The OG Japanese plate lunch! This place has been saved in my account for YEARS and I finally was able to come! I usually go to the SALT location but this place is just so unique. First off, you order at a window outside the entrance. Then, you can go inside to sit down or wait outside for your food. Inside, there's merchandise like shirts and trinkets. The decor consists of deer heads/antlers, an antique chandelier. My hubby and I came here for one thing and one thing only, menchi katsu! We love menchi katsu in Japan but it's rare to find here. I got it with Demi glace and my hubby got it with katsu sauce. I love that the Demi glace comes with onions and mushrooms! Yum! I noticed the portions here are bigger than the SALT location. We got 3 patties instead of 2 for the same price! You can't forgot about the pasta salad that comes with every plate. So fresh, lightly sauced and had broccoli and cheese in it. The perfect side for any plate. Lastly, I love that this location offers a kids meal which we got for my daughter. It included tater tots, fried chicken, rice with furikake, and pasta salad. It also came with a Capri Sun. Whenever I'm in Waikiki, I'll be sure to stop by! read more

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3 stars. Warning. Nut allergy. Pasta salad has pesto. Son had a slight allergic reaction. He took his medication. I didn't see any signs posted. Haven't been here for 20 years. Kinda disappointed in portions. Miso butterfish, $21, includes choice of rice, pasta salad. Two small pieces butterfish. Used to be three pieces. Hamburger steak, $16, includes choice of rice, pasta salad, One piece Hamburger steak. Choice of Demi Glaze or Ponzu, grated daikon. Order at outside window first. Tables and chairs inside, if eating there. Take out, can wait inside or outside. Restroom available, need to ask for key. Parking can be difficult. Street parking. Note: Monsarrat Shave Ice, located in small walkway, next to Pioneer Saloon. read more

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Quick service with ordering from outside. Friendly staff to take my order. My go to dish is garlic salmon lunch plate with shiso wakame rice scoop. It's basically rice mixed with seaweed and shiso- their secret ingredient. It's worth the extra $ if you wanted something different from white and brown rice. The salmon pieces are always cooked to its perfection, never overcooked or dry! Cool and vintage feeling inside if you wanted to stay in to eat... plenty of seatings with tables. They do sell some vintage items and stickers inside. read more

This is one of the best spots to grab a delicious plate lunch! Pioneer Saloon is located on Montserrat Ave, right across the street from a strip mall. Parking is limited in this area, and you generally have to hunt for street parking nearby. There's a good variety to the menu, and you have to order and pay at the window next to the entrance. Service is friendly and quick, and the cashier/staff taking your order can speak Japanese fluently if it's your primary language. We didn't have to wait too long for our food; I would say it took around 15-20 minutes on a weekend day when it was quite busy during lunch. I liked the interior of the store, which is kitschy with lots of little different knick knacks and block print art hanging on the walls. There are several tables indoors, and I was able to get a seat for two with no issues. I typically like getting their steak plate, as it's well-seasoned and juicy, but I also tried their loco moco plate the other week which was good! The loco moco itself was flavorful and topped with a generous amount of gravy, and the pasta salad was a light and flavorful complement. I also recommend upgrading to the shiso wakame rice, which is very flavorful! I definitely will come back if I'm craving more of their food, and will have to try the shave ice next time! read more

Pioneer Saloon - loco moco plate - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A MUST-TRY PLACE! This place was the hardest to say goodbye to on my recent Hawaii trip. Their plates are DELICIOUS. Ate here 3x on 6 day trip and could have eaten here everyday and be content. You order at the window outside and can eat in or take plates to go. The interior is woodsy and western-y, as the name would lend itself to be. Food comes out fairly quickly. Every plate I got was delicious. The ribeye steak, cajun ahi, garlic shrimp, miso butterfish - all great! HOWEVER, their grilled spicy chili ahi???? Out of this world. It has a perfect kick and the ahi is so tender. And it is super worth the extra $$$ to upgrade your rice to the shiso wakame rice. I MISS THIS PLACE ALREADY. read more

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Got take out chicken katsu and Indian curry. Delicious!! Quick pick up window too. We called ahead and it was ready in 20 mins

Finally got to try this busy popular takeout spot in Diamond Head area. Based on reading other reviews this place can get very busy, so I decided to phone order my lunch 15 minimum prior to me arriving hoping it will be ready in time for me to find a table inside this place which worked perfectly. Know you have to order & pay at the window outside the front door. FYI, the woman that answered the phone had a strong Japanese accent and spoke fast. We ordered oyako (boneless chix) donburi & hamburger steak (demi gravy). Both dishes were delicious and the price was very reasonable! I'll be returning to try other dishes! read more

