We came to Phoenix Buffet specifically for lunch pricing and arrived before 4:00 PM because their…read morewebsite lists lunch as Mon-Fri 11 AM-4 PM.
The day before, my daughter called the restaurant twice to confirm the pricing before we came. The first call at 6:03 PM was to ask about the lunch cutoff time, and she was told lunch pricing was until 4:00 PM. The second call at 6:05 PM was to make sure July 3 would not be charged as holiday pricing since July 4 was the holiday.
Because of the website and those phone calls, we made a point to arrive before 4:00 PM. When we received the receipt, I saw that it showed 3:48 PM, but we had been charged dinner pricing. At first, I thought it was just a misunderstanding, so I mentioned it to our waitress.
The waitress told me the sign inside says lunch ends at 3:45 PM. I did not realize there was a different time posted inside, so I walked up to see where the sign was located. It was not something we would have seen when walking directly to seating, especially when the website says lunch is until 4:00 PM and we had called ahead to confirm.
I then went to the front station and spoke with a man there. I explained that we came in based on the website and the phone confirmation and asked if an adjustment could be made. He acknowledged that the website needs to be corrected, but still said no adjustment could be made. When I explained that my daughter had called ahead to confirm, he said no one there would have told her lunch pricing was until 4:00 PM and asked who told her that. I would not know the name of the person who answered the phone, but his response felt dismissive, disrespectful, and not helpful.
The food itself was also disappointing. Every item we tried lacked flavor. The sushi rolls were bland, especially the rice, and the rice and fish tasted lower quality and not flavorful. Overall, the food was subpar even for buffet-style dining. We have been to several Asian buffets, and this was not a place we would choose to return to.
The atmosphere also felt uncomfortable at times. While staff were putting food out at the buffet, there was loud communication between staff, including someone speaking over an intercom or speaker system near the buffet area. I have not experienced that in a buffet restaurant before, and it was distracting while we were trying to eat.
Overall, this was disappointing. At the very least, if the customer service had been handled well, it may have softened the experience. Instead, the pricing issue, lack of adjustment, food quality, and atmosphere made the whole visit feel awful.
If the lunch cutoff is 3:45 PM, the website and phone information should clearly say that. Customers should not be charged dinner pricing when they relied on the restaurant's own posted online hours and phone confirmation.
I was really hoping this would be a good local place for us because we live nearby, but after this experience, I do not recommend this restaurant.
I included photos to show the website lunch hours, call logs, receipt time, and the in-restaurant sign showing the different lunch cutoff.
