I rarely leave negative reviews because I genuinely believe in supporting small businesses. In…read morefact, I hesitated to post this one. Unfortunately, one person's approach can completely change what should have been a great experience.
I traveled from Houston to El Paso and was excited to visit Cocol after hearing glowing reviews from friends and family.
On Tuesday, I stopped in for a quick coffee and received a lukewarm reception from the manager, Angela. She wasn't able to seat two adults and two children, explaining there was a 25-minute wait. That was completely understandable, so I happily ordered everything to go. I mentioned that we planned to return the following morning for breakfast before making the drive back to Houston.
To avoid any issues, I asked if we should make a reservation. She confirmed the restaurant opened at 9:00 a.m., and I requested a reservation for that time. After asking me to wait for a moment, she returned and said that because we would have four adults and two children, they don't usually seat parties because they are a small restaurant, so we would have to wait until 9:30 instead.
I explained that we had a long drive back to Houston (that's 10 hours with no stops) immediately afterward and asked if there was any flexibility. She declined. I then suggested that we simply stop by at 9:00 and, if the restaurant happened to be busy, we would completely understand waiting. If it wasn't busy, perhaps we could be seated a little earlier. Her response was that they would tell us the exact same thing in the morning. There was no willingness to discuss any options or find a compromise.
When I told my local family about the interaction, they were surprised and assumed there had to be a misunderstanding. The next morning, my uncle asked for a table for six. The hostess initially began helping him, but once Angela saw me, she insisted we could not be seated until 9:30. At that moment, there was only one table occupied in the entire restaurant. He also explained that he had come in on Sunday, their busiest day, right at opening with no reservation and was seated immediately with a party of five, so he genuinely could not understand why we were being treated so differently on a weekday when the restaurant was clearly almost empty.
My uncle asked to speak with the manager, only to learn Angela was the manager. He then asked if he could speak with the owner, but she declined and simply repeated her position. I honestly don't know what I did to offend her. Throughout the entire interaction, I remained polite and respectful. It wasn't the policy itself that was disappointing--it was the complete unwillingness to work with a customer or even discuss reasonable alternatives. Good customer service is often about finding solutions, not simply proving you're right.
We even offered to sit at a table and wait until 9:30 before ordering if that helped their process. That suggestion was immediately rejected as well. Instead, we were told to wait outside, despite having two young children with us.
Before writing this review, I wanted to give the owner, Liz, an opportunity to address the situation. I called later that day and asked to speak with her. Ironically, Angela answered the phone, took my information, and said Liz would return my call. I'm still waiting.
I do want to recognize our server, Alex, because she was outstanding. She was warm, attentive, and genuinely worked hard to ensure we had a pleasant experience despite the circumstances. She deserves recognition for her professionalism and kindness.
The reason I'm giving two stars instead of one is because of Alex. She earned every bit of praise she deserves. Unfortunately, the actions of one person--especially the manager who represents the restaurant--were enough to turn what should have been a memorable stop into a disappointing experience. I truly hope this feedback is taken constructively, because Cocol clearly has great food and employees like Alex who deserve leadership that reflects the same level of hospitality.
