First off I have held off writing a review for Little Saigon because I am a close personal friend of the owners/empolyees because I dont want to be bias....But I cant help reading one bad review by CATHY L. becasue I was dining that Sat evening when her husband came in and it was 8:35 and their last seating was at 8:30, He came in and ask if LS was still open and they had already closed the kitchen after last seating.... he leaves in a huffy puffy kind of way....and 1min later comes back inside to rant about how he thinks LS was rude for not seating and continued to use "not so nice" language and was acting like complete A*hole. Tip: if its your anniversary why didnt you make reservations? who goes out on a special occasion without a reservation? that was poor planning on thier part, and being a former server myself all through college, if he talked to me the way he did...I wouldnt have served them either, he wasnt exactly an angel by all means.
I have known the LE family for a long time and from my personal point of view they are hard working people they are there 7 days a week and work 14 hours days...must of us get at least one day off a week, so whats the big deal if they close 20min early.
They're not looking to get rich or expand or trying to franchise, they just want to provide for their families and make a decent and humble living doing what they do best...cook thier homestyle vietnamese food.
Love the food at Little Saigon the Best Vietnamese comfort food in the valley...it flavorful, tasty, and exciting.
Being a former server myself ...here are a few tips for poeple who dine out...who have never served or worked in a restaurant:
Tip 1: If a place says they close at 9pm does not mean they seat people until 9pm while you sit for there for the next hour, it means they turn off the lights and lock the door and go home at 9. So when you come in at 15min til close...ask yourself...are you going to order, get your food, eat, and leave in 15min?
Tip 2: 15% gratuity is the new minimum, 10% was fine, like 5 years ago. As the cost of living goes up... why not the tip? server's cost of living goes up too.
Tip 3: If you know your going out in a big group to eat, bring cash and throw it in the middle. Dont make the servers run 8 different cards it takes up time and its annoying. If you must have split checks then let your server know at the begining of the meal. Also when ever you have a group of 6 or more people... call ahead and see if they take reservations or have space available, not all restuarants have seating for big groups.
Tip 4: If you have allergies (shellfish, peanuts, etc...) let the server know before hand....dont wait until the dish comes out and then realize you cant eat it because of your allergies.
Tip 5: Read the menu pick something you like and order it, certain requests are understandable but DONT substitute/change this, that and the other 5 different ways. Dishes are prepared a certain way for a reason....its cooked the way its supposed to be eaten.
Tip 6: Tip 7: If there is something wrong with your dish, it wise to be discreet and polite about returning a dish. Otherwise you never know what your going to get in return (when your food comes back to your table) I heard this in a movie and I agree with it.... "Dont mess with people who handle your food" ;)
Tip 7: Treat your servers with respect. The words "Please" and "Thanks You" go a long way with your server. DO NOT " Snap" your fingers to get their attention or "shake" your glass for a refill. Servers dont like that.
Happy Dining out everyone! read more