Long-awaited review for Surfer Girl. After stopping in shortly after they opened for a drink, I patiently waited for the right time to return. Honestly, I also let some of the early poor reviews dissuade me from visiting again. That finally changed last night. A close friend is moving away from the South Bay and returning to her roots in the Midwest, and I wanted to give her a special evening at the beach with sunset views, good food, drinks, and great company. No pressure, right? We booked a Saturday reservation for three at 6 PM. Our table was upstairs "inside," really more of a rooftop-style space with a white tent cover and mostly enclosed glass walls. It struck a great balance with plenty of fresh air, energy, and beautiful views. It was definitely lively and noisy at times, so diners looking for a quiet intimate experience may feel differently, but I personally loved the enthusiastic vibe. Surfer Girl felt like one of the places to be in the South Bay last night. We were seated promptly at 6 and warmly greeted by our server, Catalina. I mention her early because she was excellent and instrumental in making the evening so enjoyable. Any concerns I'd previously heard about slow or inattentive service simply did not exist during our visit. I also recognize Surfer Girl has been something of a work in progress, building a menu, navigating liquor license challenges, and establishing itself in a competitive beach location. Not easy to do. But last night genuinely felt like Surfer Girl has figured it out. The cocktail menu is still somewhat limited due to the recent liquor license addition, but they did have Don Fulano tequila, which immediately got my attention. I'm picky about tequila and enjoyed a pour neat to start the evening. We ordered drinks along with crab cakes and shrimp cocktail appetizers, both delicious and generously portioned. Catalina kept everything moving effortlessly despite the restaurant being packed. She was hustling nonstop yet somehow always appeared exactly when needed. Then came the burger. I love a great burger and had been eyeing theirs from the smaller, curated menu. I noticed there were no fries offered, and Catalina explained they currently do not have a fryer, so fingerling potatoes are served instead. No exaggeration, the burger was outstanding. One of those burgers where halfway through everyone at the table gets quiet because they're simply enjoying the food. The fingerling potatoes absolutely worked too. My wife also ordered the burger and loved it, while our friend gave the fish tacos an enthusiastic thumbs up. As the evening wound down, dessert felt mandatory. We asked about the bread pudding but learned it's made fresh to order with about a 20-minute wait. Good sign, but we opted instead for the chocolate cake. Calling it "chocolate cake" honestly undersells it. It arrived warm in a generous bowl with dense, rich ice cream and had more of a molten chocolate soufflé feel than traditional cake. Pure decadence and happiness in a bowl, and the perfect ending to the evening. And yes, we were treated to a gorgeous sunset with front-row seats from our table. Overall, Surfer Girl far exceeded my expectations and absolutely earned a 5-star review from me. A few honest notes: It is not inexpensive, but the combination of food quality, service, atmosphere, and location makes it worthwhile. Parking around the beach is always a bit of an adventure, although I have a "secret spot" nearby that works most of the time and conveniently turns into a nice after-dinner stroll. The only real challenge we encountered was the single unisex restroom serving the entire busy restaurant. It showed some wear from heavy use, and there was often a wait. Restaurants, especially in high-profile beach locations, sometimes need time to find their footing, and this felt like a restaurant hitting its stride. Still, loved Surfer Girl. A really lovely spot at the beach. 5 stars read more

