I have worked in the restaurant industry for years, and I can confidently say this was one of the…read moreworst dining experiences I've ever had. The complete lack of professionalism, organization, and basic hospitality was honestly unbelievable.
We came to celebrate my youngest son's 19th birthday with a party of 10. I completely understand the policy of not seating a party until everyone arrives. That's perfectly reasonable. However, once our entire party arrived, the restaurant wasn't even properly prepared to accommodate the 10 people they had agreed to seat.
When we realized there wasn't enough room, the woman working there literally told us, "Get out, get out," so she could rearrange the tables. Who speaks to paying customers that way? She then proceeded to yell at my oldest son to help her push the table! We were all shocked. The only reason I didn't address it immediately was because I refused to let their behavior ruin my son's birthday.
And unfortunately, that was just the beginning.
The service was completely chaotic. As someone who works in hospitality, I understand the importance of pacing a dining experience, especially with a larger party. Instead of taking drink orders, allowing us to enjoy appetizers, and then properly coordinating our entrées, our server bounced between appetizer orders, dinner orders, and drink orders with absolutely no organization. Everything felt rushed and scattered.
Then the food started arriving. Some guests received their appetizers and meals while others were left sitting there waiting. My birthday boy and my mother were among those who waited approximately 15 minutes while others already had their food. How do you manage to make the guest of honor one of the last people served?
To make matters worse, because the ordering process was so disorganized, we were incorrectly charged for drinks that should have been included in our combo meals. When I pointed out the mistake, the server acted visibly bothered that I even questioned it. I'm sorry, but why should I pay additional charges for something that was already included, especially after receiving such terrible service?
Not once did anyone genuinely check on our table or make us feel welcomed. The only time the server seemed remotely pleasant was when she brought out the birthday dessert.
And let's talk about the automatic gratuity. I understand and respect automatic gratuity for large parties. As someone in the industry, I am typically an extremely generous tipper and have absolutely no problem leaving additional gratuity when the service deserves it. Unfortunately, this experience didn't warrant a penny more than what was automatically added.
What makes this even worse is that, coincidentally, I ran into my nephew, who was dining there with his friends. He told me that immediately after they finished eating, they were brought their check, told to pay, and then told they needed to leave because the restaurant wanted to turn their tables. Are you kidding me? I understand that restaurants need to turn tables, especially smaller establishments, but there is a professional and respectful way to manage that. Making customers feel like they're being kicked out the moment they finish eating is absolutely unacceptable.
The food itself wasn't even particularly impressive, and the terrible service made the entire experience that much less enjoyable.
Hospitality is about more than taking orders and delivering food. It's about how you make people feel. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel like an inconvenience rather than welcomed guests.
I have worked in this industry long enough to know the difference between a busy restaurant having an off night and an establishment that fundamentally lacks customer service skills. This was beyond an off night.
What should have been a wonderful birthday celebration turned into an incredibly disappointing experience. I would never recommend this restaurant, and I certainly will not be returning.
Absolutely terrible service, unacceptable attitudes, and a complete lack of hospitality.