Pub Crawl: Vol De Nuit

I haven't written in a bit. I apologize. I've been sick and still am. Nevertheless, on to the beer!

For all of you New Yorkers tired of your favorite watering hole, I offer you the Pub Crawl, a random posting about places to get injected with quality beer in NYC.

This time we are going to focus on Vol De Nuit, a little Belgian beer bar on West 4th in the West Village. I had hoped to start the Pub Crawl off with a more positive note, but alas, I feel it is more important to heed caution.

DO NOT GO TO VOL DE NUIT!

Do they have a bad selection of beer? No, all Belgian, though they could be a bit more adventurous on the selection.

Crappy Atmosphere? Nope, dark, comfy couches, maybe the music is a tad loud.

What is it then? The owners prey on people like you and me. They know that all we have eaten are some frites to fight back the effects of a couple Tripels. They know that with prices ranging from 5 to 15$ bucks a beer, the tab can add up quickly and with that big bill, you will opt to pay with plastic. They know all this, so when it comes to paying your bill with credit, they slap on a fee they call "TAX". It isn't a minimum tab amount that many places require to justify the credit card fee, it isn't even a set fee for use of a card, but rather a fee of somewhere in the neighborhood of 11% of your total tab, beer included. Now, I am not a tax lawyer or even an accountant, but I am guessing that calling something a TAX when it really is a service charge has to be illegal. If it isn't, it still leaves you with lying to the customer. Lastly, there isn't a sign explaining this wack policy. By the time the customer has realized what has happened, the card has been swiped, making it that much harder to dispute. It then puts the customer in an awkward situation with the bartenders and you want to blame them, but they push it on to the owner and beg you not to stiff them their tip.

There really isn't anything we can do except voice our opinion and vote with our dollar. Therefore, no matter how nice the place is to get a Belgian Ale on tap, there are other places to go in this big city. I am not going back to Vol Du Nuit till they change their policy and stop this predatory behavior. I suggest you do the same.

For the next pub crawl, I promise it will be a place that you will want to go. Until then, your favorite watering hole will have to do...