Mediocre Food and Devious Upselling Schemes

The Crescent City Brewery, at first glance, seems to posses a relaxed and more reputable atmosphere than the tacky tourist traps that line the streets of the French Quarter, but do not be deceived. I ordered a house brew (which was neither bad nor extraordinary) and a lunch entrée, and my guest did the same. The waiter proceeded to inquire whether we would like either 1) gumbo or 2) a small Caesar salad, phrasing and intonating the question in the exact manner that legitimate establishments do when asking whether you'd prefer the soup or salad option with your meal. "Gumbo or salad... hmmmmm... gumbo, I guess." We received the gumbo, which was very watery. It didn't possess a delicate, fresh taste that one would expect from a gumbo of such consistency, but rather felt like a watered-down, canned preparation. Well, at least it came with the meal. It didn't, of course. My guest and I were charged $5 for a small, teacup-sized serving of a very unsatisfactory gumbo we didn't intend to order. The manager was extremely unsympathetic as I described the deceptive manner in which the waiter slipped these additional charges onto our tab. He actually defended the server by explaining that he was "doing his job" by utilizing an "upselling technique," the sort of behavior engaged in by movie theaters and fast-food establishments. He never offered to delete the charges from the tab and refused to remove them when I pointedly made the request. Excellent establishments succeed and flourish by providing memorable meals, courteous service, and reputable management attuned to the concerns of the customer. Crescent City Brewery is lacking in all of these categories, and thus it seems the establishment resorts to balancing it's books with tasteless upselling scams that raised by particular check total by 25%. It isn't merely a bad place to eat, with mediocre fare and uncaring service; you may literally leave feeling victimized, without any means of recourse. Please avoid.