Recently, I tweeted about an experience I had at Clifford, “T.I.” Harris’ restaurant Trap City Café, where not only was I charged incorrectly, but the sh*t was too high. Anyway, and I xweeted about, and of course it went viral. My complaint, specifically, was about the price of $33.22, for two tacos and six wings for a TO-GO order. Somehow me not wanting to be overcharged turned into people who have no idea how much money I had, calling me broke.
It’s funny how is not wanting to be overcharged broke behavior, as if letting people f*ck you financially, leads to prosperity. I do not know.
Okay, so here some backstory.
I have lived in Atlanta for 10 years. I am a transplant. People move everyday, B, so spare me the conjecture about why I can’t have an opinion on a place that I have spent a good portion of my life. I also travel extensively as a performer. Most of my travel has been stateside and I have been to 47 states, most more than three times. I have visited the largest cities to the smallest towns, all over the country. I’ve been to Houston, New York, D.C., Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas and Denver, more times than I can count for each place, not even including the other cities I’ve been to only once or twice, like L.A, Detroit, etc. HELL, I HAVE EVEN BEEN TO NORTH DAKOTA….MORE THAN ONCE! One year I cleared 29 states—by April. I grew up in Chicago and Orlando—a city known for its good food and a city known for its hospitality—respectively, so I know a thing or two about a wet spoon in another state. I say that as a counter to anyone who feels my previous critiques of Atlanta are based on not having been anywhere, or is it possible that I’ve been more places and that’s why my critique for here is so strong?
Aight, so boom: it was Tuesday night (Dec.10), and Usher was singing his heart out. My best friend and I were in V.I.P., you know, the brokey section, having the time of our lives. After the concert ended, the personal pan pizza, lacked the satiation factor that I would normally want for $18, so by the end of the concert—a b*tch was still hungry. On the way back to my vehicle, I called my partner-in-grind and informed him I was coming over but I was hungry. He informed me that the food pickings were slim at his place, and I’m not trying to hunch on an empty stomach, ‘cause I’m old. We decide to go and get something together, since he lives pretty close to the arena. By this point, it is after midnight-thirty and TCC is pretty close to where he lives, and well, it’s open.
We were looking for food, not adventure and didn’t want to go too far from his house, so it was either that or Magic City Kitchen—where the strips of breasts aren’t just the food, if you catch my drift.
Much to my chagrin, we chose TCC. Oh boy.
Now, it was not my first time going, in fact I had gone the Tuesday prior for their poetry night, to plug a show I was doing elsewhere, that Friday. I had also ordered the shrimp tacos, I would come to complain about a week later, (even though I knew better, remember, the options were limited and it was late the second time I went). The show’s host was also part of the Friday show I was headlining, so it wasn’t as if I was stepping on toes, plus there were not a lot of toes in there, because it was pretty dead. There were maybe 20 patrons in total, but most were part of two parties, so most tables were empty. When it was time to perform, the host suggested I do multiple pieces, to kill some of the dead space. In all fairness, it was brutally cold, but the venue I went to the night before was packed, with the same sh*tty weather. There were tables on the stage, so close that if a performer farted, it would season the food. Even though there were other seating options, there was a man sitting at one of the tables, alone. As I am performing, his phone rings and he answers it. Now, I’m doing my thug thizzle but still looking at this man, incredulously as f*ck. When I get off the stage, later I see him behind the bar and make a joke about him being on the phone. “Oh, it was a customer,” I’m a f*cking customer, what do you even mean?! The few people who performed (three) had to talk over the two groups of people (who made up the bulk of paltry attendees). It was not a culture conducive for developing the culture. I was then informed that the $20 dollars I was almost charged to park, which I negotiated down to $10, was only supposed to be $10 for the poetry night, anyway.
GRAND F*CKING HUSTLE, LET’ S GOOOOOO!
Ok so back to the 10th, which is now the 11th. We get there and park, I make friendly banter with the valet, (this is not a valet venue) and the security—EVERYONE WAS NICE, I must state that—because really, they were the only things good about the establishment. We were informed about the parking for $20, in this uncovered, barely paved, cramped parking lot, but since we were doing takeout, he let it slide. My partner-in-grind was still patted down at the door by a n*gga in a bullet proof vest with a gun and my pepper spray was confiscated because, that’s what happens at cafés that don’t sell coffee.
We order our food. It was pushing 1am at this point and there are about 10 to 15 or so people there. We are the only ones who have ordered food from the bar, while we were there. The food takes a bit longer than I’m used to, it was at least a 20-minute wait, but not egregiously long, just long for people who didn’t have a lot of customers. I order two shrimp tacos, they come on a grilled pita like bread with no tomatoes, (you have to ask). Just lettuce, grilled shrimp and some cheap shredded cheese that you can tell was out the package cold. There was no sour cream, just salsa. He orders the wings. These are not attached wings—just small drums and flats. No carrots. No celery (yuck). No accouterments, just wangs and ranch.
The food was not even bad, it was just okay.
