Food has always been great here. The Pacific Blue is my go-to sandwich, and my girlfriend and I…read morehave ordered from this location through DoorDash many times without any issues. Because of those experiences, this review is disappointing to write.
Our recent dine-in experience was completely different.
The employee who took our order came across as impatient from the start. Before I had finished ordering, he gave me the total after I mentioned my sandwich. I had to stop him to add two drinks, he sighed, asked how many, and immediately gave me another total. When I added a Goo Ball, he grabbed it, set it on the counter, rang up the new total, and again acted as though I was finished ordering before I had the chance to ask for anything else. We had actually planned to order more, but the interaction made us feel like we were inconveniencing him simply by ordering.
I work in the restaurant industry myself, so I understand that everyone has bad days. Had that been the only issue, I wouldn't have taken the time to leave a review.
The reason I'm writing this is what happened after we sat down.
A woman who appeared to be the employee's girlfriend came into the restaurant, and his demeanor changed immediately. While he was still on the clock, she stood at the front counter by the register, and for much of the time we were there they were engaged in prolonged, intimate kissing and embracing. My girlfriend and I were seated in the booth closest to the register, only a few feet away, and she was facing them the entire time. It made her genuinely uncomfortable, and there was no way to avoid it while we were eating.
At one point, a DoorDash driver came in to pick up an order. The employee briefly pointed toward the back of the restaurant, said, "Over there, man," without even looking at the driver, and then immediately went back to his girlfriend. That interaction made it clear he was still actively working while all of this was happening.
To be clear, this isn't about an employee greeting their significant other. A quick hug or kiss wouldn't have bothered us. This was prolonged, intimate behavior at the front register while customers were dining, and it felt completely inappropriate for the workplace.
I do want to recognize the rest of the staff because they deserve it. Everyone else was working, and the bartender was friendly, professional, and provided excellent customer service throughout our visit.
We'll continue ordering DoorDash because the food has always been consistently good, but we won't be dining in at this location again. We'd rather drive the extra 20 minutes to the Menaul location where we've always had positive experiences.
I'm not looking for compensation or anything in return. I simply hope management is made aware of what happened because one employee's conduct turned what should have been an enjoyable lunch into an uncomfortable experience.