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Where do I start? Lovely location right on the Strand. Parking was really difficult to find, but once there, it was super cute. But it all went down from there: 1) Super hot on the patio, not enough shaded areas or umbrellas. Felt my skin frying and everyone took turns moving around to sit in the shade. Or, place napkins on our heads or arms. (Lady at another table had a napkin on her head - literally.) 2) If you're gluten free you should skip this place. There are virtually NO options other than the fish tacos or the Louie (crab and shrimp) Salad. I asked if the Eggs Benedict could be served without the English muffin, and the server looked at me like I spoke an alien language. I said if so, would it be possible to get some arugula or spinach instead of the English muffin. She said she didn't think so, and went to check with the chef. She left and came back to tell me NO substitutions. Excuse me? Are we at a food truck or an upscale establishment where this should not be an issue? It was the simplest request, and didn't require any altering of the way the meal was cooked - just leave off the English muffin/put down a handful of arugula or spinach. FAIL. 3) Service was slow. No one came back to check on us. We had to flag her down. 4) The bathroom was dirty and disgusting. It was shocking, but the trash was overflowing and partially on the floor, the sink was clogged and had yellowish water pooled there, the floor was wet probably from people trying to wash their hands.. There's no excuse for this kind of negligence. 5) That all being said the food was okay. The salad wasn't bad... it just wasn't what I wanted. I was at a party so I couldn't up and leave. I really wanted the Eggs Benedict since all the ingredients other than the English muffin were safe for me to have. My coffee was just okay, and really strong. I was charged for an "Americano" but I just had an iced coffee, so not sure about why they billed it as something else. I will NOT be back. I was uncomfortable, and unhappy being there. It was overpriced for the (limited) menu options, the (poor) service, the (hot and loud) ambience and the (lack of) cleanliness. read more

Been here four times now. Love the location, right off the strand, near the pier, and sitting outside, the views are good. Theres been loud groups (usually with little screaming kids) so try not to mind them too much. Service is good, periodically check in to see if you need more drinks. Love the fish tacos read more

3.5 stars overall. Service was great and the ambience was nice. Great view of the beach. The hotel rooms are right above the restaurant. Latte was more of a cappuccino. The egg Benedict sauce first bite had a bit of a kick, which was nice. The potatoes were a bit bland. The burger was also bland as well. Parking was horrible but I think we went at a bad time. There was a festival in the area so half of the street parking was nonexistent and the public parking garage was blocked off. The valet guys were friendly but they said the valet was full with hotel guests so they couldn't help us. Would maybe go back for the view and the atmosphere? read more

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The atmosphere music ambience and location are phenomenal. They also allowed us to move tables closer to the boardwalk. We did have to wait quite a while for our entire order to arrive. The food was fine. Definitely Hermosa pricing. Would come back for a drink. read more

Surfer Girl - Pancakes - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

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Beach please! What a cute spot. If you wanna have a bite or a sip practically right on the sand. Watch the waves and the strand as you relax in this hidden resort/meets bed and breakfast vibes hotel spot. Breezy nautical theme, open air. I had the fish tacos and asked Serena and Crystal to surprise me with a white wine to match!! They provided excellent service and fun and professional interactions. Perfect quiet spot for vacation vibes on the beach. They are debuting a cocktail program I am so excited to come back and try!! read more

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Food was delicious and our waitress was extremely attentive. The location can't be beat though!! Try the ceviche it's delicious

a great spot to people watch and see the sunset! the food and drinks are delicious, and the staff is super friendly and accommodating - even offering heaters and blankets when the sun goes down. couldn't ask for more of a seaside spot read more

Surfer Girl - entrance - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

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Nice little place that Sea sprites replaced their pool with. Hostess and Bartender friendly greeting. Was told to sit where I please which was great I found a nice table in the sun perfect for my lunch. My server was very friendly and welcoming ordered a coffee. I watched the interaction of staff and guest was pleasant. I ordered a 1/2 dz oysters and the steak skewers. The oysters where fresh and the mignoese (miss spelled) was very refreshing, the cocktails sauce was tasty a little chunky. The steak came covered in a green marinade with chimichurri and Tasike ( both misspelled). It was all to overwhelming you couldn't taste the steak. The service and atmosphere are excellent the food was good. read more

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Meh... service was ok, we went there for the view and got seated next to a staircase and no view. When asked for a better table they said the upstairs area is not open. I booked it for sunset for a reason. Food was good, but I want my sunset if I pay $26 for a tuna tartar read more

Great location - actually beachfront. The service is beyond slow unfortunately and the food was meh. We were told the upstairs seating is on weekends only but would've loved to sit up there. We ordered the shrimp pasta, chicken dish and burger. The pasta wasn't cooked thoroughly and our food was a bit cold when we received it. Our server was friendly just seemed overwhelmed. Hopefully management is able to invest in additional support! read more

