On a 100° day, water was confiscated upon entry and no water stations provided. Water sold for $2 per bottle. Guest were allowed to bring in ice and could visit bathrooms to take water from sinks. Additionally, some beers were clearly not filtered correctly and filled with hop residue.
No one bothered to check us anyway which is unacceptable in this day and age. I don't mind waiting in a line for a security check, it's nice to see, actually. We could've walked right in with a case of beer and a small army of angry hobos and no one would've been the wiser.
-- 2nd UPDATE: The call from ownership was clearly lip service based on reviews of their most recent event. It would seem that very little has been done to address these issues. I've updated my star rating.
It was clearly an attitude of packing as many paying people inside while ignoring the necessary details to make sure the event continued to run smoothly. Those dedicated folks who did work inside the event were fighting a losing battle so I applaud them for their efforts.
Rude patrons, very little security to handle such a large crowd. Lots of people drunk and hopefully did not drive home. People would take things right off your table or step on you or your things. Extremely long lines for everything. Bands were great but will never return or purchase from the Vineyard again. Still feeling the effects of second hand smoke....cigars, cigarettes and pot. Heard lots of people got in for free, ticking off those of us that paid....If your expecting an enjoyable time, don't waste your money and find a better organized event. Hyped beer was mediocre at best. Could have been an incredible event if it was managed by people with experience hosting large events. Hope the profits go back into providing a better customer experience.
Next year I'll buy a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20, go to a McDonald's that has a Playplace and listen to the music on my iPhone.
We had a lovely Christmas party there. Very nice for a gathering.
The event started in the afternoon. It appears the main planning for this event took place that morning.
-- 1st UPDATE: One of the partners at The Vineyard at Hershey called me personally to discuss these issues. He was very cordial and we enjoyed a candid conversation about ways that events could be improved in the future to provide better customer service and information if issues like this arise. He explained that there have been very real issues with guests smuggling in vodka disguised as water and these instances have forced the "no outside beverages" rule. I was informed that there are water fountains on the premises that can be used by guests that have concerns (one person in our party was diabetic and was very worried about having water). Also, as I mentioned below, water coolers with ice are allowed and these water fountains can be utilized if there are any health concerns. I applaud him for picking up the phone and having a hard discussion with an upset customer. I've retained my original post for transparency.
The only goal is to make money at the expense of paying customers. Too many tickets sold for the Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms and Blues Traveler concert. Very limited space to park and then you need to schlep your stuff for a very long walk. A total cluster.....
My husband and I went to the concert at the end of August. I enjoy the wine and my husband enjoys the beer but the planning of this event was terrible. I will never attend such a large event at this location again. The staff made us walk through the crowds to check in which defeats the purpose of checking bags. In fact the people next to us came in and put there stuff down before checking in. Another guy said he didn't have a ticket but came in anyway and had someone getting his drinks for him. The parking situation was very confusing as they continuously redirected traffic to different areas on the property. People were walking in the middle of where they were directing traffic. There wasn't any kind of traffic control at the intersection leading to the winery so traffic was stopped in the middle of the intersection and vehicles not headed to the event were forced to go the wrong way on the road to get around the event traffic. They were charging $2.00 per bottle of water with no other water option to those that were heavily consuming alcohol. My husband stated that of all of the concerts that he has been to, this one had the most visibly intoxicated people that he has ever seen. I was really not impressed this time.
That also goes for the placement of the bathrooms. No one even bothered to refill the water inside the remote hand washing stations or collect the trash.
There were not enough stations to buy beer/wine or even water. The stations that were there were totally unorganized and placed in areas that made it difficult to form any type of line and was grossly understaffed.
The weather, music and company we're all good. Aside from that it was an exercise in poor planning on the part of the business. From the lack of traffic control at a main intersection leading into the event to actually getting into the event it was completely unorganized.
I read the rules before entering as far as no outside alcohol or even bottles of water which I understood. I still brought in 4 bottles of water but otherwise obeyed the rules. I shouldn't have for several reasons:
The Vineyard At Hershey is a US Bar based in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The Vineyard At Hershey is located at 598 Schoolhouse Rd, Middletown, PA 17057, USA.
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