Kelly G.
Google
It's heartbreaking when a place that's literally PART OF YOUR CHILDHOOD...
no longer is even a SHADOW of what it once was.
To age myself (but mostly - to give this review perspective and accountability) - my GRANDMOTHER used to take us here when young. It was warm, full of life (TV stars hanging out between shoots at the Radford Studios) -
what more could a kid ask for?
As a young adult, working at CBS, we would jet over here for a quick lunch - fun, generous, and while not NY Deli standards - as close as you were gonna get in La La Land. You didn't mind the prices were steeper and sometimes you waited for a booth.
Somewhere before Covid and today - IT LOST ITS SOUL.
Today was the nail in the coffin. I had a rare Saturday to myself - errands, work, and JUST enough time to squeeze in lunch. Plugged a parking meter for an hour, walked in (this was 3 PM, plenty of booths open).
The young gal at the front looked bored and was staring at her phone, and a young man next to her was speaking spanish to a customer on the phone. The gal waved at the room while texting her cel (SERIOUSLY??) - a rude, NON-WELCOME. The implication was 'seat myself'. And she's GETTING PAID...??
Okay.
Take a seat. 8 minutes later, a male server with a beard wanders over to take my order. I place it. He is confused. Apparently, what I've ordered 95 times at ART'S is no longer on the menu. But it's not a delicacy, only 2 (different) HALF SANDWICHES. I offer to pay for the FULL, more expensive sandwich, and just modify.
He's STUMPED. He goes to the cashier and I watch 3 dumbfounded young staff stare at each other.
He wanders back after stopping to take a 5-minute order from a table of 4 that hasn't decided what they want - he could care less I've been waiting 15 minutes in a mostly-empty restaurant. Now I only have about 40 minutes for lunch.
He states he cannot figure out how to order this. I ask if the manager is around - he wanders away. Eventually Roberta (not the owner any longer - apparently she sold her interest to her Brother or now owns but no longer works there) knows IMMEDIATELY what to do. She assures me to place the order with my Server, and she'll 'take care of it'.
Now we're at the 20 minute mark, but okay. He's hanging out entering another order and staring at the screen. I GET UP, walk across the restaurant, and tell him "ROBERTA SAID TO JUST ENTER A TUNA, but to take my order manually and she'll handle it'."
FOR A 3rD TIME with this 'SERVER' I say the simple order. Half tuna. Half swiss cheese. Lettuce. Coleslaw. THAT'S IT.
I watch him scrawl this down. He asks "No tomatoes?". NO. Just lettuce. He walks towards the counter to order it...
I head to my booth. Realizing it'll be 5-10 minutes to be made, I leave keys, prescription glasses, jacket, magazine on the table, so they know I'm still here, go to the restroom. In there bout 8 minutes.
I come out. 2 minutes later... a female, short hair, age 50ish comes over and ASKS WHAT I'D LIKE TO ORDER. ??!
Now I'm PISSED. I've been in there OVER 35 MINUTES - 6 tables out of 50 used - those who came in after me eating- and I am STARTING OVER??
I tell the Server my order was already taken 4 TIMES - she says, "I got back from my break, I'm gonna take over". I say my order was already IN - waiting over 35 minutes...
SHE RUDELY INTERRUPTS ME TO LIE: "We didn't know if you were coming back, so he didn't put the order in."
"My glasses are on the table, CAR KEYES, a magazine and down jacket... you didn't know if I was here??"
She realizes she's been caught - so she LEAVES!!
I walk to the front, ask for Roberta, and tell her: THIS WAS MY LUNCH BREAK. I've spent it with incompetent wait-staff who after 45 MINUTES HAVEN'T GOTTEN A SIMPLE ORDER DONE despite ordering 4 TIMES, with 8 customers total. No food, no time to eat now, and SAD.
She offers make my lunch to go, and 10 minutes later - exactly an hour - I race back to work.
For the record ONE SANDWICH, no drink, $32. Half tuna, half cheese. No sides. Plus parking.
NOT WORTH IT.
AND THEY DO NOT CARE.