I have registered with Yelp solely to write this review in the hope that I am contacted by the management of Bi Bim Bap and to let potential customers know as to how they may be treated if they're thinking of going here. I don't know if this is typical of the service at this restaurant, or a one off but I'm deeply confused as to what myself and my partner experienced.
We were in the queue and were invited to sit at the counter, so that we did not have to wait any longer and we happily agreed to two seats. Whilst we were deciding what to eat, we were told that it was possible, when it was ready, to eat at a table behind us that was being cleaned, something that was really appreciated. A few moments later we were told that we could sit at another table that was already ready. We ordered and after we had settled, which was around five minutes, we were told that the table was given to us in error and that we would have to leave to go back to the counter. An apology was made but the information was given to us by way of a demand, which was unappreciated. We asked if it was possible to move to the table which was being cleaned but was told that it was no longer available, furthermore, the only counter seats that were now left were different to the ones we were initially sitting in, placed directly in front of the cash register and where the manager was, making it a squeeze and something of a downgrade. The next part is what made us leave. When my partner asked a waitress if it would be possible to move to another table, as well as asking when another table would be available because we were not happy to be at this part of the counter, the waitress went to verify with her manager. The manager, clearly unaware that we could clearly hear him said the words "if they don't like sitting at the counter they can go back into the queue." This would mean going back to the end of the queue.
This was shocking. My partner and I literally felt like customers on some kind of Yo Sushi conveyor belt. This remark made us feel very uncomfortable and tense, and we completely lost our appetite along with any desire to stay there any longer so we left as our food arrived.
Atmosphere is essential to being able to enjoy a meal, especially in a restaurant where customers are paying for a service. It's one thing being told to move without a succinct apology, but it's another thing to be made to feel as being dispensable and unwanted. This restaurant is clearly popular as it was quite busy, which must be a reflection of its food, but it is deeply saddening that this appears to be a line of legitimacy for secretly treating customers as mere mouths to feed.
I would be grateful if a member of management could contact me about this, maybe the team were having a terrible day, maybe they're trained to see and treat people in this way, whatever the case don't for one moment think that it's okay to treat people like this just because you have a fast turnaround. It's disgraceful.
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