this past night. Kind of surprising that I've never been there, considering how much of a beer

connoisseur I am. First impressions, what an amazing selection of beers; definitely the best

I've seen in Raleigh. Something like 85 beers on tap or something. The beer menu is 3+ pages long.

The vibe was pretty good. Not too crowded, and a fairly good mixture of music that wasn't

being played at ear-splitting levels. The only bad side I felt to this place was the service. It really

did suck. My friends and I go up to the bar right when we get in. My roommate and I have been

clamoring for some Magic Hat #9 ever since we found out it was finally making its way to North

Carolina. There was not really that many people there at the time. There were openings all around

the bar. There's no reason why like 3 fucking bartenders should ignore a group of people standing

there money in hand wanting to get some brew. So we finally get this amazingly rude bartender to

get us some beer after waiting for an unreasonable amount of time. I throw him a $5 bill, and I don't

get my change back. He just fucking kept it. I get his attention again. I could tell he was trying to

ignore me. I ask him how much did this pint cost, and he says $4.25. Now this is the thing. I'm not

not one to gripe about some measly 75 cents, and I'm the kind of person that when buying a beer, I

get my change back and throw a dollar tip to the bartender each time. I'm a nice guy. But I do

want the option for me to give you the tip. Don't just take my change from me. Greedy assholes.

So we go outside. Drink our beers, and wait around for a little bit. Not once did a damn

waitress come up to us and ask us if we needed another beer. They would just pass right by you.

Waitstaff at a bar should be eager to get you another beer, especially on a non-packed out night

such as tonight. The crowd was kind of pathetic for a friday night in my opinion. It seems like the

waitresses were mainly there just to grab the used pint glasses. I'm going to give this place another

shot sometime in the future, but the lack of quality service, and having to deal with asshole

bartenders is reason enough for a lot of people to be turned off from this place. Too bad there's no

other place in Raleigh with the type of beer selection that they have.




[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 6:51 AM. Reason : sorry for the length]

4/22/2006 6:50:24 AM

That place does suck sometimes......

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 8:01 AM. Reason : asdf]

4/22/2006 8:00:19 AM

194 more beers to go for me to get that saucer

4/22/2006 9:10:13 AM

I totally agree. My friends and I went a few weeks ago and it was not crowded at all on a Thursday night. The woman bartender was rude as could be and one of the patrons almost got in a fight with her (a blonde broad ). Anyhow, beer was good, had a good time. But we left the minimum tip I would ever leave.

This was my frist time going there as well and I cant say Ill go back unless my friends are already going. It sounds run of the mill, but thats probably why I like EV, PB, Sammys, etc because the service at those places are great.

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 9:24 AM. Reason : add]

4/22/2006 9:23:42 AM

Quote :

"The woman bartender was rude as could be and one of the patrons almost got in a fight with her (a blonde broad )."

BMWblonde?

4/22/2006 9:58:36 AM

Monday nights (pint nite) brings a good crowd

Hard to argue with the selection, but I agree, the service is fucking horrible in general, particularly the waitstaff

4/22/2006 10:07:34 AM

when you people go to crowded bars do you expect the bartenders to drop everything they are doing and just wait on you?

4/22/2006 10:08:50 AM

pretty sure this guy (Brass Monkey) mentioned that he was there on a not-so-crowded night
and i've gone on Wednesdays for "BREWERY NITE" and the waitstaff blew ass too

bars like white collar crime, hibernian, blue martini, EV seem to have their shit in order as far as service, and a couple of those bars are often much busier than the saucer

4/22/2006 10:15:20 AM

^^ beat me to it


...and if you get a table, it's a LOT easier to get service. in fact, I've never left the Saucer (in my 5 years of going there) and said "damn I got bad service tonight"

when you "go outside. Drink [your] beers, and wait around for a little bit" why should the waitress give you any attention? you're not her customer. for all she knows, you're about to go back to the bar to get a refill. for all she knows, you have a tab at one of the tables/with one of the waitresses inside. for all she knows, you just had another waitress approach you about a refill and she doesn't want to annoy you. i know I'd rather have to seek out a beer on a night where there's a "pathetic" crowd than get asked every 5 seconds if I want a new beer.

don't go back there, please

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 10:16 AM. Reason : 6]

4/22/2006 10:16:13 AM

while I was in Raleigh, I went several times and never had an issue with the waitstaff. I've been on empty nights and nights when we had to wait for a table.

