Night Shift Brewing

That used to crack me up. I used to say to my wife "See? These people just love to stand in line" then walk to the bar and get my drink.

It's hilarious until you learn the truth that most people who go to night shift are, in fact, illiterate.

 

I'll take a normal bar ordering system over the BS at trillium or TH anyday. Fuck lines/tickets. It's a bar. You go to the bar, you get their attention, and you get a drink. I've only been to Lamplighter once, and while it was packed on a Thurs night, my friend and I knew we were meeting at a bar and expected a crowd. It was a little loud but again.. it's a bar. We had a fine time.

 

Line or not, hailing someone's attention is antiquated af. Especially for a Brewery you think the system in place would reflect getting your beer faster than ever with better customer service than the local watering hole.

I'm sorry, but this robust system has got to go and prevents me from going to Lamplighter and especially Nightshift. It's gives off a dive bar'y experience that I personally detest.

I'm not trying to separate throngs of people and be one of those people getting separated by some hazebro's reach. Trillium and TH's model works and is less than a hastle.

I find it funny AC will reply to a comment about laptop usage and open Coffee breaks by his employees, but won't reply to my comment that started this discussion.

 

You seem like you've got it nailed - I look forward to visiting your place when you open

 

lol

 

Hates brewery experience at Lamplighter because like a typical bar scenario has to get someone’s attention with a little extra effort sometimes. Would prefer to wait in line at TH for over an hour to buy cans and immediately hit the road, most of the time without a pour.

Thread is lulzy. Keep the selfings coming!

 

Despite being a colleague of Cayla's, I have to say I'm quite disappointed by your responses here given she's aligned her business practices with you.

Multiple people have expressed the same concern, and the solution is incredibly easy (but let's all jump down my throat because I actually speak up about my concerns). Yet it seems you have the mentality of a 14 year old using Dad's office computer to reply back with "Goodluck with your own brewery." Gee thanks for the response...

I wish you luck in your endeavors, but hope you learn to address concerns on an Internet forum in a better way. Perhaps you shouldn't even reply at all.

 

It is incredibly easy for someone who doesn't understand what is going on behind the scenes to say a change is simple. It is also incredibly easy for you to have a complaint, get it confirmed by another random voice on the internet - and think that it is a problem that needs fixing. Here's the short answer - we like how our brewery works. We like the way the taproom feels like a bar. We like that it gets crowded and is fun for most of our patrons.

It's a different experience than Treehouse. It's a different experience than Trillium. But part of your complaint is that it's busy. Guess what - that means things are working for us. You don't like how crowded it gets on busy days? Then this isn't the place for you. That's totally fine - there are plenty of other places for you to go.

Also, bud, you're the one who called me out - after calling my business completely asinine, what did you want? Me to fawn all over you and beg for you to give us another chance? Come on.

 

Not to beat a dead horse here because it is the Night Shift thread, but i love Lamplighter being more of a bar so i can actually enjoy going with my non beer snob friends.

Part of drinking is a social aspect and it’s so much more enjoyable (for me) to have great quality beer in a good location without having to drive 2+ hours for a case of beer that I'll drink out if a teku alone at my house. Beyond ridiculous to complain about a bar being too crowded, must be real fun at parties.

 

Night Shift is one of the most fun taproom experiences around. Really looking forward to the warmer weather so we can take our new(ish) dog for some beers on the patio. I've only been to Lamplighter once, but we had a great time. Went on a Saturday around 7 before dinner at Sarma, got two seats at the bar after just a few minutes, and had a great time. We don't get to Cambridge that often, but it's definitely someplace I'll go again next time we have a dinner reservation in the area.

 

I haven't had a night shift beer since I went to the taproom in late November, I haven't bought a night shift beer from a store in probably 7+ months. Way too many old cans and too pricey for subpar quality. Really hope they figure it out and make some changes because the taproom is an awesome spot.

 

@OnlyTheFinest maybe didn’t articulate it as well as he could have but I agree that I find it easier to order a beer at Trillium where I wait in a clear, distinct line versus NS or Lamplighter in particular where I have to maneuver through a crowd and hope that the bartender sees me and realizes I want a drink. The spaces are different between breweries so the same flow might not be possible but I have experienced frustration when the person who stands next to me gets served first even though I was waiting longer.

 

That's totally fair. We're really hoping that the total patron density on average will go down with the addition of the back taproom space, alleviating most of those complaints at all but the busiest times.

 

That’s standard bar stuff. If you don’t know how to get a bartenders attention, that’s on you. My issue with Lamplighter is that it doesn’t feel like a bar. I’ve only been there on off times , usually mid to late afternoon, but the people at the bar are always annoyed people are ordering over them. And the people behind the bar seem to spend as much time socializing as they do taking orders. Someone else mentioned this, but I’ve twice walked up to the coffee counter to ask if i could get a beer simply because the only person behind the bar refused to make eye contact. One of the bartenders that was hanging out on the coffee side then would walk back to take my order, but not without an eye roll. Then there are few natural spots to stand with a beer.

 

My God...

You could've just responded to my second post with this exact post to save face, except you act all bitter and paint a less than pleasant image of yourself which affects the company you're so proudly representing everywhere you go. Even on an Internet forum. Come on.

Again, I highly recommend you take a step back and think why having a BeerAdvocate account is necessary for you.... err... your Brewery. You don't need to isolate every negative comment and treat it how it is.

Your post above is just plain weird, or worded poorly: "We are busy therefore we like how we are." If you haven't realized that concerns addressed in this thread might actually be helpful instead of being malicious, then maybe I should give my money to those breweries that are ahead of the curve in this regard. Thanks for suggesting that!

 

OTF, when your complaint largely boils down to "I don't like the way bars operate, and since Lamplighter operates like a regular bar I don't like them either," you're not really offering the constructive criticism you think you are. I'd agree it's generally poor form for brewery operators to engage with criticism on here, but acj has been by and large very respectful responding to what has essentially been you shitting on their business for reasons that a good number here find inane (in a totally separate establishment's thread, no less).

 

Getting bartenders' attention sucks and it's one of several things I hate about going to bars. So does reaching over people seated at a bar so you can get your drink, especially since I'm a big guy. It's usually too noisy to say "excuse me", so I just plow through people and that makes me feel bad for disrupting people enjoying their beers.

It'd be nice if taprooms didn't just follow the bar model (one that hasn't been improved upon in god knows how long) and tried out new ways to provide a better experience. One of the reasons Cambridge Brewing Company is far and away my favorite brewery to visit is the options they provide patrons for how they'd like to be served. Wanna sit at the bar? Go for it. Wanna sit at a table and have a waiter take your order? You can do that. Wanna mill about? Post up somewhere and get your drinks at the end of the bar where there aren't any seats blocking your access to the bartender.

 

Someday you should ask yourself if it’s the rest of the world or if it’s actually you...

 

like julio, I actually really, really like a standard bar + server template. Works great at various places (Armsby, Medusa, and JA all do that of the places I frequent). But lamplighter is a tiny space with limited tables and servers (justifiable). It's basically a dive bar at night. I get not everyone likes a crowded bar environment, but it's something that is pretty much universal in any city the world over. You're in a densely populated area at a popular spot. Deal with it or move on.

 

Know what a dive is?