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Comix: A comedy club that can't take a joke
December 20, 2006

Warning to anyone who wants to have a private party, corporate event or Holiday Party: Stay away from Comix Comedy Club in NYC.

A few months ago, to celebrate MWW Group's 20th Anniversary, we decided to have our holiday party at our former client, Comix Comedy Club. However, from the start, they were a nightmare. Disorganized, rude and bait and switch were the Club's mode of operation. To begin, we contracted to have Joe Rogan (of Fear Factor fame) as the entertainment. After it was realistically too late to change locations, we were informed that Rogan would, in fact, not be the entertainment.

As my staff began to do the planning, they were treated rudely and with no cooperation on everything from menu planning, room set up and simple logistics. When we arrived for the party, everyone from the hostesses to the bartenders were rude and unwelcoming...that attitude continued throughout the night. But the best was yet to come.

Upon entering the show area, we discovered that they had changed our entire menu, instead of serving the food we had ordered and confirmed...they served some sort of fish and potatoes...it was a slight step above prison food. Their excuse...someone on their staff gave the chef the wrong menu. While there was a mild and insincere apology, there was no effort to make it up to us or to try and resolve the problem. I even asked them to order in Chinese food, which they refused to do. But wait, it still gets better.

During dinner I took the stage to thank my team for a great year and to present our yearly staff awards. I began my remarks with a joke about the food (after all this is a comedy club) and then went into my presentation. All very innocent stuff. As I left the stage I was accosted by one of the owners, Harlan Halper. I had expected him to apologize but instead I was treated to a barrage of insults and physical threats…threatening to have his "off duty" police security guards throw me and my staff out. When I refused to engage him in his tirade and attempted to move away from him, he became more abusive and more threatening.

I thought it best not to let their terrible attitude, poor service and threats ruin the holiday party...so, I did everything I could do to diffuse the situation. However, throughout the entire night, Halper’s henchman kept coming up to me, totally unprovoked and at the most random times to continue to harass and insult me. The Comix staff was rude to my team…bartenders were barely civil and many members of my staff were visibly upset by how we were treated.

While no credit goes to Comix, in the end people still ended up having a great time at our company party. With its horrific management and warped sense of service and hospitality, not to mention so many other NYC choices, it's no wonder that the club is a disaster and rumors of its impending failure are rampant. Those rumors are well deserved.

Posted by Michael Kempner at December 20, 2006 10:59 AM