What’s better than slurping down mimosas on a Sunday morning at your favorite bottomless brunch watering hole?
Slurping mimosas down with 2,250 others at the world-famous Grand Prospect Hall?
Not so, say a slew of those who attended BrunchCon, the food and drink festival centered around one of Brooklyn’s favorite rituals, which debuted in New York City on Sunday, March 25.
I just left @BrunchCon. Does this look like worth 50something dollars and an hour in line? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/nEUjbYrEUr
— Jasmine Nicole, YNP (@AndAllThatJas) March 26, 2017
According to Metro, some attendees — who spent between $50-$90 to booze and munch — waited almost 90 minutes to even enter the building, while others waited 30 minutes to get their drinks at the two bars which were set up for the event.
It’s packed and disorganized inside #brunchcon and they still have a long line of ppl waiting outside pic.twitter.com/eAWF1PGrqS
— megan connelly (@meganann17) March 26, 2017
“It would be nice if we didn’t have to play Jenga with the trash,” said Amanda Schifferdecker, who complained about the overflowing plates and cups as well as the slippery floor coated with sticky, spilled drinks.
Social media was in full swing, and attendees weren’t shy about their responses:
Feels like we just crawled out of a washing machine full of garbage, guacamole, and 5,000 people. Biggest con ever. #brunchcon @BrunchCon
— Samantha N. Olson (@SnoWrite124) March 26, 2017
Jasmine Nicole, YNP added, “But if someone stole your dog or your man or your money & you want revenge, send them to #BrunchCon.”
The food certainly sounded enticing. Park Slope’s own Bricolage was on hand in addition to Barrel and Fare, Greenpoint-based Café Grumpy, and about 47 other vendors.
Los Angeles-based BrunchCon released a statement, which placed the blame squarely on Grand Prospect Hall:
“The organizers of BrunchCon take all of our attendees comments and feedback very seriously, and you can rest assured that we are doing everything possible to remedy these situations for next year’s event. Our main goal is to ensure that our attendees have fun; while we did see most of our attendees laughing, enjoying delicious food from our amazing vendors, and sipping on mimosas, there were a handful of attendees who had to deal with long lines.
The main problem contributing to the lines was the size and layout of this specific venue, so we will not be returning to the Grand Prospect Hall next year. Instead, we will seek out a much bigger venue with an open floor plan that can accommodate all of our attendees and reduce the wait times. We know New Yorkers take brunch very seriously, which is why we’re committed to learning from your feedback and throwing the best BrunchCon NYC possible in 2018.”
“Hey Erica, did you have fun at BrunchCon”
Me: pic.twitter.com/xDAchIaLRH
— Erica Moss (@ericajmoss) March 27, 2017
The response begs the question: did BrunchCon look at GPH’s ground plan layout before they signed on to the venue?
In the last years, I’ve attended large events at GPH, including both the Taste of Fifth and PonyCon. Both were packed and well-executed experiences.
BrunchCon was founded in 2016. The Grand Prospect Hall opened in 1892. They’ve been making dreams come true for 125 years.
We’ll let you do the finger-pointing math.
new pulp city 