I also always went to a table

4/22/2006 10:31:36 AM

Quote :

"white collar crime"

I'd rather jerk off with 50 grit sandpaper than spend 5 minutes there.

4/22/2006 10:54:40 AM

man 50 grit

that's like driveway gravel

4/22/2006 11:10:41 AM

wait... did somebody call the service at sammy's great?!?

4/22/2006 11:19:18 AM

if waitstaff is rude to me, pay gets docked

4/22/2006 11:29:06 AM

Yeah, i will agree w/ the particularly shitty service at Flying Saucer. There's no reason for having to wait as long as I usually do on a night that they're not packed AT ALL.

However, I have been there on many monday nights as well when there's standing room only. On nights like that, I expect it to be a bit harder to get a beer.

My personal experience w/ Sammys is not all that great either. The waitresses are slow as shit, and not ONCE have I gone there and have a waitress not forget something that I ordered.

4/22/2006 11:30:23 AM

i love the saucer, but their service does suck at times, especially at the bar. i no longer sit at the bar because of that reason. sometimes the waittresses are slow to greet you when you sit at the table, even during slow/dead times. once, they greet you though, they're usually pretty good about checking up on you. i think this may be due to a combination of a) they're talking with coworkers, friends, and/or other patrons; b) sometimes they seem confused as to which tables are theirs; c) i really don't know.

in general, i give the service there a 7/10. the biggest thing they have going for them is the beer selection. there's no other restaurant or bar in the triangle where you can get such a variety of microbrews.

if you're ever in fayetteville, stop by the mash house restaurant and brewery. they have 9 different beers, and seasonals. one of the unique features about the place, aside from the fantastic flavors, are:
1. the full yard - $15 - 78 oz of your choice. you can only have 1 per vist though.
2. the hopper - $22 - 116 oz mini keg that has 7 different beers selected by the brewmaster, zach. it has to be shared.
3. they also have some beers that they've brewed with vodka, and they're like $8 a piece.

they also have really good food (it's a steakhouse), and the prices range in the ~$7 for sandwichs, and $13-$30 range for the steak and entrees.

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 11:44 AM. Reason : ]

4/22/2006 11:42:58 AM

I work at the saucer and it's true that some of the waitressess/bartenders are not fully up to even my standards as a good waitress. However, what john kruk said was totally accurate....I was on the patio last night.....

If at 1am you go outside, with 10 buddies, and you all already have beer, chances are you are not going to be waited on. Why? Well, if you had just sat down the waitress has the chance to establish who's who, who's drinking what, as well as tell you about the specials, etc. If you all already have beer, who knows how many you've had inside? 1? 10? There's no point in serving someone at 1am if they've had a tab with the bar/another waitress inside all night...they are that much more likely to have you get 1 round for everyone and then be ready to close out...and get MAYBE a dollar from everyone...most likely, less.

sooo in conclusion, sit at a table before you go to the bar, or stay at the bar....b/c the bar does not like transferring tabs either

4/22/2006 11:55:05 AM

but the bar sucks. there are 3 good bartenders: the big tall dude (i think the manager), one of the skinny white guys (the older one), and the brunette chick. the rest suck.

^ did you start there recently? i've noticed alot of new waittresses.

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 12:09 PM. Reason : ]

4/22/2006 12:08:32 PM

Quote :

"white collar crime"

I've never had to wait as long to get a goddamn drink at the bar than I have at that place.

