Let me premise this by saying that it takes a lot for me to be dissatisfied with a restaurant. You can see from my other reviews that I love to give positive reviews to small businesses. I worked in customer service for years, including many restaurants, and I understand the difficulties of food service. Because of that, I also feel that I'm able to identify when there's poor supervision and management which makes it acceptable for employees to not put effort into their jobs, at the expense of the restaurant not functioning well and being unfair to employees who actually pull their weight.
I pass by this place quite often and have really been wanting to give it a try. It always seemed packed on the weekends so I figured the food had to be good. Unfortunately this was not the case, and the quality of both food and service was extremely poor. My girlfriend ordered a single patty smash burger and cheese fries, and I ordered the kofta burger with an impossible patty and tater tots, requesting that it not have bell pepper or paprika due to an allergy. When we came home, we discovered that my girlfriend had not been given the cheese on her fries. At this point it seemed like a minor mistake, and so she went back for them to add the cheese. I waited for her to get the correct food before starting my meal, and didn't think they would make mistakes with *both* of our orders, so I didn't discover until she got back that my order was also wrong. I had been given a plain burger with what I am positive was beef, not an impossible patty, based on the taste and texture.
When I went back to the restaurant, the cashiers in the front treated me like I was incompetent. I do not say that lightly, because I've seen many customer service interactions where a customer is left with that impression even though there was nothing in an employee's demeanor to make that inference. That was not the case here. First they tried to insist that it was an impossible patty and not meat. I know that's untrue, because when I was given the correct order, the patty tasted completely different. I've had enough impossible patties to know what they taste like, and my girlfriend, who eats meat, also tasted it and thought it was meat. Then they tried to make it seem like the most logical thing that because I had requested it to be made without bell pepper, that meant they should also take out the jalapenos and onions. They also said that they didn't include the kofta seasoning because it had paprika, but if it was the case that I couldn't order this item because of an allergy, they should have contacted me and informed me of that, because I was charged the price of the kofta burger but got a plain burger; in other words, I was overcharged. If someone tells you they have an allergy, a reasonable person would also think to check other items for that ingredient. I'm not sure what it was that I ate, but something else in that order had bell pepper or paprika, because I still had an allergic reaction.
When I had to go replace my order, I also asked if I could get the tater tots with cheese sauce. I feel that this was a minor request considering that they messed up both of our orders, and even clarified if it would cost extra (even though they had overcharged me for that burger). Finally after waiting for more than 20 minutes, I got the new order and the tater tots had no cheese sauce. I asked to get the cheese and the cashier just looked at me sheepishly and said "it's in the kitchen so I can't get it for you." I'm sorry but is the whole purpose of a restaurant not... that food comes from the kitchen to the front of the house and then to customers?
I've dealt with a lot of rude customers, and I don't think I did anything to warrant the condescension I was treated with. I did not raise my voice, roll my eyes, use insulting language, and was otherwise calm through this interaction. I waited twenty minutes for this food with no complaints or asking when the food would be ready. I don't know what I did that I was treated like I was stupid, other than perhaps being a woman because both of the cashiers I interacted with were men. It left a very sour taste in my mouth.
The food itself was not good and was not worth the wait. The burger and tater tots were limp and bland, and the impossible patty was extremely thin for the fact that it cost extra. For the amount of time I waited for the onions and jalapenos, the portion was also tiny. My girlfriend's smash burger and fries were also very bland and limp. Also the game controllers at the table were very greasy, and I would think those should be sanitized between customers.
If you're in Brooklyn Heights, my recommendations would be Banhmigos (right across the street), Lychee Nut, Barbalu, BareBurger, Masala Grill, Thai on Clinton, the Salma Halal cart, or K Pot if you're looking for a group hangout spot. All of them have exponentially better food and customer service. read more