Topic: Discrimination
This negative review only applies for those that are not Korean. But being in America, I would not expect this to happen for any restaurant that wants customers coming back.
Disclaimer
This is the first negative review I have ever given a restaurant. And
I do not speak Korean.
I have been fortunate enough to have many korean friends who have graciously taken me to many korean restaurants. Now I have developed quite a liking to Korean foods , especially the small dishes and here at Choong Hwa Woon, I loved the way the jja jang myun is made in-house and the texture is excellent.
Many a times I have been to Choong Hwa Woon and had excellent service and wonderful jja jang myun here. I have sincerely appreciated their warm greetings and quick service from their staff. Each time I have come (around 5+ times now), I have had at least one Korean-speaking friend accompanying me. As a side note: generally, I am a pretty easy going gal and I am not easily offended. It has never bothered me for example when the servers only speak to the Korean customer among us.
Therefore, I was very excited to introduce my family for their VERY FIRST TIME to Choong Hwa Woon to try Korean jja jang myun, hoping it to be as delightful for them as it was for me.
We visited Choong Hwa Woon without any Korean friends on this occasion. In essence let me tell you a couple highlights of our visit which has severely disappointed me as a regular customer.
1. The Jja Jang (Myun ) - Noodles was American boxed PASTA!!! They usually serve you the sauce in a separate bowl. This time, it seemed odd they put the sauce on top, but a thin layer of the in-house noodles and filled most the bowl with what appears to be boxed angelhair pasta. The texture is completely different, it is brittle and not at all like the house - made jja jang myun.
Having eating here on other numerous occasions, they have never mixed in the American pasta in my dish. No one even had the courtesy to tell us they didn't use the regular myun, maybe they figured we wouldn't notice (but being a regular customer, I knew immediately - it was too obvious not to)
I was eating Jja Jang Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta!!
2. Usually we get delivered a drink right away as we sit down. On this occasion we were not offered anything to drink right away. I was patient, even though there were only 2 other tables and the servers were not busy, they never stopped by. Even after we finished one round of small dishes, I had to ask twice just for drinks. We waited until our jja jiang myun came just to get some warm tea.
3. The most important part. My family and I was constantly thanking them (in Korean and English) and smiling to them with every service. I didn't get so much as a smile. As they said good bye to everyone else on their way out. After I paid (full tip as usual) and said good bye and thank you. They barely looked up and didn't greet us at all. (even though they speak English just fine).
Again: the aforementioned have NEVER happened to me when I have come here in the past with my Korean friends.
In all fairness, it may have been the staff that night was as a group particularly unfriendly to non-korean customers. But as a regular customer, this unfortunate occasion has made me be disappointed by Choong Hwa Woon, and sadness for my family's first experience at a korean restaurant.
My hope is that this experience will inspire some attitude change in the management/staff at Choong Hwa Woon.
Because Discrimination is Ignorance.
God Bless. read more