Hey loves! Happy first day of March! Spring is upon us, and after a ROUGH month of February, I would like to begin the month with a blog post feature. For this post, I want to feature a fellow blogger, named T-Mac and her review of an event she attended in Baltimore, Maryland called Wine & Pasta: Fade II Black sponsored by Wine & Pasta Events, LLC. As much as she anticipated attending the event and supported a black-owned business, unfortunately, T-Mac's experience was not a great one. Check it out!
Wine & Pasta: Fade II Black
Hey Foodies! Time for another Fat Girl N’ Motion review!! This blog will be short, sweet and to the point. But first, let me ask a question: Why does the African American community lack customer service?
This past weekend I traveled to Baltimore to attend the Wine & Pasta: Fade II Black event at the Columbus Center. This blog is being published so quickly, because it’s fresh on my brain and I need to alert the masses of this drama immediately!! Charm City . . . what’s so charming about you? The people, the city, or both? So far, the city has proved to be charming somewhat, but the people not so much. Leading up to the event, I promoted the Wine & Pasta: Fade II Black event to my networks weekly as I stated in our initial conversation. I asked repeatedly, if I would be given a ticket and the response was “No, we will add you to our VIP list.” Cool, I suppose when I only have your word to rely on. A few days before their event, I posed the same question and received the same response.
The day has come and I’m in Baltimore! Getting dolled up in my all black, I make my way to the Columbus Center for a night of feasting in unlimited pasta, wine, and dancing with DMV’s own Secret Society band. I gave my name to the ladies at the door who had several “VIP” lists as a reference and T-Mac/Fat Girl N’ Motion name was not present on any of the lists. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have 2 of hosts number and I contacted them immediately. Planning an event can be very busy and overwhelming so I opted to text them explaining the situation at the door. Two minutes passed after no response from my text and I called Dorian (host name on the flyer) . . . “I was just about to call you.” Well now that you have me on the phone what are you going to do? Dorian asked me to give my phone to one of many “bald head security guards” or tell them Dorian said to let me in. Well Dorian, you have plenty of “bald head security guards, which one should I get for you?” Since the bald head guy wasn’t in sight, Dorian told me he was on his way. All the while, the other host Nickole is telling me her “daughter is coming to let me in” via text.
AFTER PATIENTLY WAITING FOR 40 MINUTES for either Dorian or Nickole to let me in to their extravagant party, I decided to leave!!! With a smile on my face, I sent them both a text message alerting them of my departure and I wish them much success on their event. Ten minutes later after sending my text, I receive a DM (direct message) from Nickole asking me what’s my full name? Why are you communicating with me via Instagram when I sent you a personal message to your personal phone? “I returned to my hotel after waiting. Much success on your event tonight.” Next message was sent to me an hour later asking me to come back. Hmmmm, why would I do that again? To have you waste my time again? I don’t think so.
Please note that money and time were wasted this past holiday weekend. Better yet, let me make it clear that I traveled from DC to blog about Wine & Pasta! Not too often do I show Baltimore love, but I figured I expand my network. Boy oh boy will I rethink that again, considering I reached out to the organizers asking if I could attend as a food blogger. Organization and professionalism is KEY! However, I have myself to blame too. I will make certain that I received a ticket prior to my arrival. As I reflect on this past weekend, I have a lot to be thankful for. This is one of many learning experiences I will encounter as a blogger and it’s my duty to report this type of behavior. NO ONE GETS A PASS WITH FAT GIRL N’ MOTION!! I was blown, frustrated and annoyed! While I do appreciate an apology from Nickole, I can laugh about it now. This experience further proved to me yet again that African American’s lack customer service, professionalism, and simplicity. I know it’s not “all of us,” however “us” is making it bad for the unit as a whole. “Support Black Businesses.” I have a problem with this statement on so many levels . . . let’s argue! Baltimoreans, thank you so much for showing me the light again. I will be more selective on who I choose to blog about. My apologies to my readers that I don’t have any food pictures to show. I’m sure Wine & Pasta: Fade II Black was a success, too bad I wasn’t there to see for myself.
T-Mac is the founder of Fat Girl 'N Motion. Fat Girl 'N Motion is a food blog where she shares her dining experiences while trying new dishes with adventurous foodies. While she visits restaurants, she strives to learn and try something new. It allows her to understand why she frequents restaurants of her choice, order a specific dishes, and the trends all while enjoying the comfort of food.
I hope you enjoyed T-Mac's review of the Wine & Pasta: Fade II Black event. Unfortunately, lack of professionalism, customer service, and proper communication can potentially ruin a business, especially within the African American community. Hopefully, the team from Wine and Pasta Events learned from T-Mac's experience.
Each month, I would like to feature a blog post on my site. If you would like your blog post to be featured, feel free to send me an email info@iamsohoglam.com.
Until then, be great and amazing!
I don’t know about you, but since the pandemic began, I changed how I wear my makeup while wearing my mask. I am sure a lot of us can relate. We have watered down our makeup looks. Before I begin to share how I wear my makeup, let me remind you to throw away your masks! I strongly recommend wearing a disposable mask and throwing it away at the end of the day.