Kaizen handled an extremely uncomfortable situation professionally, and I want to share what we…read morepersonally witnessed.
My significant other and I have been going to Kaizen for years and have consistently had wonderful experiences. The food is always amazing, and the staff have always been polite, helpful and hardworking. Last night was no different with our own experience.
We were seated near a party of three who eventually became involved with management and police. There was a party of approximately eight beside them and another of approximately six behind them, diagonally from us. That's only a fraction of the tables Kaizen was serving that Tuesday night. We had a clear, front-row view and could hear much of what happened.
The situation was uncomfortable before management ever became involved. The way the gentleman and his party spoke to the server and her trainee, who was also serving us, was extremely rude and disrespectful. I've worked in the restaurant industry for years and honestly cannot remember hearing guests speak to employees this way.
At one point, the gentleman got up and walked over to the trainee while she was holding his food and bringing it to them, demanding to know where his food was. We could clearly see she was literally on her way to deliver it.
Kaizen is a small, fine-dining, made-to-order Asian restaurant with a sushi bar. THIS ISN'T FAST FOOD. Different dishes take different amounts of time, especially when the restaurant is busy. The staff were clearly working extremely hard.
Our server was also training a new employee. Despite everything happening around her, she remained calm, kind, polite and helpful. She even explained how we could order one of our favorite dishes differently in the future to save us money. She wasn't upselling us; she was looking out for us as customers.
One of the other people in the party mentioned having 10-36 years of restaurant-industry experience. If you've spent that much time in restaurants, you know what it's like to be the employee dealing with an impatient table, busy kitchen, delayed orders and frustrated customers. That experience should give you more empathy and respect for restaurant employees, not less. If you claim you've never dealt with situations like this, that's either false or you've never worked in the restaurant industry.
When the manager came over, she was calm, kind and professional. The gentleman immediately became rude and began yelling at her. She calmly told him she understood he was upset, but asked him not to yell or continue using inappropriate language. She explained that if it continued, she would have to ask him to leave. His response was essentially challenging her to do exactly that.
Management continued trying to resolve the situation and even comped their entire bill. Eventually, police arrived and asked the party to leave. There was discussion about trespassing them if they refused, and their response was essentially, "Go ahead." Police then told them they could continue the conversation outside, but they needed to leave the restaurant. They finally went outside, and we witnessed the gentleman remain confrontational even after police became involved.
As customers sitting nearby, we were extremely uncomfortable. We were there for our own dinner and date night, and their attitude and disrespect nearly ruined our evening. Once they were outside, the atmosphere immediately returned to normal.
If you're expecting made-to-order food at a small, fine-dining restaurant within a specific amount of time, there are plenty of options designed around speed and predictability--McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's or an Asian buffet. Kaizen isn't that kind of restaurant.
You don't have to like the wait, but you do have to treat the people serving you with basic respect. I've worked in the restaurant industry and understand that mistakes happen, orders get delayed and kitchens get busy. I also understand that the person serving you is a human being doing their job.
From what we personally witnessed, Kaizen's staff and management handled an extremely uncomfortable situation professionally and appropriately. They didn't create the situation. They dealt with it.
My significant other and I have been customers for years and will continue to be. We've consistently received great food and great service, and last night's experience only reinforced our opinion of Kaizen.
The employees deserved patience and respect, and from where we were sitting, they showed considerably more of both than the party giving them a hard time.