NEW LOCATION!

MY NEW OFFICE --
18663 Ventura Blvd, Suite 202, Tarzana CA 91356
818-938-9505

Monday, December 04, 2006

Bad Restaurant Experience

I went out to dinner tonight with some vegetarian friends. We had a great time. I was looking forward to taking pictures and featuring the restaurant on this blog, because I love to help a vegetarian restaurant, and I know that most people who visit this blog do so via a search engine.

I won't name the restaurant, because I don't want to give them negative publicity. But the service was terrible! The waitress wouldn't let us order unless we gave the "number" of the dish -- in order, I couldn't say, "I want pad thai", I would have to say "I want number 38". She kept trying to clear off the extra placemat, even though we kept telling her that we were waiting on one more person. Then, one of our friends who didn't get soup, asked that her entree be brought out with the soups because she was hungry. Not only was it not brought out with soup, but it was the absolute last dish to come out! Food items were just dropped on the table, rather than them asking who it belonged to and walking around our table of five people and delivering the food. Entrees didn't come out together, but were haphazardly dropped off over a period of fifteen minutes. And, finally, the avocado coconut milkshake was not good at all. It was all so impersonal.

We were all quite disappointed. I'd like to find some way to provide feedback to the restaurant, in a constructive manner. After all, I'd like to see a vegetarian restaurant do well and stay in business, especially in Boston where we only have 5 or 6 veg restaurants.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thats just awful if i were you i would complain to the restaurant manager that way you can get your views across without effecting the business.

Melissa said...

If they have email, email them. If not, call the restaurant and ask to speak to the manager. Or you could even go in person and ask for a few minutes of their time. You already sound like you're being reasonable about it (ie not giving them bad publicity) so kindly explain how you felt about the whole experience and what you think needs to change; whether it be how the servers act or what the restaurant is doing as a whole.

I'm a server and I know that the biz isn't perfect and things often need to change. I would love to see a disappointed guest try to talk to a manager and actually care about it, and not just be trying to get a free meal out of it. Often, when there's a problem, people just stiff the waiter, but that doesn't solve the problem in the kitchen, front of house, etc. because the manager doesn't find out about the problem. And then if it is a server problem, their attitude is influenced by those tips even more.

Wow, I rambled on. So yes, just try to speak to the manager, give them your point of view. If I was a mgr, I would love advice on how to please my guests. And it sounds like you got a really crummy server.

Danielle said...

Heather, I am sorry you had such a bad experience. I would definitely complain to the restaurant.

okramary, which restaurant was this that you went to?

um yeah said...

Was the rest of the food okay? Is there a really good veg. restaurant in Boston? I'm there a lot and it would be cool to visit one. :)

Nikk said...

Ugh. That stinks.

I don't go to many of the very few veg places around Boston. I am familiar with the veg friendly menus everywhere though.

My absolute favorite veg place in the area is really low key and ultra casual--a serve yourself buffet with a few custom options available. It's in Waltham on Moody St and totally vegan & macrobiotic. It's called Masao's Kitchen. He does have weird hours, so sometimes it's not a great option for dinner, but it is really good food! I went there four days in a row last week (not by choice, but it was not a hardship!).