sadly, this place is no longer even a fun place to take out-of-town guests. as i'm originally from lawton area, it was my hope to bring in out-of-town guests and introduce them to gerts.
we nabbed a table in the main room, as the weather wasn't quite patio weather that night. we were getting settled in, and a female bartender bumped into me. instead of offering an apology or just simply acknowledging it, she shot me a mean face. what a welcome!
we settled in and ordered drinks.
for my first, i had a jack and diet. i went back a little while later and ordered 4 of the shots on special. they were fine, but i gave mine to friends because i didn't realize it had red bull in it, and i can't stand the taste of red bull.
at one point i asked my friend to order a beer for me, on my tab, but the bartender wouldn't let him/said i had to be present. for safety reasons, i can understand this.
i went back up a while later and got a sam adams october fest, small. eventually i went back and got one more sam adams october small.
at this point we were getting ready to leave, so i went to the bar to get my tab. in the course of 4.5-5 hours i'd had 3 drinks.
$72 and some change is what my receipt said when the bartender handed it to me, because i'd given my card to hold a tab, and he'd run it when i asked for my tab.
i took it back to my table and asked my friends if they'd put anything on my tab. they had not, so i went back to discuss with the manager.
at this point, the real disappointment happens. i was treated as if i was lying/trying to get out of my tab.
the manager printed my ticket, and it contained:
1 jack and diet
2 so-co and limes
3 shots of patron
4 shots on special
1 bud light
2 sam adams october fest, small
i quickly pointed out that half the tab was not mine, to which he yelled back at a few other bartenders to try and clarify this.
"your friends must have been putting things on your tab," said the same bartender who had refused to let my friend order a beer and put it on my tab, though i was standing feet away and was clearly in his party.
"whatever, they're so drunk they don't know," mumbled the female bartender who had bumped into me and given me a hateful look.
at this point i was completely appalled at the service and the fact that not only were they taking NO responsibility for the tab, but they were blaming my friends and claiming we were "too drunk to know," which was completely incorrect.
i continued to talk to the manager about my tab, and he was still being very rude and basically giving me the "well, i don't know how this is on your tab, but it is, so sorry."
i said, "you can't just put random things on my tab and expect me to pay it."
he said, "oh, because we do that. do you want this off your tab or not?"
at this point he shot me a cocky smirk as if to threaten me, which is ridiculous because i wasn't being loud, rowdy or hateful toward him in any way, even though i'd not been met with the same respect or consideration. i just wanted my bar tab to reflect things i actually ordered/drank.
a few minutes went by and he printed off a new tab, to which he gave me begrudgingly. i looked it over and said "okay, you took of one of my sam adams. i had two. i want to pay for what i ordered."
he rolled his eyes and said "just pay the tab and go."
so, i ended up paying what i had, minus one sam adams october smalls.
although my bank account was corrected within a few days, the treatment i received, as well as toward my friends, wasn't corrected. in fact, not even an effort was made to do so.
i was in the service industry for many years, and i know that i would NEVER treat a patron the way i was treated. and i've dealt with unruly and hateful patrons.
when i come home from now on, especially if i have friends, i'll most certainly not go to gerts unless things change dramatically.
I love Gerts....especially in Spring and Summer, the patio offers a ton of seating and standing space and also offers a huge bar that you can get a drink at surprisingly quick. However, that being said, the inside of the bar tends to get very crowded, very quickly. I've not had too many issues with fights myself, but have seen them break out very quickly. The staff here is friendly and the environment is great...depending on who you are with. The prices are awesome, and definitely comparable to any other bar in Lawton.
Review Source:This place is pretty laid back. i like the patio and inside tables setting. It gets packed on weekends a lot. other than that, the food is great. they got a full bar which is always good. its where rich laid back people (some military) relax. very few ghetto incident or bar brawl.i dont know what else to say its been awhile since i checked this place out
Review Source:Update - July 2009
I've lost track of how many times Gertlestones has changed ownership. With each change some sort of alteration comes along with it, and sometimes the crowd changes too.
Gerts added an off track betting set up with televised horse races on several of the LCD-TV sets along the walls. That feature is bringing in a significantly older and different crowd during afternoons and early evening hours.
Many of the "regulars," which include local business people and military officers, still visit. On weekends, particularly after about 10:00pm, the place can get very crowded with lots of college age people. Sometimes the crowd isn't very mature either. Problems like fights may break out on occasion.
Gerts still does not charge a cover for entry. Not many other bars in Lawton do either. Scooters is one of the few nightclubs that has a cover charge.
Not much has been done to improve the "curbside appeal" of Gerts over the years. That's despite more competition moving into the area. Buffalo Wild Wings has been around for a couple of years. Restaurants like Santa Fe Steakhouse just opened. Rumors persist that a Hooters location will be built along Cache Road.
Gertlestones has been the closest equivalent Lawton has had to a real pub. The main attraction is the wide variety of beers and mixed drinks. They don't have as many beers on tap as what is offered at Buffalo Wild Wings. On the other hand, Gerts prices are significantly better.
Gerts also makes a pretty decent hamburger and offers some other food on the menu.
The downside to Gerts is there's not much space inside. It can get very cramped on busy nights. That could make you wait a long time in line to get a drink. There isn't much bathroom capacity either, although the bathrooms are now remodeled.
Gertlestones is more popular during the warm weather months when the outdoor patio behind the club is open.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
