A MESSAGE FROM THE OWNER:
Hi Yelpers,
Since Yelp doesn't allow me to write a post on behalf of NOVY, I'm writing from my personal account. First off, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write a review, good or bad, because these reviews ultimately help us to get better.
I'd like to address the recent comments via this post. To begin, this is the first time my sister and I have ever run a restaurant. We are not a corporate chain and we are not seasoned restaurateurs. Kathryn and I are doing everything ourselves...hiring, training, menu, marketing, accounting, payroll & more. We are real people, just like you, who are doing our best to create something unique and to keep small businesses alive. We live in Noe Valley, just blocks away from NOVY. We are your neighbors. We take your reviews very seriously and it hurts, a lot, to see 1-2 star reviews. This is obviously not our goal! We are only 1 month old, so please understand that we cannot be perfect overnight. But we are striving for it!
Food:
We have implemented a number of changes to our dishes so that they are more flavorful and prepared correctly (no more dry/under-seasoned meat!) Unfortunately, there is no better way for a new kitchen staff working together for the first time to prepare the food consistently and with proper timing than through practice. We are pleased with how the dishes are leaving the kitchen now, compared to the first two weeks, but there is still room for improvement.
Many guests have expressed that they would like more variety in the menu. We have heard your comments and we are working on incorporating new dishes. However, we need to make sure that the current menu is executed properly and consistently before we can expand the menu.
We are not a Greek restaurant! Following my folks' restaurant, Panos, has been no easy task. Many guests have left underwhelmed because the food is not the same as Panos'. Although my mother created the NOVY menu and all of the recipes, we are much more casual & affordable this time around. However, we do hope to bring on more classic Greek specials in the future.
PS - We changed the name of the Cleanse salad ;)
PPS - Our beer & wine permit to serve outdoors was cleared this week & we hope to have the final paperwork any day now.
Weekend brunch coming in 2 weekends!
Audience:
We struggled in our opening month with accommodating a wide Noe Valley audience, which has led to a few less than stellar reviews. We are in the hospitality industry. It is our job to make every single guest feel welcome, and clearly we failed at this with a handful of guests. We sincerely apologize to those who did not feel welcome.
I don't think that anyone would deny that Noe Valley is a family neighborhood. However, there are also many newlyweds, young singles and older patrons who live in the neighborhood and want to dine at NOVY. We are doing our best to accommodate all of these parties. But, for every family that has complained on Yelp, we have had an equal number of guests complain to us in person that the family next to them was disruptive to their meal. It's a tough balance!
In response to not being family-friendly, I can say that we have had many lovely families dine with us over the last month who have had a great time and who have come back for multiple visits. We are not a family-only restaurant... we want to accommodate families, couples, singles and elderly guests as well. For kids, we offer kids size dishes at kids prices ($8-9). Unfortunately, we don't have toys, space for special kids sized cups or space to store more than a few strollers inside. It's been tricky to follow Pasta Pomodoro, who has been a kids restaurant for the last 17 years. If you are dining with a young family who needs special accommodations (high chairs, booster seats, stroller storage) please give us a quick call before you head in so that we can plan space for your party. We are happy to do it!
Service:
Overall, I think our waitstaff has gotten off to a good start. But again, these are new servers working together for the first time. We see the areas where service needs improvement and we are working on reminding the staff every shift of what we would like to change. If your meal is not perfect, we at least want to be able to count on friendly & attentive service.
Reviews:
Although Yelp has become the main stage for reviewing various businesses, I'd like to remind our diners that my sister, Kathryn, and I are very available to chat. We are at the restaurant every day from 8am-midnight. If your meal was not satisfactory for any reason, please come talk to us! We want to make it better. If we aren't on the floor, it's because we're downstairs working on back-end tasks. Our business cards are at the host stand...send us an email directly or give us a call. We want you to know that your business is appreciated and to spread good words about NOVY to your friends and family!
Kind Regards,
Kristen read more