I used to love this place. I was easily their most consistent regular. I brought friends and family constantly, introduced countless people to the bar, and many of those people became regulars themselves. There were times I was the only customer in the place for hours. I always spoke highly of Washington Square--not just for the pizza, but for the staff and the atmosphere.
I regularly ordered drinks and food for myself and others, tipped well (often more than my bill), and genuinely cared about this business. I even offered suggestions on how to bring in more customers beyond the ones I personally brought, and volunteered to help with small tasks when staff seemed overwhelmed--without expecting anything in return.
On two separate occasions, I calmly handled situations where aggressive individuals came in making a scene. Instead of escalating things or involving police, I bought them food and escorted them out peacefully. I was there to support the place during slow business hours, not just to take from it.
About two months ago, the energy shifted. Two staff members who previously welcomed me and regularly engaged with me suddenly became cold and dismissive for no clear reason. I couldn't understand why. I still greeted them kindly, complimented them, cracked jokes to lighten the mood, and tried to be respectful--but nothing changed. Eventually, I stopped coming in during their shifts because the vibe felt uncomfortable.
One afternoon, I was there with five friends--people I had met at this bar. Everything was positive. The staff working at that time had no issue with me, and everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. Then two afternoon-shift staff members arrived, both immediately bringing negative energy.
One of them had previously made multiple comments to me about whether I was "going to tip her good," despite the fact that I always tip well and have tipped more than my bill many times. At the time, I brushed it off, but in hindsight, those comments were unnecessary and inappropriate.
I still tried to say hello and compliment both of them. I was completely ignored. At some point, I casually commented to the person next to me that they "used to like me." That comment triggered an explosive and public verbal attack directed at me. I have never been spoken to like that in my life.
There were five customers who witnessed this happen, all of whom were shocked by how sudden, aggressive, and unprofessional it was--especially considering I had done nothing to provoke it. I repeatedly apologized purely to de-escalate the situation, even though I did not believe I had done anything wrong.
As I was already preparing to leave, the other staff member was instructed to step in and tell me to leave--rudely--as if I wasn't already doing so. I have never been kicked out of an establishment before.
Two of the customers who had just met me actually left with me because they felt so uncomfortable and bad about how I was treated. We went across the street to grab food and talk about what had just happened, along with another friend who had witnessed the entire situation.
Less than ten minutes after arriving on shift, the staff member who had berated me came across the street to where I was sitting. I stood up calmly and asked, "Can we talk about it?" Her response was, "Fuck you, get away from me or I'm calling the cops." I immediately sat down, disengaged completely, and left shortly afterward.
Later that evening, I was told that a guy I had just met--whose name I don't even know--went back to Washington Square and had words with her about how poorly I had been treated. I had no involvement in that interaction. Despite this, I am now banned from the establishment for someone else's actions. That makes no sense.
What hurts most is that I know when I'm wrong, and I take accountability seriously. If I had done something inappropriate, I would own it and apologize sincerely. This felt like an attack on my character when I had done nothing but support this business.
If roles were reversed and I treated a customer--especially a loyal, respectful regular--the way I was treated here, I would expect to be fired immediately. Instead, it appears that because two staff members live together, there may be internal bias or coordination influencing how this was handled.
I know that the majority of the staff and regulars would vouch for my character. I've also heard similar complaints from other customers about these same two individuals.
Way to start off Black History Month by banning your most loyal Black customer.
To everyone else at Washington Square--I still appreciate you, and you know exactly who this review is about read more