Surfer Girl - Shrimp pasta - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

We went for lunch on Tuesday. The burger may have been the best i habe had anywhere. Being right on the Strand was very Cool, catching rays enjoying the beach with great food. The service was outstanding!!! read more

We were here on vacation and came three nights in a row and sat at the bar for drinks. First night was a female bartender. So unfriendly. Didn't smile once. Next two nights were the three dude bartenders that couldn't be bothered with us. Took 10 minutes to just get a menu despite the bar being pretty empty. They were literally talking to each other and not working. We also tip very well. Doesn't matter. We loved the spot for the view and ambiance but all the bartenders need a lesson in customer service. read more

Surfer Girl - Amazing view! - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

i was really looking forward to having brunch here despite some of these reviews.. although, some of these reviews are questionable.. but, i made rez via opentable for saturday AM we checked in on time or even a bit early. the hostess said she knows i reserved upper patio, but they had an event so sat us inside .. fine.. she gave us the menu and gave us waters we looked over the menu and ready to order NO ONE came to our table we sat there for 20mins before we said anything. we called the hostess over and she said yes one sec, ended up seating another group and forgot about us we saw 3 waitresses just standing around socializing , it seemed like you have to sit outside? there was a group inside as well and one of the guys had to get up and ask for salt and pepper and waited around awkwardly for about 5 mins before getting the salt and pepper from the bartender!! there was a-lot of observing happening btw myself and my partner.. there was a group of girls that came in prolly 10m after we had sat down outside, prolly in their early 20s, they were def greeted by their waitress and i saw the waitress taking their orders, yet we will just waiting inside to be helped. i think there was a mgr on duty, he had a sport jacket on, clearly had no clue on what was going on.. we were very disappointed in the service, esp since they just opened after renovations and adding the restaurant! the sea sprite hotel has been there FOREVER, it is a staple in HB! sea sprite hotel rebranded to sea sprite beach club.. their service needs to match their menu prices bc its not mathing.. its a beautiful space and so unfortunate we had an unpleasant visit. read more

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Ordered ordered oysters and chips/salsa with a couple of beers. These snacks were delicious. They had a signature beer on draft that was a blonde ale, which was refreshing. Service from the bartender was very good. It wasn't a busy night, but it was steady for a Friday evening in February. I little tok cold to sit outside. Some people had blankets while they sat by the fire on the patio. We sat at the bar and still got to enjoy the sunset which made the experience top notch. It's an upscale ($$$) beach restaurant with a modern nautical theme. Great place to have a beer and enjoy the people watching and sunsets. read more

Surfer Girl - Oysters - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

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My party of 4 had a reservation at 5:30pm yet we were completely ignored by the hostess stand and waited for at least 15 min to be seated on a pretty empty night (Sunday evening). After being seated we waited another 20 minutes after being ignored again and no waiter or waitress even looked our way. We got up to ask someone and the attitude we got was as if we'd totally inconvenienced the staff. Seriously why have a bunch of kids working here if no one cares about actually doing the job or acting like they're happy to serve those stopping by to support this bar/restaurant. read more

Had the best family brunch today! Eric was an amazing server, had us laughing and gave us perfect food recommendations. Thinking about coming back for an overnighter. I was hesitant to try this place after some negative reviews but we will definitely be back, and will be asking for Eric! read more

Surfer Girl - Brioche French toast - so good, we ordered two! - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

We were excited to check out this new addition to the Strand. It's part of the SeaSprite Beach Club (hotel). We were in luck since we didnt have a reservation and were led upstairs to the beautiful upper deck patio. Definitely a great girlfriend kind of place for wine and apps with an ocean view. Our server came by after a few minutes. She took our order and answered our questions. We ordered 2 glasses of wine and a charcuterie board to start. A few minutes later, our server came back and said to me directly that our order would be ready very soon. We patiently waited and saw other tables fill up around us. We saw the server one more time at another table before she disappeared for the rest of the evening. She never communicated with us that she was on break or off for the evening. We realized our order was taking too long. We checked the time and it had been 45 minutes! We flagged down another server who checked on our order. She came back and had to take our order again. She said it was because we were upstairs (?). Anyway, our order arrived shortly. Because this server gave us great service and the charcuterie was actually pretty good, I thought 3 stars is fair. It would have been a show of goodwill if management had comped a little for the inconvenience. My expectations of this place has lowered. Will I come back? Unsure. read more