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TL;DR - It's near the Honolulu zoo. Old western cowboy themed restaurant (really interesting!). The fried chicken was good. The miso butterfish was amazing and I'd get it again We heard really good things about this place from a friend. We were visiting to Honolulu Zoo that day and made sure to stop by afterwards. Luckily it's a short walk so I highly recommend considering this place if you're in the area! The interior has this really cool Old western cowboy theme to it. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the decor was super super old. We got their fried chicken which was pretty tasty. I believe they batter it with mochi or something along those lines prior to frying it. It was quite delicious! The highlight of the meal was the miso butterfish. I absolutely love this fish and it's rare for me to find a place that serves this fish. I haven't had it in over 6 years since I was in Indonesia. They made it perfectly and it was SO GOOD. For those who haven't had butterfish, it is VERY tender. And as the name implies, it is buttery and soft. I wanted to order another plate but decided to hold back. I wouldn't want to order anything else to be honest. I'd get the same thing each time I came to visit! Highly recommend this place! read more

Pioneer Saloon - Fried Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Came here a few times and the food and service here is always great, I like how you can order at the window and just handout and wait for your food. It's a great place to get a good. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Ribeye steak place and ahi katsu plate - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My new favorite spot in Waikiki for garlic shrimp! You order at the window before coming in. Food came out fast and service was friendly and efficient. There were plenty of tables on the day we came but based on our experience today I am sure this place gets slammed! The garlic Cajun shrimp was by far one of the best I've had EVER. We came back another day but they were closed due to a power outage (but we'll be back before we leave). The ribeye was super tender and flavorful. It honestly didn't even need the sauce it came with. MAC salad was light and not too heavy. Perfect portions for the price. Would highly recommend! read more

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Forgot to take a picture of the food, sorry. Teppan chicken, medium rare steak, and loco moco were all delicious. Service was very hospitable considering we are from California and they welcomed us with open arms. Ambiance is interesting - cool artifacts on the wall, smaller space, and they're ok with connecting tables together. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So disappointed, ordered the fried chicken plate to go, had to wait for it and when I got home, it's not even crispy! It's soggy. They should maybe vent holes in the take out container to let the heat out. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Fried, soggy chicken - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place was recommended to us, and I'd seen it mentioned as a must try place to eat on some foodie videos. So, since it was on our way back on a trolley ride, we decided to stop by, have lunch, then walking off our fill by walking back to our hotel after. I didn't know what to expect coming here, but was quite pleasantly surprised by the rustic old saloon style hole-in-the-wall ambiance... very casual yet very interesting interior.... looks very much like a small family business. You place your order through a window on the outside, with take away your order, or sit inside and wait for your order to be called. Everything comes in a take away box, so no dishes to wash up... just throw all your leftovers in the trash bin provided by the entrance. The menu wasn't too difficult to navigate, and looking at the list of menu offerings, it was obvious that the food here looked very comforting. So, we ordered the Fried chicken with brown rice and tossed salad, and the fried shrimp with brown rice and tossed salad. The food was ready pretty quickly as our name was called within 10 minutes or less...we go up to the counter to take it back to our table, and just dig in. I must say that the food here is actually very good for take out style.... everything was prepared with very fresh ingredients, came out hot and steaming, and was really delicious! The portion size was a bit smaller than I had expected, but for the price, not bad at all. Especially the fried chicken dipped in that spicy sauce... wow... yummy! I'd consider this a very good dining experience, with very good quality food, surrounded by a very unique ambiance that's different from any other place I'd ever tried... in Hawaii anyway. Would have loved to come back again, but it was a bit out of the way from where we were staying. Perhaps next trip. Highly recommended. read more

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Rustic hole in the wall kind of charm. You order at the window for both dine in and takeout. Plate lunch style. Parking: street side only. Drinks: no alcohol but have a good selection of juices/soda Prices: for Hawai'i, prices are very reasonable. $15-$20 per person. Service: Everyone was very friendly & food came out quick. Food: the garlic chicken & mochiko chicken were delicious and perfectly crisp. The garlic chicken had great flavor just wish it had a sticky stile sauce on it. read more

