So I used to be a past worker of ssambap...worked there with the past owner... and I was very disappointed at how the whole place changed and at the news of how it will continue to change.
So ssambap is actually a chain stored so it needs to follow certain standards as it is a member of the greater Ssambap but the manager is talking about changes with the interior simply taking down all the korean writings, fish tanks, the authentic vibe-y windows down, and all...
I am very disappointed not only at those plans for change but the menu book changed to like a american fast food chain store looking one sheet menu's....
Not only so... when I went there for the first time ever after quitting that job after the new owners took over the food came out awful bad.
So the chicken was really pink in the middle (it was on the grill plate)
the duck was overcooked and so oily (that was on the grill plate as well)
Oh the chicken was spicy chicken by the way. Because we were past workers we tried to just scrummage through and eat it anyway but we ended up giving a nudge to the other waiters who were taking a break and doing straw peeling at another table...
Of course we payed everything in full and left a good amount of tip for the sake of servers but I was very disappointed at how the restaurant had changed.
The previous servers of Ssambap were very hardworking, studious, international students even phD students, premed students, engineering students who were very mature in character, able to balance work and study and social life, gave the best service possible, because we were asked to provide a 5 star kind of service to all the customers alike. We worked hard and we earned a lot from the place. Not only money, tips, but we networked with professors, doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers, and many other professionals from Suffolk county and even from Nassau County. We were students who had researches sometimes even over night and still came to work and did our best. We were all at least bilinguals. I, myself, actually had 19-22 credits of full time study at SBU, with 5 other jobs, all teaching: Sunday school, Korean school, private teaching, piano studio for kids substitute teacher, and managing home-stay students at home (rides, help with papers, etc.).
I recently visited the store again and found the new workers vaping nicotine with the owner/manager. And they seemed too young. The workers in general seemed un-fit in physique. The previous workers were soccer players, baseball players, basketball players, I myself was a yoga person and gym person who worked out at an hour every day.
Back in the days, our house pay was three dollars not 7.50.... We still earned more. Back in the days we didn't have 10-13 people work. We had 3 for lunch and 9 for dinner? The restaurant seems very laid back yet dysfunctional and too laid back.
I know it's like a good social place for korean, chinese international students, hospital workers, and university people because it is literally the only korean/asian place out at Stony but they are not doing it right.
The price became higher and they added more drinks to their menus...
I feel like there is no more of that koreannnesss which is not only the interior design but something of the Korean heart called "jeong"
The current workers, servers, and even the kitchen people seem exhausted for some reason, and they seem very unhealthy.
As food servers you want to look healthy don't you? It's like saying if you eat these kind of foods you all will look like us and smell like nicotine vaped breath smell... way to advertise and sell your Korean food.
I apologize for atrociously ruining the image of Ssambap but I had to.
It could be a better place for all. And I heard a rumor there was a police report made on a previous worker who came to just eat because the manager though she is going to file police reports of that place...
The quality of food..... has diminished somewhat you can say..
But the quality of service.... very much.....
And more over the quality of the vibe....... very very much....
And even more so.... the quality of character and maturity of the workers and their capabilities as servers has diminished so so much.
I fear for the fate of the restaurant with a good heart. I pray that they would do something about everything. It's going bad there. They make themselves get strikingly compared to the previous workers and the owners.
Please manage your very own health, both mind and body before trying to advertise Korean Authentic food, culture, and everything you are supposed to be doing.
Please get it together you all....
Especially the attires are very embarrassing to look at. To have your small aprons in the middle of your front was very embarrassing to look at... for girls and boys alike... Especially if your aprons are black and your jeans are like navy.... very bad....
Please don't make the previous workers any more ashamed then we are already...... read more