Surfer Girl - Took 45 minutes for 1 charcuterie and 2 glasses of wine - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

We recently did a girls sunset dinner at Surfer Girl and it was phenomenal! They were obviously busy but the staff made sure to make us feel well attended. Frank especially went above and beyond to provide excellent service! The food was great, we had oysters, the steak, tuna tartare and crab cakes. The oysters were so good and the tuna was probably our favorite. Can't wait to come back again soon. read more

Great service! Amazing baristas with great staff around complimenting the thriving community! Plus I had an amazing beach view with delicious drinks, will definitely be back with an empty stomach. read more

Stopped in with 6 for a drink and possibly lunch. View of beach and area is great! 3 of us got there a bit before so they had their drinks. It took a while before we flagged down someone to get our drink orders, then took another 10min+ at least to get them. We decided to go elsewhere for lunch. Menu is $$$ as well, even for HB. Might be back another time. read more

Atmosphere and location is amazing. Great music, bottomless mimosas and the fish tacos are some of the best I've tried. Great flavor profile. Definitely coming back to this place. read more

Surfer Girl - Unbeatable location - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

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The food here is amazing... but the service is consistently slow. On our second visit (a group of three), we came at noon on a Saturday. Even after showing the OpenTable confirmation email, they couldn't find our reservation. Once seated, things didn't improve--we didn't have a server assigned to our table, and after 25 minutes I had to go find someone just to get water. It took another 20 minutes to track down our server to place drink and food orders at the same time. Our drinks took about 20 minutes to arrive, and despite the restaurant not being very busy, our food took nearly 50 minutes after that. In total, it was about two hours from the time we sat down until the food came out. One person in our group actually had to leave before the food even reached the table. Our server was apologetic, but there was no real explanation for the delay. I genuinely love the food, so I'll come back--but only when we have plenty of time and no other plans afterward. read more

Surfer Girl just opened a few days ago. This is exactly what Hermosa Beach needed, a nice place on the sand. It's unbelievable that it's taken this many years for somebody to build a place like this. The restaurant and ambience are amazing. We went for an early dinner and loved the food. The focaccia and hamburgers were very tasty, and the charcuterie was well thought out. They have a great selection of wines. They have a few service issues to figure out, but that is to be expected for a brand new restaurant. I have no doubt they will figure it out very quickly. The only other item they should add is additional heat lamps. The ocean breeze can be quite cool! Overall, an amazing restaurant and we will be regulars. Hopefully other businesses on the Strand will take note and build out similar beautiful restaurants like Surfer Girl! read more

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Terrible service, overpriced and limited options of drinks. Good view but that's about it,

I was so excited to try surfer girl with my friends. We ended up going for brunch and were quickly seated without a reservation. It was quite foggy and the restaurant was fully equipped with blankets- such a nice touch. Our server was lovely, but the service was very slow. I ordered a burger medium rare without aioli or cheese. It came out about 30 minutes later and was cooked to medium well. The server apologized and brought me another burger- this second time, it was covered in cheese. She apologized and brought me out a third burger that was tasty, but still overcooked. To be frank, I was astonished that there was no further apology or offer to comp my burger or to provide our group with a discount or to even bring over the manager to address what had happened. While I enjoyed the atmosphere, I'm unsure as to whether I'd go back. read more

Absolutely incredible! The newly remodeled restaurant and hotel are beyond chic -- fun, cool, and full of great energy. The moment you walk in you feel great vibes. The view is breathtaking, the food is outstanding, and the entire place feels like a beautiful little escape. The hotel makeover is stunning -- modern, thoughtful, and totally elevated. Every detail feels fresh and luxurious. All around, it's simply an amazing spot! read more