Quote :

"Sammys, etc because the service at those places are great."

you sir, are retarded

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 12:09 PM. Reason : .]

4/22/2006 12:08:34 PM

(I didnt read all the posts)

The Saucer is great if you go in on a weeknight when it isnt crowded and sit at the bar. Bullshit with the barkeep (like any other bar) and they usually recommend good stuff to try out and stay with ya. More of a go there to drink good beer type place, if its crowded, fuckin forget it.

And why put in a pool table if its gonna be like 2 feet from a wall?

4/22/2006 12:16:52 PM

i always have a good time when i go to the Saucer

4/22/2006 12:22:25 PM

Flying saucer sucks ever since Melissa stopped working there. The acoustics are the most fucked up, and the service sucks. 3 waitresses for 100+ people wTF

Melissa knew me and always brought me free beer samplers.

That place is a craphole.

4/22/2006 12:26:50 PM

^if it's really crowded you have to remember that the waitress cannot bring you your beer if she doesn't have it from the bar yet!!!! If they are super busy, it takes longer than usual to get waitress tickets, and then we have to fight the crowd to get to the table....

all in all, I guess it just depends on who your waitress is....

and ^^^^^I started in August

4/22/2006 12:34:34 PM

who is the waitress who has dark brown hair on top and it's dyed blonde in the back?

4/22/2006 1:06:36 PM

you people

4/22/2006 1:22:59 PM

Quote :

"The acoustics are the most fucked up"

do they even have live music?

4/22/2006 1:42:41 PM

If I'm correct kristamcneil is the server that waits on my friends and I like every Monday night, it's the best service every time.


btw- who's going to the beer festival?

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 1:51 PM. Reason : ]

4/22/2006 1:49:28 PM

I was there last night.... I had a lot of fun and what I thought was really good service out on the patio (considering we had a ton of people who all had a tad much to drink).. someone help me think of the quote to put on my plate. I finished about 2 months ago, but havne't come up with anything good yet

and I'll be at the beer fest

4/22/2006 1:59:29 PM

flying saucer blows

beers on tap are nice, but the place itself sucks ass.

4/22/2006 2:00:26 PM

Quote :

"if it's really crowded you have to remember that the waitress cannot bring you your beer if she doesn't have it from the bar yet!!!! If they are super busy, it takes longer than usual to get waitress tickets, and then we have to fight the crowd to get to the table.... "

I have been to the FS about thrice since Melissa stopped working. And you were our waitress when my sister was here. So I guess you knew me cuz you smiled or something and the service wasn't bad. But the 2 times after that were totally friggin' crappy. One time I had to wait 30 mins for anyone to even ask me what I wanted before I walked out. I mean there were like 2 waitresses and 150 people. The second time, I could get one beer in an hour.

And it's not even that I am a bad tipper. Melissa made a thread about my tipping virtues 2 years ago. I tip generously, but please don't expect me to tip if I can't get a non-stop flow of beer.

4/22/2006 2:06:14 PM

The only bad part is the price, sure they serve 1000 beers and more but, they're price reflects that and more!

4/22/2006 2:17:59 PM

^ on price. that has to do with nc's taxes. the tax in nc is something like $.55 a gallon whereas it's $.15 elsewhere. also, microbrews are typically going to be more than mass-production beers. this is a simple and common business philosophy. you really do get what you pay for. look at it this way: microbrews:exotics::budweiser:ford.

Quote :

"And why put in a pool table if its gonna be like 2 feet from a wall? "

haha! hell yeah. that shit is annoying. getting a short cue, or something, for us to use.

i will say that i love the "connect four" game. i play it sometimes when it's dead in there.

[Edited on April 22, 2006 at 2:31 PM. Reason : ]

4/22/2006 2:31:03 PM

I love Fords.

4/22/2006 2:31:29 PM

Quote :

"If at 1am you go outside, with 10 buddies, and you all already have beer, chances are you are not going to be waited on."

