I hate leaving a bad review because I almost never do, especially for a place I've supported for…read moreyears. I've been coming here since the day they opened, usually 3-4 times a month, and I've always had great experiences. My son will only eat vegetables if they're their hibachi vegetables, so we order them all the time. Even after they stopped offering hibachi vegetables as a side, they've always been kind enough to make them for us anyway. The staff has always been friendly, accommodating, and the food has consistently been amazing.
Unfortunately, today's experience was completely different.
I placed my order at 5:05 PM. I wasn't given a wait time, which was fine--I could tell they were busy on the phone, so I assumed it would take a while. I waited about 45 minutes before heading there, thinking my food would be ready. It wasn't. I ended up waiting even longer and didn't receive my order until around 6:05 PM, so over an hour after I placed it. While the wait was frustrating, I understood they were busy and wasn't upset about it.
As I started driving home, I decided to check the bag because of how hectic things seemed inside. Sure enough, the yum yum sauce was missing. I had ordered both hibachi vegetables and a hibachi meal, which normally come with yum yum sauce and ginger sauce. I always ask to swap the ginger sauce for an extra yum yum sauce because I don't use the ginger sauce.
I turned around and went right back. I politely explained that the yum yum sauce wasn't in my bag and asked if I could get the two yum yum sauces instead. The woman at the front looked at me like she didn't believe me, went to the back, came back with the sauces, and then asked if I had cash to pay for them.
I was honestly shocked. I explained that the sauces were never in my bag to begin with and even offered to bring the bag inside if she wanted to see it. I had literally just left, realized they were missing, and drove straight back. It made no sense to be questioned or asked to pay for something that should have been included with my meal.
To be clear, this wasn't about the money. Their food isn't cheap, and compared to other hibachi and sushi restaurants in the area, they're definitely on the pricier side. I'm there three or four times a month, so I probably spend $150-$200 there every month. If I had actually wanted extra sauce, I would have gladly paid for it. What bothered me was being asked to pay for something that should have already been in my bag. I had already waited over an hour for my food. If the sauces had been there, I would have gone home and eaten. I certainly wouldn't have driven back just to try to get free sauce. The only reason I turned around was because my son and I won't eat our hibachi without yum yum sauce--he literally won't touch it without it.
What made the experience even more disappointing was the attitude. I've always known this restaurant for having friendly, welcoming staff, especially toward my son. Today, the woman at the front seemed irritated with almost everyone she interacted with, not just me.
I also overheard another customer mention that she had been told her order would take 30-45 minutes, but she had been waiting much longer as well. If the kitchen is backed up, that's understandable, but giving customers a realistic estimate would go a long way.
This one experience won't erase years of great food and excellent service, and I'll probably still come back because we genuinely love this restaurant. I just hope today's experience was an exception and not a sign that customer service is slipping. Waiting over an hour for food is one thing, but then having to drive back because part of the order was missing and being treated like I was trying to get free sauce was really disappointing.