The Call

I was here at the call for a charity drag show on Sat late night. The exterior looks very much strip-mallish but the interior is great. The club is long with a bar on each end. When you enter, you are right off the dance floor/stage. The drinks are good and shots from the shot boy and girl were fantastic. There was a suggested donation at the door of $10, but the people at the door weren't pushy and were grateful for any money donated.  There wasn't a bad view of the stage at any part of the club so that was awesome for a shorty like me. All the donations were also going to a local charity. It's a little bit of a walk from the red line but the 22 bus drops you off steps from the place. Everyone there was so friendly from the door staff to the bartenders. I would definitely look to this place if I was in the Andersonville area and wanted to have fun.

I work seven days a week, so when I finally had a night off, all I wanted to do was go out and see my friend whom I hadn't seen in almost a year. Well, after my friend bailed on me, I wandered the streets of Andersonville alone and upset. I had dinner down the street and could see the the brightly lit sign of The Call...calling to me.

It was a Monday night and very not-crowded, and I was immediately happy upon hearing it was request your song and music video Monday. Sitting at the bar, I was the only girl in the joint and the only one without a date or friends, but the bartender was incredibly nice and made a huge, excellent martini for me. The two guys sitting next to me had me request music videos when they couldn't think of a song to pick and everyone there was just super friendly! I will definitely be back, especially because I hear the Monday bartender makes a mean Bloody Mary.

I've been to the call three times and it has yet to really make a good impression.

The mixed drinks are so weak. I can't think of a time I've had such a light pour. And the bar always seems to be understaffed, because the bartender has been unable to make my drink properly on a couple ocassions. The first time, I went for a second round on my Jameson, and he said he didn't have time to get a new bottle, so I needed to pick a different whisky. Ok, fine, I went with Makers. Except he charged me the $8 for a Makers drink, not the $7 price of a Jameson. That would have been the typical thing to do, "I'm unable/unwilling to fulfill your request, through no fault of your own, so I'll give you a reasonable replacement at the cost of the item you actually wanted." Nope.

Another time, I wanted a second round of martinis, and he told me they'd be in rocks glasses because he didn't have any more martini glasses. I said I could return mine if he liked, and he said no, he didn't have time to wash glasses for me. I might expect this kind of thing at a dive bar, not here. This bartender seems to have no time for anything, obviously he needs some help behind the bar! To me, this all indicates that the owners are struggling to turn a profit and cutting corners wherever possible. That's a mistake, as it effects the experience of their guests and won't make them any more money in the end.

The decor is odd, outdated but not enough to be considered cool or retro. Just plain outdated. The mix of music is odd, the grouping of songs doesn't seem to make any sense.

This place needs to figure it out. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the owners have no experience in this industry, as they are making all the wrong moves. I'm not excited to return.