This is the kind of experience that reminds you how much good customer service can completely…read morechange a first visit.
This past weekend, our daughter had a game at Cypress High School. We were headed toward REI to grab some outdoor chairs and decided to stop at GHOST Sando Shop in Huntington Beach. I've driven past this place plenty of times and never really knew what it was. It also happened to be one of the only places open in the shopping center that early, so we figured, why not?
Man, we had no idea what we were missing.
We ordered the Melrose for ourselves and a Club for our daughter. Marco took our order and was also the one making the sandwiches. A few minutes after we sat down, he actually walked over and asked me, "Are you sure you want the pepperoncini and tomato on the Club?"
My first thought was basically, uhhh... yeah, of course I do!
Then it clicked.
The Club was for our daughter.
Marco had remembered that from our conversation when we ordered and knew that a lot of kids probably aren't exactly excited about pepperoncini and tomatoes. Meanwhile, Dad over here completely forgot to ask for them off.
That might seem like such a small thing, but THAT is customer service. Marco wasn't just taking an order, collecting payment, and moving on to the next customer. He was actually paying attention. He remembered who the sandwich was for and took the extra few seconds to come over and double check before making it.
Good looking out, Marco. Seriously.
And that wasn't the only interaction we had with him. Marco was incredibly friendly from the moment we walked in. He talked with us, answered questions, and even gave us suggestions on other sandwiches we should try the next time we come back. Nothing felt forced or scripted. It was just genuine conversation from someone who seemed to actually care whether we enjoyed our experience.
There were only two guys working while we were there, yet everything was running smoothly. The restaurant was clean, the atmosphere was relaxed, the bright green interior gives the place its own personality, and there's plenty of seating inside along with a really nice outdoor patio area.
And most importantly, the sandwiches were GOOD.
The Melrose was a great first choice, and Melody enjoyed her Club, thankfully without Dad accidentally loading it up with pepperoncini. We also grabbed some Calypso lemonades, which went perfectly with everything.
We originally stopped here simply because it was open and convenient. Now it's somewhere we'll intentionally come back to.
There are thousands of places where you can buy a sandwich. What makes you remember a restaurant is usually the people behind the counter.
Marco made us remember GHOST.
Excellent food, clean restaurant, great atmosphere, and genuinely outstanding customer service.
We'll definitely be back, and next time, Marco, we're taking you up on those recommendations.