My husband and I have always loved Capital Grille, which is why we were especially disappointed…read morewith our experience yesterday evening.
There were several issues throughout the evening that made us uncomfortable and left us feeling that the service was not consistent with the level of hospitality we have come to expect from Capital Grille.
First, when we were initially greeted, a team member approached our table speaking Spanish. My husband and I are Black, not Hispanic or Latino, and neither of us gave any indication that we spoke Spanish. While I happened to understand him because I took Spanish classes as a teenager, I found it inappropriate and uncomfortable to be greeted in Spanish based on what appeared to be an assumption about our ethnicity. I understand that people come from different cultures and that Spanish may be someone's first language, but guests should not be approached under the assumption that they are a particular ethnicity simply based on their appearance.
Unfortunately, that experience continued with our waitress. For a significant portion of our dinner, she primarily spoke to my husband rather than acknowledging or engaging with both of us. When it was time to order drinks, my husband ordered two drinks for himself. He was not ordering on my behalf; those were simply the two drinks he wanted for himself. However, she appeared to assume that he was speaking for both of us and immediately walked away after he placed his order without ever asking me what I would like. I was genuinely stunned because I did not even have an opportunity to speak or place an order.
Throughout the rest of the meal, my husband repeatedly had to direct her attention toward me so that I could participate in the conversation and be addressed directly. This left me feeling as though another assumption had been made about our relationship dynamic--that my husband was expected to speak for me or that I was not expected to order for myself. Neither of us gave any indication that this was how we wanted to be treated.
The food itself was also not quite what we are accustomed to at Capital Grille. Our meal seemed noticeably blander than usual. I ordered a filet mignon cooked medium-well. While the first few cuts appeared to be cooked appropriately, the center of the steak was visibly bright red, as shown in the photo I have attached. For reference, I understand medium-well to have only a slight amount of pink remaining, rather than a bright-red center.
What was most frustrating, however, was that I never had an opportunity to address the issue with my steak. Our waitress did not return to check on us after our entrées were served and we began eating. We watched her attend to the table immediately beside us and other tables, but she did not make an effort to check on our meal. We even attempted to get her attention, but she would not look in our direction.
At that point, we were tired of waiting and I simply wanted the check. When she eventually returned to the table, she immediately apologized for the delay, which was confusing because the delay could have been avoided had she checked on us or acknowledged us while attending to the surrounding tables.
I do want to acknowledge that the General Manager came to our table earlier in the meal to ask how we were doing. However, at that point we had just finished our appetizers, which were fine but not exceptional, and had only just received our entrées. We therefore had not yet had an opportunity to experience or address the issues that ultimately occurred later in the meal.
What disappointed me most was not simply that the food or service fell short on one occasion. It was the combination of feeling that assumptions were being made about us based on our race and appearance, followed by feeling largely overlooked throughout the meal. We are Black, and being greeted as though we were Hispanic or Latino, followed by the apparent assumption that my husband should speak and order on my behalf, made the experience particularly uncomfortable.
My husband and I are very familiar with Capital Grille and have always enjoyed dining there. We understand that individual experiences can vary and that mistakes happen, but this experience was noticeably different from the level of service we have previously received. I hope this feedback is taken seriously, particularly regarding the importance of treating each guest as an individual rather than making assumptions about their race, ethnicity, language, or relationship dynamic.
We would appreciate the opportunity for management to review what occurred and address these concerns with the appropriate team members. We value Capital Grille and would like to feel confident that when we return, we will receive the attentive, respectful, and inclusive service that we have come to associate with the restaurant.