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Review content:
I've been going to Avondale Pizza since the early 90s and admit when they opened a new location with a full service bar (O'Keefe's), I wondered if they could remain "family friendly" and after last night, I learned they can't.
The restaurant and bar are in two adjacent storefronts with an opening in between. In the bar area, there are several video games and a foosball table. Last night two little boys played on that foosball table and admittedly got loud giggling and just having fun. BUT, since my days visiting frat houses in college, foosball is typically a "loud" game.
Seated at the bar were several individuals "drinking" their dinner. They were attempting to chat amongst themselves and kept getting annoyed with the little boys. The boy's father several times put money in the game, but the patrons wouldn't address him. Yet I did see them confront the boys. (I bet if it was 2 college-aged boys, they wouldn't have said anything).
The bartender, who waited tables for years, asked the busboys to remove the foosball table to the cheers of the drunks at the bar. The father got visibly upset and even got in the face of one guy - who must have had three drinks in just the time we were there - for not saying anything to him. Luckily he (the guy on the bar stool) was too "elixed" to react.
Between the music, the television, and the noise from the restaurant area, Avondale is already loud; that's what "family friendly" stipulates. If I want a quiet night out, I don't go to a "family friendly" restaurant. Or, if I want to talk to somebody at a bar, I go to a quiet "tavern," not a bar in a family restaurant.
Obviously, they can't serve both. Taco Mac seems to be able to cater to the delicate balance between both types of patrons, but they don't have games in the bar area and their drinkers don't seem as "hardcore" as the ones who frequent O'Keefe's.
With a long-time employee (possibly a manager or owner) removing the foosball table, it was obvious the regular bar patrons are more important than the families that provided the sales to fund the expansion. I know from experience that it is difficult to cater to both crowds especially since the families clear out at 9:00, but this experiment isn't working.
I recognize that Avondale Pizza is very supportive of my community and has a special delivery arrangement at my pool. Too bad they lost my business until I see a change - like a door closing the bar off from the restaurant. (I'll also remove this review.) I'll see if the new pizzeria in town (Savage) can accommodate my large parties, team events and provide a "family friendly" atmosphere. I'll also have them deliver to my pool. Obviously they also lost the business of at least two other families, to the joy of their bleery-eyed bar patrons.
I'm disappointed because their pizza was good, but their inclinations I now question.
Additionally, maybe all the police officers that frequent the restaurant can keep an extra eye on some of those bar patrons because several looked too intoxicated to drive. We don't need that driving through the center of my community; that's also not "family friendly."
Cons: Bar flies more important than families
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