I arrived there with 3 other friends at like 10:30, met up with some other people and stayed till about 1:40.

Quote :

"when you people go to crowded bars do you expect the bartenders to drop everything they are doing and just wait on you?"

No I don't, but the place was not crowded at all. I've gotten a beer faster at a shoulder to shoulder packed Stoole Pigeons before.

4/22/2006 3:11:47 PM

i've only ever left a penny as a tip a very very few # of times - and this is one of the places

4/22/2006 3:32:10 PM

yeah, they should have crammed the couches in the part they have the pool table and reversed that shit


but that part of the bar is usually not crowded and has better service

4/22/2006 3:49:43 PM

I find this thread surprising. I've been to Flying Saucer three times and never had a problem with service. The first time I ever went was a Friday night I think, with my roommate. We sat at the bar near, near the entrance. The waitress served us all our shit, asked us several times if we wanted another one etc. , and was never rude. Then I think I went on a Saturday one time... I can't remember the details, but I don't recall having a problem with service. I didn't stay very long those first two times--an hour maybe.

Finally I went there on a Sunday night with two friends, and it was pretty dead. The waitress was the same one who had served us the first time I went there. She was nice and attentive, and I don't think I even gave her a tip because I was feeling cheap that day. We stuck around for like two hours. Turns out one of the waitresses there went to my highschool and was a year behind me.

I have no complaints about Flying Saucer from my limited experiences there.

[Edited on April 23, 2006 at 12:12 AM. Reason : .]

4/23/2006 12:10:04 AM

sounds like she'll be real nice and attentive when you return, lol

4/23/2006 1:54:54 AM

[Edited on April 23, 2006 at 1:59 AM. Reason : wrong thread]

4/23/2006 1:59:31 AM

Quote :

"She was nice and attentive, and I don't think I even gave her a tip"

you're a fucking disgraceful jew

4/23/2006 5:32:57 AM

Quote :

"btw- who's going to the beer festival? "

I'll be there. shit's gonna be GREAT!!

4/23/2006 5:36:44 PM

Quote :

"who is the waitress who has dark brown hair on top and it's dyed blonde in the back?"

If she's short, hot, and her hair is all crazy looking, her name's Jessica. She works at Stool Pigeons too.

I like the saucer, but they could use some more pool tables in there.

4/23/2006 6:07:08 PM

last i knew NC wasnt getting Magic Hat in just yet..

i've talked to a few distributors and last i heard Harris(bud etc) might be picking it up

its my favorite beer. i'm from CT and my bf is from NY
and we've had friends and family bring it down for us whenever they visit.
we have probably 8 cases or so lying around (#9 and variety pack)


[Edited on April 23, 2006 at 7:12 PM. Reason : if someone is carrying it LET ME KNOW thx]

4/23/2006 7:11:49 PM

Now that Xcchick is gone, Hi5 is my fav bar.

I like the bar manager there...forgot his name.

4/23/2006 7:24:25 PM

I tried Magic Hat 9 last night at Mellow Mushroom on Peace Street, it was good but it didnt live up to all the hype.

4/23/2006 7:30:53 PM

As far as service goes I've been pleasantly surprised by Blinco's.

4/23/2006 10:43:33 PM

mav, where are they going to put more tables

Quote :

"wait... did somebody call the service at sammy's great?!? "

haha, oskar beat me to it

i love the saucer and i have never had a bad time there...like Kruk said...ive been going there ever since it opened and i dont think i have ever left feeling like i had bad service

4/23/2006 11:19:15 PM

Quote :

"As far as service goes I've been pleasantly surprised by Blinco's."

Good food, reasonable beer selection, shitty wings.

4/24/2006 1:34:19 AM

oh, nevermind. i found their website.
http://www.blincos.com/

oooh! they carry cbc's brews. nice!

[Edited on April 24, 2006 at 1:47 AM. Reason : ]

4/24/2006 1:44:17 AM

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4/24/2006 1:52:35 AM