1 star review for their automatic 20% gratuity added to our bill that our waitress failed to mention to us, including her sub-par service and terrible drinks.
My husband and I have passed this restaurant multiple times on the way to work, as we are both employees of Northwell Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital on Franklin ave. Since this establishment has an outdoor patio area in the front to dine in, we thought it would be nice to come check it out one night for dinner.
So we decided to come yesterday right after work. My husband showed up first around 4 o'clock and I showed up around 4:45pm as per our work schedules. My husband ordered a sangria and an order of empanadas to start with. He also ordered me a sangria upon my arrival.
The empanadas were tasty, I cannot say the same for the sangria. It tasted like watered down juice, with fruit cocktail thrown inside. Typically, sangria has fresh cut up fruit inside, not fruit from the can. It tasted extremely bland. I opted for a water right after that, and my husband ordered a beer.
For the entrée part, my husband ordered their pescado frito (fried fish) with yucca and salsa criolla. I ordered the Anticuchos (calf heart) with a side of yellow rice. The food was good and it came out quickly.
It really is unfortunate that the remainder of our visit ended the way it did, because we would have returned. Upon asking for the bill, our waitress placed the black book with the bill inside on the corner of the table, and immediately asked if we were paying with cash or card, as she was standing there with the card machine. I felt like she barely gave us a chance to review the bill.
I grabbed the book as my husband was inserting his card to pay. For both of our meals, including the empanadas, 2 sangrias, and 2 beers, the total was almost $70, and the real kicker, they added a 20% gratuity fee, bringing the total to $90!!!
I immediately questioned the waitress about this, asking why she failed to mention it, especially since my husband just left an 18% tip on his card as well. She offered to cancel his additional tip, but my husband was so frustrated that he said forget it. So lucky her, she made a fat tip that she certainly did NOT deserve.
Was she hospitable upon us entering? No. I didn't even know her name. I have worked in the food business before, and a truly good server will introduce themselves, ask if the customer has been to the establishment before, and perhaps offer assistance with the menu. She did none of those things.
As for the establishment, who do you think you are? Some fine-dining Michelin star restaurant? Did you think you were located in Manhattan? The only times I have seen automatic 20% gratuity's added are in the city, Miami Beach, and for parties of 6 or more. And in this situation, it was neither of those instances!
It really, truly is a shame, that customers such as ourselves who want to support our local businesses, especially during a pandemic, in a small suburban neighborhood like Franklin Square, could be so taken advantage of.
I will never return to this establishment. I still can't believe the amount of our bill. Nor will I ever recommend them to anyone I know, and I will certainly notify all of my friends, family, and colleagues at Northwell hospital that this place is a rip-off. read more