friend ordered the drink special and when it arrived it tasted like straight red bull so she asked to return it (mind you she only had a sip) and the waitress had an attitude. Instead of asking what else can I get for you she questioned her and said she would get a manager. The manager had no problem replacing it with something else. After we got our drinks we had to wait a while for our order to be taken. I eventually got up and went to ask her to take our orders. The food eventually came out. One of the guest at our table did not touch her food because it did not taste good, and not once did our waitress ask her if everything was okay, etc. We got smiles when it was time for the bill to come, but the service before that was below average and disappointing...mind you this is coming from a waitress. I feel that the manager or someone could have diffused the situation or at least assisted her if she was that busy and could not provide the proper service.
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Shelly Beard
While the food is generally good, Ive had some terrible service experiences. The most recent time we went, we waited for over an hour before our waitress even told us that the food would take a while. As we had a show we were trying to get to at DPAC, the long delay nearly made us late for the show. Although we are generally very understanding that there are sometimes delays in getting your food, there was absolutely no communication from our waitress about what was going on. We eventually managed to flag her down to ask and she said it would be "out in a few minutes". We went ahead and asked for the check. A different server came and tried to take the credit cards before we even received our food, which we would not allow. It was only at this point, when a different server was involved that we got our food, 15 minutes after the "few minutes" estimate given to use. We had to very quickly eat in order to not be late and as a result did not enjoy our food as much as we normally would. At no point did anyone apologize or even ask us how our food was after we received it. They basically dropped off the food, grabbed the check and then returned our cards to us without checking if everything was okay. It was a very frustrating experience, mostly due to the lack of communication. At this point, Im not sure that well be going back to this location.
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A Private User
Weve always come here for Durham Bulls games and on Sundays for football (I recommend arriving very early for both, if you want to get a prime seat), but have started going on "off nights" as well. We figured that if the food and service are great during busy events, then it will be even better on a slower night. Whenever Shaun (Shawn? Not sure how to spell it, but he is the bartender with a beard and shaved head) is at the bar, we sit there, as he is always extremely attentive and is fun without interrupting your conversation, something more bartenders should learn. Maybe my favorite thing about Tobacco Road is that the food menu is big without trying to do too much. Im always wary of a restaurant that has 40+ food items, because the probability is that they dont do any dish that well. Tobacco Road has a great selection of entrees and appetizers and Ive sampled enough to know that theyre all top-notch. I recommend the BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy and the Clam Chowder.
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KetaCuh94
I ordered an entrée from there last night first time visiting. I disliked the taste of the food that I was given and asked if I could get something else instead. The waiter took a while to come back just to tell me that the grill was closed and I could not get my money back because the owners rules are that they are "wasting" a lot of food. I wasted my money on food that I did not eat and got poor service. I will never be back to this place. So my advice if youre visiting for first time DO NOT order anything expensive and Id advise getting a simple dish such as a burger that way you know you wont have to go through the trouble of disliking your food and going back and forth with the waitress and managers. Theres other restaurants that are more friendly with great food near like Cuban Revolution try those restaurants across the street.
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Joella Whitely
WOULD NEVER GO THERE AGAIN!!! We typically go here but after last night never again! The food is not worth the price, the person who claims they are the owner was horrible and wanted to charge us a cover charge for some event that I could care less to see on PPV, which we were NEVER advised of prior to us spending the money we had already.Even tho we spent plenty of money there we were kicked out because we didnt want to pay this insane cover charge. (That just means to me that the business is on the decline and is suffering.) The only thing this place has going for it is the ballpark view and I Hope the Bulls dont lose any business due to this place. There are plenty of other choices in Durham that will treat you better and welcome your business! Dont waste your hard earned money nor your time here!!!