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EXCELLENT QUALITY FOOD !!! I used to come here all the time around the time they opened which lasted for a couple of years but they started getting really busy and the limited parking became a problem for me so I haven't been back for several years. However I noticed that they were on Uber Eats so I did a delivery order. I ordered a ribeye steak with ponzu, hamburger steak with demi glace and a side order of fried chicken with garlic sauce. Everything was really good. Steak was nice and soft and cooked to temperature. The hamburger steak was tasty and the fried chicken was moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Rice was high quality with a great flavor. read more

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Update on Pioneer Saloon located on Monsarrat . I ordered take out for dinner and I remembered the last time it was ok . I ordered their Korean beef it was like Bulgogi style but it was tuff and stringy. Prices are ok $15 -$22 roughly for a plate comes with rice and pasta salad . Support local read more

Pioneer Saloon - Rib eye - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This was our first stop after landing and it was a great idea! My husband got the ribeye steak and I got a combo plate with Mochiko chicken and ahi steak. Both plates were very good and flavorful. Their mac salad was also so yum! We found street parking and walked over. There was ample seating inside as well. The service was fantastic :) read more

Pioneer Saloon - (Top) Ribeye steak (Bottom) Mochiko chicken and ahi steak - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food is really good! Service is really good. If you guys go to Honolulu, you must try this spot! read more

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Fried chicken with garlic sauce was tender and tasty! Loved the garlic sauce, but chicken still great without it, added some fries with it, nice large cut fries! Only confusing part was you had to order outside first before sitting down, it was our first time so we thought we could order from inside the place but was directed to go outside to order. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Fried chicken with garlic sauce - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Great food! Very friendly young man taking your order, the chicken was so flavorful! Rice was good too. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Pioneer Saloon is top 3 in terms of my favorite places to eat and my favorite meals while visiting Hawaii. We ordered the garlic ahi tuna and the rib eye steak plate. Oh my goodness... THE WAY THE MEAT MELT INTO YOUR MOUTH. The meats on both were tender and the sauce paired with it was *chefs kiss*. Even the mac salad was fire. Everything here is so good -- I can't even say which one is better because everything was DELICOUS. This was such a cute restaurant and I would 10000% recommend this place as #1 to anyone while visiting Hawaii. I really wish we got it again while we were visiting but there is always next time ;) read more

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Brah... I no even get words fo dis one, but I going try. Pioneer Saloon? Hoooo, dis place stay DIFFERENT DIFFERENT. I went in thinking yeah just one quick grind, nothing crazy... nahhh. These grindz was so ono I swear I slipped straight into one kanak attack mid-meal. Had me quiet, eyes wide, just nodding my head like "yeah... dis da one." I one picky buggah when it come to food too. Real talk, I care about flavor and ingredients more than anything. If no taste right, I no scared fo say. But dis place? Broke da mouth. Straight up. We went get da pork cutlet wit egg, and da ribeye. Brah... da pork first. Outside crispy like fresh fried, golden brown perfection, every bite get dat crunch sound. But inside? JUICY. Tender. Flavor stay soaked all da way through, not just surface kine. And when da egg yolk break and start run all ova? Ho brah... creamy, rich, mix in wit da meat... was like everything just lock in. I almost shed one tear, no joke. Den da ribeye... ehhhh dis one had me heated. LOCAL steak. You know how hard dat is fo do right? Hawaii grass fed beef can come out tough if you no careful. But these guys? Nah, dey dialed in heavy. We order um rare, and dey came out PERFECT rare. Cool center, juicy, soft, melt in ya mouth kine. You can taste da land in um, like straight pasture to plate. No funny business. And den da ponzu sauce... BRAH. Whoever made dat, give um one raise and one hug. Light citrus, lil salty, lil tang, tiny kick... but it no overpower. It just LIFT da steak. Every dip had me like "sheeeesh." Was dipping everything after that, no shame. Even da Japanese potato salad... hooo, lowkey assassin. Creamy but not heavy, lil sweet, lil tang, smooth but still get texture. I neva even trip on potato salad usually, but I was straight mopping dis buggah. Plate came back CLEAN. Service too? Solid kine. Cashier get choke aloha, staff friendly, no weird attitude, just good people making sure you straight. Felt welcoming, not all stiff kine. Real talk, if you like FOOD food, like real flavor, real ingredients, no shortcuts... you gotta come here. Dis not hype. Dis da kine place you eat and just sit back after like "damn... I needed dat." 10 outta 10 easy. I going back fo sure. Next time I bringing da whole crew. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Local grass fed kine Ribeye - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Oh man, where do I even start. This is like a home away from home for me. On my six day vacation, I had the privilege of visiting this place THREE times. My absolute favorite spot in Honolulu. If you are in the mood for plate lunches, you will not go wrong with this place. Ambiance is home-y. You order outside at the window and can wait inside where they bring the food to you. Ordering is very efficient, fast, and stafff is always friendly. Out of the three times I went, I had the grilled spicy chili ahi twice. The second time I tried to stray and try their miso butterfish, which was good, but it wasn't the sensory experience that is the ahi. Cooked and seasoned to perfection. I know for a fact that every day I'm on the mainland I will be dreaming about this dish. Pair it with the shiso wakame rice if you want the saltiness from the seaweed with your delicious fish. Their pasta salad was also really good. Best thing I ate all trip 999999/10 no notes (all the notes, I can't praise this dish enough). Would not hesitate to visit again if I'm ever in Hawaii again. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Grilled Spicy Chili Ahi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Excellent food and good prices . It has a wide range of selection. You order and pay at the small window counter and then find a seat on your own . They will call your number when food is ready. Relatively small restaurant with 5-6 tables , a very clean restroom. I recommend to go on off hours ( like when they open or later ) to avoid the crowds. They serve the food In a to go lunch box . The portion is so big so I take 1/2 to 1/3 box home . We came here 3 times within a week of our stay in Waikiki. There is another pioneer restaurant closed by with similar food. Please make sure you file this address. Highly recommended their garlic shrimp and prime ribs combo box ! read more

