723 Whiskey Bravo in Seagrove

You should never expect much from a restaurant's first month (or more) around here. It is extremely difficult to staff especially. A bad review on here for a new restaurant in SoWal could sink their ship before they even get any wind in their sail. Not fair IMHO especially since they could have all new suppliers, staff, and even management next week.

Dawn, I completely understand what you are saying. In the past, reviewers would deliberately wait 6-10 weeks before visiting new restaurants for that exact reason. The explosion of social media, such as this site, has changed that.

I think most people would agree that if a restaurant is open for business and charging full price, they need to deliver value for that money. I think most diners understand and don't expect perfection from a new restaurant, but it all comes down to how the house handles the problems, not so much whether there are problems (and that is true of older restaurants also).

I think with the high cost of eating out in most of 30a's restaurants, you hope for good food and good service right off the bat. We do cut a new restaurant some slack because they are dealing with new employees, and in that line of business, it is sometimes challenging to find quality staff. We really appreciate waiters and waitresses who seem to love their job and tip accordingly. Good service can make mediocre food taste better. Hopefully, Whiskey Bravo will be a success. Restaurants seem to come and go so quickly on 30a, it's difficult to get a gift certificate and use it while the place is still open. I still think there needs to be more reasonably priced restaurants here. I would rather patronize our local places but we sometimes end up at a chain because of the cost.

Questions, comments & concerns for Whiskey Bravo

I went to Whiskey Bravo last night for a visit.

A question is why do they say home made Bloody Mary Mix when the bartender was pouring out of a Zing Zang bottle? Good mix yes, accurate - NO!

Another Q: why when so busy after 7pm is there not a hostess or someone guiding patrons on where to sit or when there may be a table coming available? Observed a # of customers asking staff all sorts of these questions and getting confusing/conflicting answers. A group or 2 actually left because of this.

Comment(s): Beautiful build out. Nice furniture. Great views. Terrible uniforms. Nice prices on alcohol.

Concern(s):
Having large trash bin 30 feet from the rooftop deck will prove interesting in the very hot days coming ahead. Even if they have pickup everyday, which is unlikely. And only one restroom for both ladies and gents will prove interesting on the roof. Parking nice, but more probably needed. Sure owners would agree.

I ate at Whiskey Bravo last night for dinner and it was so-so. The view and comfy chairs are great, and I'll definitely be back for drinks and another meal once the restaurant gets the kinks worked out. But yesterday wasn't the best service or food. I got the Big Fish Taco, which was pretty tasty. The fries were cold. My dining partners order appetizers, which came out with our meal and were not correct. It took another 15 mins for them to bring us the correct appetizer, which came out at the end of our meal. I understand that the restaurant needs some time to get going and that's why I'll give it another try down the road. It will be a great spot to drink some beer and hangout regardless of the food.

Given the amount of cash invested in the venture and the unlikelihood that it was financed, I'm guessing they get the kinks worked out fairly quickly. Or at least they better.

Zing Zang is the best!!!!! Wouldn't order a bloody mary without it!!!!! BTW - We add our own little touch to our Zing Zang Bloody Mary's and would say that they're homemade!!!!!

yeah- if you can make a better Bloody Mary than Zing Zang bring it on!

We gave Whiskey Brave two chances and both times our food was cold and over cooked. The second time we waited 50 min for our food and we were lied to by our server being told a big party arrived and backed up the kitchen..which never happened. We really wanted to like this place. The rooftop deck is great and 30a is in need of a place like this. We ll give it a month and 1 more chance!!! You hear me WB!

We gave Whiskey Brave two chances and both times our food was cold and over cooked. The second time we waited 50 min for our food and we were lied to by our server being told a big party arrived and backed up the kitchen..which never happened. We really wanted to like this place. The rooftop deck is great and 30a is in need of a place like this. We ll give it a month and 1 more chance!!! You hear me WB!

Just out of curiousity, why would you expect this place to be firing on all cylinders less than a month after opening? No restaurant is going to be at peak performance any sooner than two or three months. Let our tourist friends serve as culinary lab rats until maybe May or June, then I think we can go and see what this place really has to offer.

The not so good reviews on the board may turn some tourists away.I've eaten at restaurants down there locals have raved about that I hated and I'm not calling them out. Every new place has kinks to work out and surely they will befor bad reviews cause them to close.

Just out of curiousity, why would you expect this place to be firing on all cylinders less than a month after opening? No restaurant is going to be at peak performance any sooner than two or three months. Let our tourist friends serve as culinary lab rats until maybe May or June, then I think we can go and see what this place really has to offer.

I agree with you.

On the other hand it ain't rocket science and amateurs seem to make the same mistakes again and again. It's a mighty big investment not to get off on the right foot.

1. Open at least 2 months before March to work out problems.
2. The shortage of quality food-service labor is well known in SoWal. If you don't start out with a good core you're dead.
3. Plan on losing money at first to gain a reputation of good value for portions / prices.
4. Cater to locals. They tell tourists where to go and keep you alive in the off season.
5. Engage customers directly in the establishment and on forums like this.
6. Have a marketing plan. (why anyone would open without contacting the owner of this website is beyond me.)
7. Have a grand opening and invite community leaders and wine and dine them.

We've been there twice and had good experiences both times. I'm surprised to hear the negative comments about the burger, because that's what my husband ordered the first time we went, and it was delicious. And that was during the first week they were open! I had a flat bread pizza each time we went, and they were both good. My husband liked the gumbo - I wasn't overly impressed with it, but then again I grew up in New Orleans so I am pretty picky about gumbo. Overall the food is good - not gourmet dining by any means, but solidly good. We had good service both times, and the view from the roof top deck is great. We were happy with it and we will definitely be back!

I work in the restaurant industry and have opened up several places. If you haven't fixed your food problems in a week you are in trouble. And I think I stated I would give it another chance after 2 less than stellar meals did I not? And don't have your staff lie to customers...not good. Posters who have had a bad experience are entitled to there opinions to good sir...it is up to WB to fix there problems or they will close...not because of bad posts. Understand that....

We'll give it a try when we're in town. I'm a sucker for comfy chairs on a roof! I think all new restaurants should figure out how places like Stinky's and Liar's Club and George's succeeded in getting off the ground. Unique environment, unique food, consistently good friendly service and special food (not always perfect, but perfect most of the time so that it's easy to cut them some slack every now and then). I hope it all works out great for WB! Is there a happy hour?