Had it not been my somewhat recent negative experience with the employees, this place would receive a 3-star review for its somewhat decent Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken.
Putting customer service aside for now:
This establishment is another branch of a ubiquitous chain that can be found everywhere in New York City. What differentiates this one from the others is that you can order actual meals with your bubble tea and the interior may remind you of a nightclub. However, the food can be mediocre as the pork belly dish tends to be on a fattier side with less lean meat, and its popcorn chicken is typically overseasoned with various spices and MSG. The bubble tea is also very watered down when you compare it the ones served by Tea Leaf Cafe. It should also be mentioned the cook does not wear a hat, which I am pretty sure is a violation of the health code.
This restaurant is also not maintained very well considering how dirty the seats and tables can get. There is no one ensuring the tables are wiped down and there are occasional diners that do not carry their trash with them to the exit. This tends to result in a seating area with very oily tables and very messy containers left on top. Napkins are also rarely refilled to make matters worse.
The most important bit of this review is the customer service. EVERY time I come to this place, the employees seem to look like they either had a bad day or they really hate their jobs. It is very disconcerting to order meals from an employee that can only give you a grumpy look with an attitude. On top of that, the wait time for a simple bubble tea order can last up to 30 minutes or more. This may be attributed to the fact that there is not a lot of hands working behind the counter. Perhaps it has to do with the girl "not showing up on time because she wants to take a nap".
What really gave this place a 1-star review from me is one of its extremely rude employees that handled my order. I ordered a drink without knowing the price because of the fact it was not written on the menu (I probably should have asked). The one handling my order notified me FIFTEEN MINUTES later that they ran out of that particular drink. I was initially denied a refund for whatever reason and was told to choose any drink. The problem here was that the drink I ordered was apparently the most expensive drink than anything else on the menu. It may sound petty, but I was hard pressed in choosing a drink that was cheaper than what I initially ordered especially after waiting 15 minutes for a measly drink. The girl may not have realized the price difference, but she still lost her patience with me while I was browsing the menu and started shouting at me with extremely rude remarks which basically translated to "are you blind?". In my mind, I was really puzzled as to why she is shouting at me as if I was wasting her time. To make matters even worse, she thought it was appropriate to talk to her co-worker behind my back with rude remarks thinking her loud voice would not carry over. In the end, I got my refund but still left the place with a very bitter taste in my mouth as I should not have to leave an establishment with a pissed off mood especially when I wasted my time just to get yelled at.
Overall, in its current state, I can not recommend this place unless you have no means of getting bubble tea at Tea Leaf, or absolutely must have some kind of Taiwanese dish to satisfy your cravings. If these shortcomings are addressed, this place has potential especially in a University with a lot of students from the Greater New York City area that are into these kinds of trendy places. read more