I didn't want to leave a bad review but I couldn't stop thinking about the pathetic experience we had for brunch. The ambiance was lovely and our hostess was accommodating, the rest was total chaos. Our waitress ANNIBELLE was new. She decided to take our order while moving a bunch of umbrellas around and totally messed up our food order. Didn't write anything down of course. My coffee came out hot, not iced. Coffees came out at different times. Then we got one entree and the second was never put in. I reminded ANNIBeLLE but she blamed the computer system and then had to put my order in late. My partner had to eat his entree alone so it didn't get cold. When my breakfast finally arrived (French toast) they didn't give me any of the berry compote it comes with or the cream, they just gave me a little cup of blueberries with syrup and called it a day. LAME. I can handle snafus of messing up a coffee order, but when the food comes out 10+ minutes apart, and wrong still, that is ridiculous. The restaurant wasn't even busy. I told her the mistakes keep stacking up, can they at least comp the breakfast item they forgot about ? She said she would ask the manager. Instead she sent him to our table so we had to go through the whole mess again. He thanked me for the "constructive criticism" but my dude ... this isn't Bar Rescue. I'm not here to give constructive criticism, I'm here for a good meal! Smh I asked him to comp my entree, he said he would "do something about the bill" but was vague about it. He reminded me of someone who recently decided to get into restaurant management but has no experience. Meanwhile the kitchen has one busboy and you can constantly hear "HANDS!" being shouted, the poor busboy being run ragged, and the manager is walking around straightening plates on empty tables and not talking to any of his patrons. During the middle of the breakfast mix up, I asked ANNIBELLE for a black coffee refill. Well obviously it went in one ear and out the other. Had to ask the poor runner for coffee, where he promptly filled from a giant pre made carafe. Giiirrrrl if it was that easy we would have gotten our own. The cherry on top? Probably each time we mentioned to ANNIBELLE something was wrong, she could barely restrain her eye roll. When we told her that she never brought the coffee we ordered and we had to ask her busboy , she just said "okay". Honestly don't think she even remembered us asking her for it. Yikes. She's super cute but has no life skills poor girl! Learn some responsibility and how to make apologies in the service industry or it won't go well for you. *constructive criticism* lol Anyway, she gave us a major attitude that she didn't care. She never apologized for any of the mistakes just tried to play them off like it was someone else's fault or like we were high maintenance for wanting our food at the same time. (The people next to us had the same scenario happen, the girl got her food first and the man was waiting...keep in mind between the delivery of entrees, the kitchen was bringing out multiples plates of food for other tables...) The manager is supposed to have an attitude of wanting to make things right, and give a good experience. Instead I felt like I had to teach him what to do. This place needs some servers and managers who have industry experience or this place won't last another season. Now for the food ... it's not cheap. It even looks good. But apparently no one stocked the kitchen with salt and pepper. The potatoes and eggs are so very bland because they're cooked with absolutely no salt. If you ask for salt your food cools while they look for shakers in a cupboard ... I wish we had just gotten up and left after tasting the first entree. The place was pretty but I'm sad I won't have the desire to go back. Sitting on the beach later we heard a girl asking her friends which place they would take some friends between surfer girl and some other spot. We were quick to share our recent opinion: surfer girl sucks. The other option could have been McDonald's and our answer would have been the same! read more

After several disappointing experiences (bill wrong, slowww service, etc...) I tried again. This time: sit at the bar, bartender says, "I don't think you're allowed in here." Me? "...no your friend, I think." You think? "Yeah, he looks like a guy..." Bye. read more

