Rick's American Cafe - East Lansing

I had a horrible experience at Rick's on Saturday night, October 27, 2018. When I arrived, I had to use the ATM to withdraw cash for the cover charge. I took out $20, paid for both myself and my boyfriend, and received my driver's license back. However, the staff then told my boyfriend that he couldn't enter. Why would they let me pay if they weren't going to allow him in? They refused to refund my money and were extremely rude to us. We've always enjoyed our visits to Rick's and have never had any issues before this night. Due to the way we were treated, we will never return. My dad, who works with local law enforcement, agreed that they shouldn't have kept my $20!

The service was quite good, but the restaurant itself was in disarray. The floor had about an inch of some sort of liquid on it, and there wasn’t even any rain that night. Unfortunately, 80% of the bathroom stalls were filled with vomit and were overflowing. There were far too many patrons who had overindulged in alcohol. However, I do see a lot of potential for this place. It just needs to be cleaned up, along with the clientele.

This is a neat little basement bar that caters to college students. However, the experience was marred by a rude young man at the entrance who collected the cover charge. He attempted to charge us twice, despite the mark on our hand indicating we had already paid. It wasn't until I mentioned an employee’s name that he finally allowed us to leave. Meanwhile, the rest of our group was still inside. We had to step outside to call an Uber because there was no cell reception inside.

The restaurant had a rating of 3.6 stars at the time of my visit, which is quite disappointing. It's a pity because the place has the potential to be much better.

I don't usually take the time to leave reviews, but when I do, they’re positive. This place is a lot of fun!