I'm updated my review to reflect a recent takeout dining experience…read more
A couple weeks ago, we ordered 2 salads, and 2 sandwiches. We ordered pickup. Upon arrival to our house, the order was incorrect, whoopsie!
We called back and the waiter who answered mentioned that we had accidentally taken a staff meal home. None of our to-go boxes were labeled. How could anyone know?
This is a rookie mistake. It's been a while since this Goblin worked in food, but that's a non-negotiable. Especially given a place that prides itself on catering to restricted diets and lifestyles. This is exactly how you let a pumpkin seed slide into a seed allergy order.
Instead of letting us keep the meal, she asked us to bring it back to the restaurant. We were happy to do so. Everyone deserves to eat. Should we have kept it for ourselves?
We bring the food back, and the waiter explains that there was a mixup, and apologized. They handed us another to-go box (which wasn't labeled) and tried to end the conversation. "Have a good night!"
We had to then explain to this waiter that our wives demanded something in return for the error, which was true.
The waiter/bartender had a puzzled look on their face. Customer? Demanding I make something right? In my workplace?! A direct statement void of passivity about the quality of my service? With conditions? The audacity!
We live in a world where we, the customer, bring back your incorrect order for you, waste our time, and we just get a, "thanks, have a good night!"
This goblin had to claw his way up the ranks pillaging for gold which doesn't come easy.
Everyone knows food cost in Seattle went up ~%46 since 2019. Wages haven't.
We told the waiter our wives wanted a slice of cake. The waiter was shook by our audacity, and moved towards the fridge behind the bar to consult with two chefs who were shutting it down. We were arriving near/at close on a Monday.
The other two chefs body language exuded "just give them the rest of the cake". There was a couple moments of pause and hushed conversation. The waiter pulled out a large serving plate with only a small chunk of Chocolate Mousse Cake left.
Instead of putting that into a box, apologizing, and fixing the problem. They conferred about the legitimacy of our claim with the chefs.
Hesitantly, they cut the cake into a small slice, put it in a box (which wasn't labeled) and handed it to us.
What's hilarious is that they would leave such a small piece going into the next day of prep. Why not just 86 it right there? Why was it so hard for this person to acknowledge they made a mistake, and do something kind for us in return?
The chefs clearly understood these fundamental building blocks of customer service, had they not been there in the front of house, I'm sure the waiter would've made an excuse to not remedy the situation.
From all of my years in food service, if something is wrong, you make it right, end of story. By owning the error, you keep your integrity.
Even a small gesture like 10% off one item, between the hours of 7:35pm- 7:45pm every third Monday, however inconsequential and trivial, makes people feel like you've made things right.
These basics need to be addressed with FOH staff. With food cost nearing the price of rent each month in Seattle, customers should feel empowered to speak their mind respectfully.
My only reason for going into excruciating detail is the hope that this can be a teaching moment, and more people can eradicate passivity.
Passivity is a threat to community, culture, service, and so many other integral parts of our society. It's OK to disagree in public. It's OK to check someone. It's OK to tell your server "No, honestly, it wasn't that good, here's why..".
When we deny the truth about our experiences for fear of disrupting the status quo, we withhold an essential part of building stronger, more diverse and resilient communities.
"Goblin D, don't you think this is a bit too deep for a food review?"
No, and if you've made it this far, the two stars are for the two chefs who made sure we got our cake.