What a disappointment. After we came last weekend and had such an amazing time, we decided to come back. We asked for Graham since he was so amazing last time and why we came back, but he wasn't working and figured not a problem. Boy were we wrong! C We had a female server with long brown hair. I highly recommend avoiding her. We were sat and waited quite a while before even being acknowledged. Once she came over it took forever to get our drinks considering the place was only about half full ( there was "sweat" on both the beer and wine glasses). When asked questions, she couldn't answer or would have to check with the kitchen. It seemed really knowledgeable about basic questions. We stuck with the recommendations we got last time that we loved since she couldn't answer. We never received service after that. The food was dropped off by the busboy. We had to go to the bar to get a next round of drinks. We saw our waitress showing her coworker stuff on her phone and laughing, but never once came back until we asked someone for our bill. Our table was full of empty dishes. It was such an awful experience. My husband and I will not be back anytime soon. What a horrible let down to have such an amazing experience the first time with a great server, to now never wanting to come back because of the service. If the service is this inconsistent and poorly trained, makes me question the food. read more

*** never got a chance to eat here or even order *** We had a reservation at 4:45. With parking issues we got there at 4:50. They clearly had given our seat away already. They panicked and made us wait until 5:00 to be seated claiming they were cleaning our table.Before being seated was asked for my rez information again even though i had given it as soon as we entered . During this time the 5:00 rez came (4:51) and they were seated right away in a shadier better location. We got seated at the same time the table was being cleared of dirty plates in a sunny area. We waited until 5:15 and still no waiter even though we asked for water as soon as we got seated. Ended up leaving at 5:20 after a horrible experience with the bathroom and staff not being able to read "occupied" on the door handle. This entire time not even waited on once. No wonder everyone says bad service. I get it now. read more

Beautiful location, I really wanted to love the restaurant and support local business. The sea Sprite has been in Hermosa forever, yet I'm very disappointed with the restaurant. I ordered egg white veggie omelette, it came out as regular eggs. The veggies inside were good, but there were hardly any. I ordered a side of bacon which was floppy and gross not like what you would expect for something marketed as thick cut bacon. I arrived at 12 noon on a Sunday, wasn't busy when I arrived, but service was very slow. I also ordered a hot tea, which never came. The location is the best part about this place, don't go there for the food or service. read more

The place is beautiful, the service was great and the food was delicious! Will definitely come back again. read more

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Food- i love it Service- i love it Ambiance- amazing sunset! My fav place in Hermosa Beach! read more

Surfer Girl - Cheese - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

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Service was amazing. Miles was great for bringing us the food and giving us awesome recommendations. Definitely coming back here.

Would never come again. Server charged us the wrong bill and also gave a tip on our card that we did not write down on the bill!! We left a cash tip and still got charged a tip on our credit card. It took over 45min to get our orders taken and over an hour to get water. Food was just okay, the vibes / scenery is nice but did not like the service at all. Tried calling MULTIPLE times to discuss the extra charge on our card and they kept saying "we will call you back!". They never followed up with us or called back. read more

As locals, we were so excited to check out Surfer Girl and to be honest, with the negative reviews seen here, we went in with zero expectations while a new restaurant sometimes needs to work out kinks in the kitchen and service but let me tell you the food was excellent, service was awesome and the view, well... epic. We had the Mediterranean steak skewers, verde ceviche and peaches burrata and all were fantastic. Wine list offers a good selection as well. Way to go Surfer Girl, you knocked it lot of the park with decor, ambiance, food and service and we can't wait to come back! read more

Great vibe and atmosphere, love the place. First time but will come back soon. Thank you! read more

Surfer Girl - Great view. - Desserts Near Me - Hermosa Beach, California

Incredible setting, right on the strand. Food is excellent. Service is excellent. Jake, Ryan and Serena do an amazing job. Highly recommend read more

Wow... What a complete DISAPPOINTMENT!!! From beginning to end colossal fail. Such a beautiful view and great music, but those are the only positives. The only thing weaker than the coffee was the terrible service, and that we had to ask for water, utensils, napkins (the server said "they didn't deliver the linens so they had cocktail napkins"), butter, jelly (they were out of), and the bill. The food might have been the worst meal I may have ever had and I am from the Midwest...so that says a lot. The eggs were completely tasteless and tasted like they were poured out of a box and the bread may have been directly from a bag of Wonderbread. Four servers were standing in the corner enjoying their breakfast and acted like we were interrupting them. We have been waiting years for this to open and live right up the street really wanted to succeed, but they have a VERY long way to go. So sad. read more