This is usually one of my favorite places to grab poke bowls on the way home, however I've never tried dining in before.
Horrible experience. I sat down on Wednesday, August 1st, 2017 at about 5pm for dinner. Nobody greeted us when we walked in or sat us at a table. Once we sat down another five minutes passed and nobody brought us menus. Finally we flagged down a tall-ish male server and he brought us menus.
After another five minutes, we caught the server's attention again and ordered a large beer and my partner ordered a poke bowl. About 15 minutes later we saw a sign, on an 8.5/11 sheet on the side of the doorway when you walk in that said happy hour deals and prices. Select rolls 30 percent off, 16oz draft beer $3.
Our server hadn't told us it was happy hour, but we indicated we wanted to order a sushi roll and did so, and I assumed that the beer would automatically be charged happy hour price. First mistake. The food was good and so was the beer. No complaints. We ordered the check and when it came I saw there was the normal price for beer $7. I realized my beer 16oz, had come in a bottle. So again after having to catch the attention of the server I asked politely, "Hi, is there any way we can get happy hour price for the beer. I know we didn't order, but we didn't know it was happy hour when we came in."
San, our server responded, no politeness at all, "No you can't have that since you drank a bottle."
I insisted, "well we didn't know it was happy hour and the server didn't tell us. Is there any way we can have it."
San responded, "There are signs everywhere, you should know." I looked around. To be fair, there was a sign, but it was propped to the side against the door, and not within obvious sight at all.
I asked again, I understand, but can you please go and ask your manager if you can adjust the charge. It is the server's responsibility to tell the guest if there are any specials, especially when they order an item that could be on special.
San went and came back. Again very suddenly, he was confrontational, saying, "Okay this time I'm going to let you slide, but next time you have to deal with your mistake...."
I was shocked.
This is where I started to get frustrated. I responded, "No I'm letting You slide. It was your job to inform us that it was happy our or that there was a happy hour beer, even if we didn't see the sign."
San didn't stop. "Well there are signs everywhere. Right now your ignorance is going to cost me money and it's your fault."
The guy was basically saying, you can read, it's your problem.
I replied, "Telling a guest they can read, is never acceptable. Do you have a manager?"
San replied, "Yea I'll go get him." Squared up, "Here I am. What's up bro?" As if to fight me.
I, in disbelief, remarked, "Are you really the manager? This is not the way a server And especially not the way a manager interacts with a customer in any situation." Again San responded, "This is your problem. You're lucky I'm even dealing with this."
San then walked away, fixed the check, and sent another server out. I asked if San was the manager, and she said he was who was in charge right then.
There are SO MANY things wrong with this interaction. How does a server treat a guest like that? How does a server blame a guest for not seeing a special? How does the server/ manager pull a fake and then say, what's up I am the manager? The tone was horrible. "You can read," is never ever an acceptable counter. And neither is a fake out or the confrontation.
I can understand making the mistake of letting San be a server, but then letting him be in charge on top of that. In the entire ninety minutes we were there, not a single staff was there to seat guests, and they all had to seat themselves, then get their own menus. absolute chaos.
Never, in years as a server in NYC have I ever had such a confrontation. And especially not in a case where the guest was right. The servers here need to be taught what service and hospitality are.
Avoid eating in here at all costs. Especially if San is your server. read more