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I've been here a couple of times to order their Mochiko Chicken, Furikake Ahi, Miso butterfish, and this time I tried their popular Salmon Furikake Katsu. I really enjoyed the lightly fried salmon katsu with their extra side of sauce. I always order it the plates with multigrain rice for an extra $1 for added nutrition. I enjoy their side of pesto mozzarella pasta as well. Prices are reasonable and just the right amount of food for me. There is no self service water, so make sure to bring your own or buy their drinks there. Tables to sit inside with a homey and eclectic ambiance with things for sale. Just know that you have to order and pay OUTSIDE before sitting and claiming a seat inside. Unless, like me you are picking up a takeout order. Then, you proceed to the inside and do not have to wait outside in the line. Biggest obstacle is probably parking for most people, I found street parking easily that evening though. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Salmon Furikake Katsu with Multigrain Rice and Pesto Pasta - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Miso butter chicken was incredibllleeee, it melted in my mouth and had great flavor !! I will definitely be back for another healthy and flavorful lunch read more

Pioneer Saloon - Miso butterfish - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This neighborhood plate lunch spot is fantastic. I walked here for lunch one day and got the chicken katsu plate and the teri beef plate. The prices are what you'd expect for diamond head area but the portions are generous. The Auntie at the window taking our order was warm and friendly and the meal was ready quickly. I took my food to go, but there is nice seating inside where you can sit down after getting your food. This will probably become a go to plate lunch place for me. read more

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It's been 3 years since I had Pioneer Saloon and I still think about the salmon katsu. It is THAT GOOD! The salmon was perfectly cooked, moist and flakey inside. The katsu crust was delicious and perfectly fried. What stands out though is that mayo furikake and the potato salad. Yummy! I ordered this delivered and it help up pretty well. The portions are huge, so definitely enough for 2 meals if you wanted. read more

Pioneer Saloon - Furikake Salmon Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food: 10/10! Very delicious and wonderfully portioned! Fresh and hot! Vibe: Cozy and relaxing. Not packed and very cutesy inside. CLEAN! You order at the window and then take a seat inside. Definitely coming back. Everyone was nice and patient! read more

Pioneer Saloon - Teriyaki beef - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We were exploring with the Waikiki Trolley and as it's a common stop for many tourists - we didn't have high expectations. We decided to go ahead and try to eat here as we wanted a break anyway. They have a pretty expansive menu - you can definitely order online or just view their menu too. You have to order with the cashier first then sit down. The vibe in here is so eclectic and unique! It operates like a restaurant and half a vintage shop with many antiques they post for sale on the wall. The shop is run by a bunch of sweet Japanese women who are all clearly friends as they laugh and joke with one another. Portions here are HUGE. We were so glad we decided to share one portion of Loco Moco. We loved the gravy that came with it and pairing all of the meat, egg, gravy, and rice together in one flavorful bite. read more

