I always hope that whenever I write something here at The Professional Wingman, I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible. But then after going out a few nights ago, I realized that can’t be possible; I can say what I want not only because I run this site but also some things should just be said.
Hence, my review of Rumor Lounge.
Address: 100 Warrenton Street, Boston, MA 02116
Website: http://www.rumorboston.com/
Best Nights: Tuesday
Who Goes There: A mix of young professionals, older men, and a whole lot of women. Ages 25-45.
Cost: $$$
I was pretty excited to come here, considering it was a Celtics party and Kendrick Perkins and Sam Cassell were going to be there, celebrating their birthdays. I was pretty much going just to see them. I only heard of this place a couple of times. So I am just going to keep this very short and to the point.
The event was supposed to start at 10:30. They made everyone stay outside for over half an hour, and started to let people in at 11. Outside looked like a mad house and when we finally went inside, there was no one in there. There were actually more people who were working! Why the long line outside? Deception.
They make it seem like people can’t wait to go into this place and it’s set up so that there will always be a line so it just looks like the lounge is going nuts at all times. Also, there is a security pat down similar to Logan Airport. I can’t argue with taking security measures. It was just worth noting because there haven’t been many places that I have gone to that patted you down. But the deception was a huge red flag for me.
Oh, and it’s a $25 cover charge. Yes, that is NOT a typo. $25. My dad and I were talking about it yesterday and how even the term “cover charge” is deceptive. We throw it around so much that it loses its real meaning. A cover charge is something that you pay and covers something. So for example, maybe there is an open bar for a couple of hours or you get a couple free drinks while you’re there, hell, you might even get some complimentary appetizers. A cover charge “covers” that.
When you pay $25 to enter a club, you are paying admission. Huge difference. Don’t agree with me? Go to Six Flags and see if they call paying $45 to enter their theme park a “cover.”
Anyway, $25 for entering a lounge is absurd. I’m not going further than that. The only thing going on in the back of my head was, “what goes on in a place that warrants guys having to pay $25?” I say only guys because girls of course get to go in for free (before 12).
I am not going to talk about what the place looked like. It looks like a lounge – bar, dance floor and VIP section in the middle.
The DJ was ok. For guys, the quality of women was pretty high and most of them were pretty open to conversation. I got a good sense that people were there to legitimately meet other people but I got caught up in other nonsense to really get a feel of what kinds of guys these women were looking for.
But the deciding factor for me wasn’t the $12 Vodka Cranberry and the $500 bottle service. I already am over the fact that places in Boston are just normally expensive compared to Philadelphia (boy, was I spoiled for the 5 years I was there). The deciding factor was the people who worked there. I loved the bartenders who worked there. They were just the best things about the place. Unfortunately for them, they don’t turn on the heat in the place so they have to be continuously bundled up in heavy jackets and scarves. They didn’t seem to like the fact that I asked why they had to bundle up. Bartenders aside, everyone else that worked there sucked.
As any person that may want to go back to a lounge again, I was trying to get to know the people who worked there so I can be a familiar face. Everyone that I talked to – bouncers, security, doormen and managers – were just cold and mean. They did not care about anything, would turn their back to you and treat you pretty terribly. Maybe I just had a bad experience. But I had a feeling this wasn’t the case.
I got tired to the place pretty early and I wanted to leave to grab more money so I can give my bartender a pretty solid tip because she was awesome. Earlier that night, before I entered the place, I asked if I would be able to leave the club in case I had to answer a phone call, I was told that they would mark my arm and I would be able to return.
Yeah, not the case. When I left the first time, the guy marked my hand and when I went to the exit, I was hassled for leaving. After some back and forth, I ended up leaving and as soon as I went down the street (still in their view), I realized that I left my card with my bartender. I turned around and went back into the lounge. She had already had my driver’s license so she gave me my card to grab money. This time, they refused letting me leave, quoting, “if you leave, you can’t come back.”
As much as I tried to explain that I forgot my card and I was getting money to pay my tab and leave, they told me I couldn’t come back. So, I left, not wanting to deal with the nonsense anymore and save it for another day in the week when I am in the area. I just found it completely ridiculous that they would treat someone that is paying them like that. Let it be a lesson to everyone who provides some type of service. If someone is paying you, you treat him or her well. You never know what kind of long-term damage they can do if you treat them poorly
So last night, I go back there and I see the manager that was giving me a hard time. Unfortunately, he was the only one out there that I could talk to so I approached him very nicely about closing my tab and getting my license back. Let me preface by saying that I only had 3 drinks, that $12 Vodka Cranberry and 2 glasses of Johnny Walker Black. The mamager told me that my tab ran to $157. I laughed and asked him to find my license so I can leave.
Yeah, I proceed to wait for upwards of half an hour outside again. Then, come to find out, they can’t find my license and after all that, I have to call the main office today to grab my license. Completely absurd.
I just can’t understand how a place could treat someone like that. I’m sure I am not the only one. When I was waiting on my license last night, I saw a few of the workers get in other people’s faces for what appeared to be no reason. None of these people were being rowdy or rude. All of this treatment is completely unnecessary.
I can never recommend people to go to Rumor Lounge. For guys, paying $25 to get in and then being treated like that is not worth it. It’s not worth paying $500 for bottle service because the VIP treatment is not a step up from how they treat “normal” people. And ladies, it’s not worth going to this place unless you are looking for those guys who are willing to pay $25 just to be in a group of other people who are willing to pay $25 to get into an establishment when there are much better places to go to in Boston that has little or no admission charge. Needless to say, it may be for a particular kind of crowd.
And had I known that Kendrick Perkins was going to show up at my hotel the next day, I would have never gone. But I’m glad I did, so I can spread the word on this place. Clearly this place prides itself on the “potential” of a celebrity showing up. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Neither Perkins or Cassell showed up that night.
Overall rating: D (69). Thank goodness for those bartenders or else this would have been an easier decision.
Pros
Great bartenders
Great atmosphere
Women will talk to you
Cons
Prices for admission and service not worth value presented
Pretty much everything else
Management
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