Listen, I have been to some expensive-ass restaurants and paid not just my bill but other people’s bills, but this is crazy. We ordered two small food items. I attempted to look for the receipt for this article, but I could not find it. Still, according to my credit card, my bill was exactly $33.22. Let’s review this shall we; two items, no drinks and no sides.
My tacos, at $6 a piece equal $12, his six wings (which were not whole wings by the way, they were flats and drums unattached), were $13. That brings us to $25, for our subtotal, which now brings us to $5 tip, plus the 2% convenience charge which was only 54 cents, but it was still extra, and principles and sh*t, ‘cause convenient for whom? The convenience fee is calculated by adding the 8.92% sales tax and the subtotal at 2%. The T.I.P. was calculated by adding the subtotal plus the tax (why he added the tax in the gratuity when it’s not revenue he made, I don’t know, but that’s been some new sh*t people have been on recently).
We both look at the bill like, “oh, Atlanta sh*t—AGAIN,” as we experienced something similar the previous Friday at another establishment.” We pay and leave.
I do not tip her extra, cause I’m blown by this extra fee PLUS the mandatory 20% on TAKEOUT.
But get this, come to find out, per their own website, gratuity is 10% percent for takeout and 20% for dine-in.
WHY WERE WE CHARGED A 20% TIP, T.I.P.?
For the purpose of this article, I tried to find the receipt and couldn’t but I did find another receipt, and man, sigh. This establishment not only charged a woman for the same item, TWICE, but charged her two different prices. She also ordered the shrimp tacos but made out worse than I did. She was charged $15 for three tacos, and then an ADDITIONAL $18 FOR THE SAME TACOS.
THAT IS WILD AS THE TALIBANNNNNNN!
Now, in all fairness, the Google reviews for the café are fair at 4.1 rating but those TripAdvisor and Yelp reviews, are not so kind. The Google reviews that are not 4 or 5 stars, all had the same complaints about the parking, prices and food quality. Mr. ChimeTime, who is a popular TikTok foodie, called the food, “a f*cking disgrace,” and gave it 1.8 out of 10.
@mr.chimetime T.I. I Luh you, HUGE FAN ????????✊????.. but this TRASH????️???? #ncfoodie #foodreview #atlantarestaurants #atlantaeats #trapcitycafe ♬ original sound – Mr.ChimeTime
We all can’t be lying on T.I.
This is not the only Atlanta eatery, T.I. has cooked up. Back in 2015, he and his business partner Charles Hughes, opened an upscale restaurant, Scales 925; it closed in 2016. Former employees of the restaurant would later sue him for FRAUD and unpaid wages. The restaurant would eventually go into Chapter 7 bankruptcy and be evicted for unpaid rent. Last month, it was announced that he and Killer Mike boooooo, would partner in the reopening of Bankhead Seafood. Let’s see how long this will last before yet another business is in troubleman. Don’t forget he technically closed down Houston’s restaurant in Buckhead after a successful boycott of the establishment, claiming racism. He was not there, but rather led the boycott on behalf of real estate fauxgul and z-list actress Ernestine Johnson, who made the claim. Now I’m not saying she wasn’t profiled, but what I am saying is someone who is okay with defrauding her own people, should probably sh*t the f*ck up.
At the end of the day, it was not about the $33.22. Hell, my dog eats better than most people. My cats do alright, too. I have been VERY broke before, but it surely wasn’t that night, or this year. Not wanting to waste your money doesn’t make you broke, it actually means you are fiscally responsible.
It was the fleecing that bothers me.
It is from a pseudo-conscious rapper that got a hold of a thesaurus and became all talk. This is the same person pretending to be for the community, while overcharging and giving bad service to his own people. Where the f*ck is the money even going, not to his intro to computer science ass website that’s for damn sure, and definitely not to his ambience, in that sh*ttily painted hole-in-the-wall that is mooded in melancholy black, and I know it’s a sh*tty paint job because I actually paint art on walls for money. NO ONE LIKES HIDDEN FEES. But it is suddenly okay when a MILLIONAIRE does it to his own people, just cause he’s made some bops?! Spare me, like a f*cking rib. If you had confidence in your product, then you would not need to lie about its cost. You would also have that same confidence in the price you charge.
T.I. had the opportunity to make Trap City Café a real staple of the community and be the man of the people he paints himself out to be, especially after the fall of Apache Café. However, now, he prefers rubber bands over staples. He is just another hustleman.
Atlanta is so rich in musical and entertainment history but if these up-and-coming artists can’t even afford to go to places to hone their crafts, then where else can they go, definitely not to Bella Noche. Hell, if the audience can’t afford to go, then what? I am so sick and tired of rappers opening restaurants. Y’all suck at that sh*t, I’m talking to you too, Quavo, and Ludacris, COOK IN THAT BOOTH B*TCH! Let that beat pop and not that grease.
I am absolutely not saying that people should not venture off and explore new passions, but how passionate are you really about your business when you clearly don’t give a f*ck about how you treat your customers. I just want T.I. to match his panties with his bra and get his sh*t together!