The ahi steak, hands down, is the way to go. Get it raw or medium rare. Comes with crunchy salty garlic chips and green onions. Deeeeelish! Also ordered the miso butter fish and pork stir fry. Pork stir fry was good. Veggies were crunchy and fresh. Miso butterfish was also good, but it felt like I could get it anywhere. Can't say much for the side pasta salad cuz I was too full to try it. Side note- order first at the window outside then grab a seat after you pay. read more

Finally made it to this institution and wasn't disappointed! What a unique take on a saloon...so cute inside. You order from the outside based on the menu posted on the windows and can either take out or ear inside. We were 4 and had a variety of dishes...all delicious! Favorites were the ginger pork and kimchi pork. The grilled spicy chili ahi was cooked perfectly but a little too spicy for me. As you can see from the pictures, we dug into the yummy food before I could take pictures. read more

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The plate lunches were really done well. I got the octopus, garlic chicken, and loco moco with curry plates. I'd highly recommend this place on price, service, and food read more

Pioneer Saloon - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Read the reviews, looked at the Yelp photos and decided to try it for the butterfish. Got there before opening and we were excited, but we have a new policy when trying a new place, just get one order and split it in case... Well, order came out and when we opened the top it was so tiny!! for $20 bucks we thought the butterfish would be more like some of the other pics posted. Nope. tiny little pieces, total was 3, but each the size of 2 bites. We both thought that the butterfish at Don Quijote tasted better from their food court. So we popped the 3 pieces in our mouths and threw away the rice and odd pasta salad and checked this place off our list. So disappointed. Back to Teishoku for their butterfish and to Donki for the food court butterfish. read more

If I were to only rate this restaurant based off the Salmon Kama and Terri Burger with fries extra crispy that I had today, I would give them . However, service was extremely slow (we didn't get our food for over 20 minutes), and the new parking system at Salt at Kaakako is so horrendous that I cannot go back. The food was amazing. Truly. The salmon kama tasted like butter and the fries were crispy to perfect. The Terri burger was also super yummy. My parking should have been $2 for up to 2 hrs since I scanned the validation QR code inside the restaurant. However, when I scanned it, it said my discount was zero dollars and still charged me $4 even though I was only at the restaurant for an hour and 10 minutes total. Because of this, I don't think I could ever come back to this restaurant or frankly, any of the restaurants at SALT. The worst part of the new parking system is that it stores your credit card on file, charges you without notice, and the validation does not work. In addition, it charges you a dollar service fee on top of the parking fee. If you are able to walk to this restaurant or park elsewhere, then it's definitely great to support them because the food is good, but I would not park here. It's not worth it. read more

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Saw this place looked good so decided to grab some dinner after a day of exploring. You order at the window outside then grab a seat inside. Definitely gives off Western vibes and I loved it. I got the loco moco plate which was so good! Different than others I've had but still really good. Instead of 2 patties it was 1 thick patty that kinda resembled meat loaf. The gravy was dark and rich. Overall presentation was pretty to look at. My fiancé got the ribeye steak that was cooked a perfect medium rare! Solid dinner near Diamond Head! read more

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The portions here are huge! Definitely one of my favorite plate lunch spots. The ribeye was perfectly tender, and the mochiko chicken was juicy and full of flavor. The service is super friendly too. Always a great experience all around. read more

Pioneer Saloon - ribeye steak and mochiko chicken - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The line to order should be more clear to patrons to avoid confusion or multiple lines, but once you order (especially the fried baby tako/octopus), the stress and sweat from standing in the hot sun is forgotten! Street parking followed by walking over is the only option to eat at this diner! read more

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Pioneer Saloon 2024 update The name evokes thoughts of "Gunsmoke" or "Rawhide" . Their name reminds me of memories of Miss Kitty's saloon in Dodge City in the old west but nothing could be farther from the truth. It is, in fact, a great place for plate lunches with a Japanese accent. Their meat, poultry and seafood plates are prepared different ways- our go to plate is the garlic salmon with rice and toss. Always prepared just right, usually never overcooked. There is no parking for Pioneer Saloon but it's usually not hard to find street parking in the area. There are a couple of tables to sit down to eat inside after getting your plate. Of course, if the weather is nice, Kapiolani Park is just down the street to polish off a delicious plate lunch. read more

Pioneer Saloon - A recently purchased garlic salmon w/toss- $15 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Very unfortunate since the food is pretty good but the experience was ruined by the rude old Japanese lady with glasses. She had major attitude while placing my order. After receiving the order I went back to politely ask for some utensils... she just glared at me and shoved it. Enjoyed this place a lot when I was in college but unfortunately I will not be coming back.... Lacks basic customer service skills. read more