A Sad Goodbye to What Was Once Our Favorite Spot
It breaks my heart to update our glowing 5-star review from February. Back then, Spice Kabob felt like a hidden gem--warm, welcoming, and full of soul. The food was incredible, and the atmosphere reminded my wife of her babunia. We were greeted like old friends, and every visit felt like being a guest in someone's home. We eat out 3-4 times a week, and this quickly became our go-to spot. We even planned to bring my wife's family here next month when they visit.
But today's experience changed everything.
We arrived to an empty restaurant, sat down, and placed our usual order. Our salads came quickly, which usually means the main dishes are on their way. Then we noticed a large stack of naan being placed on a nearby table. Moments later, every staff member sat down to eat lunch--while we and another customer who had placed a phone order were left waiting, completely unacknowledged.
We've been to plenty of places where staff eat together, and we think that's great. But what we've never seen is the entire kitchen shut down while customers are actively waiting for food. No one checked on us. No one explained the delay. No one even looked our way. The other customer's wife and child waited in the car, clearly getting restless. Eventually, they came inside, saw the staff still eating, and looked just as confused as we were.
After nearly 30 minutes, someone finally got up, put on gloves (without washing hands after eating with them), and started cooking. We had to ask for our food to go because we were out of time. and this is what we were told about the wait time being so long, "The Chicken Malai takes longer to cook, and we can't start the beef kabobs until the Malai is almost done."
That wasn't the issue. The issue was that the kitchen stopped working for 20 minutes while customers waited. And when we got home, our chicken was still pink in the middle--clearly rushed and undercooked. We've ordered these dishes many times before. We know what they're supposed to look like.
This experience poisoned what used to be a special place for us. Even if we came back, we'd always remember how unwelcome we felt. We're loyal to places we love. We get to know the staff, and we support them. That's what we were building with Spice Kabob. But today made it clear that something fundamental has changed.
This didn't have to happen. There were so many ways this could've been handled better:
Let us know before ordering that the kitchen was about to take a break. We could've decided to stay or come back later.
At the very least, someone could've come to our table and explained the delay. A simple acknowledgment goes a long way.
Bring out naan with our salads and apologize for the wait. That small gesture would've made us feel cared for--and the other customer could've shared it with his child.
Don't have the entire staff stop working at once. Cook the pending orders first, then enjoy your meal together. That's basic hospitality.
My wife said her family--who owned a restaurant--would never treat guests this way. For months, Spice Kabob felt like home. But now, that feeling is gone. I asked her if she was sure we were done with this place, and she said yes. Despite the food and atmosphere reminding her of growing up with family, the experience was ruined.
Spice Kabob, thank you for the beautiful memories and for bringing literal tears of joy to my wife on our first visit. We truly hope you take this feedback to heart. Imagine if this had been our first impression--we never would've recommended you to friends and family, who also became fans because of that magical first visit.
This is where we part ways. We're sad, disappointed, and deeply bummed out. But we hope you learn from this and find a way to bring back the warmth and care that made your restaurant so special. read more