Made the drive from Studio City to Dune for Dine LA lunch. It was 98 degrees outside and although…read morethere was no traffic midday, parking in Atwater is always a challenge. I hunted a bit before tracking down a spot and paying the meter. I have not been to Dune before, but the value of the lunch special along with the promise of a fried chicken shawarma, coupled with unexpected free time, sounded like a promising moment to stop by. Walked up to the window and after no acknowledgement, I peaked inside the door and asked whether I place an order at the counter or wait to be seated.
When I tell you the jarring elder Gen Z stare and incredibly unfriendly direction to sit on the bench and wait my turn (in the literal sense that I was told to sit on the bench and wait my turn. There was only a party of 2 seated at the bench and no line to speak of) made me regret coming out to eat entirely. I'm not lying when I say I thought about leaving immediately and driving home in my air conditioned car instead of sitting on a hot bench in nearly 100 degree weather with no acknowledgement of party size, no offer for a drink or water while I wait, and just existing in my bizarre humiliation ritual for having asked what the procedure is here for any kind of recognition of my interest in dining or simply existing. And yes, after sitting down I saw there is a small low contrast sign on a post stating to sit on the bench and wait, but it is positioned parallel to the counter window and only when turning away from the glass toward the seating area was it placed in a way that I would see it. Not very useful for someone who is walking up or down the sidewalk as it's not visible.
I held my breath for about 10 minutes before being asked my party size (one) and seated at a shaded table. I regretted my choice to dine out the entire wait time for the table, while ordering and then being required to pay upfront before my meal was even presented to me, while seated awaiting my order, while my food (loaded fries, fried chicken shawarma, date shake and an added unsweetened iced green mint tea) was dumped at once on the table in front of me, while eating feeling humiliated for existing inside human skin, and again when having to walk to the window and ask for a to-go box. I felt like a massive inconvenience for the staff and fully regretted bothering them every step of the way for normal things like a Dine LA menu which was not initially offered, adding an iced tea to my order, existing in a metal folding chair and generally taking up space.
I don't like being treated like a turd by people, and certainly don't want to be treated this way when I'm paying for a service. But after the initial flubbed interactions, demanding payment with tip upfront before receiving any kind of service was rendered, and then dumping my food at the table without ceremony, it's truly no wonder why the LA restaurant scene is dying.
Between poorly trained staff, rising costs in rent and utilities, the outrageous cost of staffing and the fact that eating at a restaurant is completely unnecessary when cutting household expenses, restaurants are disappearing left and right. Some of the foods I still dream about are lost forever to closure after closure. Customers being treated like they're inconsequential isn't the only reason people like me usually choose to dine at home, and it's not the only reason restaurants are disappearing. But it's one of the only controllable elements in a world of runaway hospitality expenses. Customers deserve even a modicum of respect if restaurants are going to survive.
$48 for the meal including tax and tip. More than enough food for lunch, I took home half.
Loaded steak fries / wish they were served with a whipped feta or dipping sauce instead of ketchup but they're good. Generous portion of steak. 9/10
Fried chicken shawarma / fun idea, execution made it difficult to pick up to eat. Serving in a metal basket made it impossible to cut in half since there was not a solid surface to cut against. Flavor is yummy, wish those middle eastern flavors were more prominent in the batter but the chicken is extra crispy. Enjoyable. 8/10
Date shake / luxurious, creamy, flavorful. No notes. 10/10
Unsweetened green mint iced tea / overpriced, underdelivered. I'd skip it unless you're parched. 5/10
**written without the assistance of AI**