Andrew G.
Yelp
I was happy to see this restaurant reopen, and the new space looks great! We've had good meals from the previous location, and as it appears to be the same owners, I assume the food is still good. We do, however, greatly prefer a different Ethiopian restaurant in town.
The new location is 15-20 minutes away from the old, and we live closer to the old, so it was a trek up there tonight. I had no intention of eating in the restaurant, and instead, like normal, expected to get it to go. I verified on Yelp that they were still doing takeout. However, I should have called first (I guess?). I was greeted at the door, where I asked to place a takeout order. The response was, "Eh, not tonight."
Now, as a frequent eater of Ethiopian food, I understand that the stock of injera is precious, and so I would have completely understood if the explanation was "We're running low on injera and have people waiting for tables," or virtually _any_ other plausible explanation. But when pressed, the explanation was "the kitchen is busy." It was 7:40PM. I was willing to wait a bit. But, "nope."
I considered trolling; ask for a table for 1, place my order, receive my order, then immediately ask for a box and the check. Instead, I took my hunger elsewhere.
It was definitely disappointing to waste my time, so I hope that they'll clarify their policy on takeout for the future. But, at least for now, don't blindly trust the text on Yelp that says "Offers Takeout"--it's not always true.