Marie F.
Yelp
Vibe: FridayNight Out adventure
Premise: Open Karaoke & Dinner
FYI: Dance music 11:30 pm-4 am Fri/Sat
Food Type: Vietnamese
Order: Spicy Wings & Rice Noodles
Cost: $37 + Gratuity
Time: ~7:30 pm
++Service
++Food
--Automatic Gratuity added
While in the area on a recent Friday night, I was pointed to this place by another local business. I arrived before the crowd (7:30 pm) and quickly grabbed a seat at the bar, where it's 1st come, 1st serve seating. Otherwise, the tables are by reservation a week in advance (I was told).
There seemed to be one waiter for everyone, but he did a pretty good job. There were females who also appeared to be on the clock, however, flirting with male customers seemed to be their primary job. Lol.
My order was placed (with assistance from waiter) and found to be wise choices. Food arrived rather quickly and was plentiful and delicious. Wings (10-12) were not overly spicy with a nice crunch. Noodle dish was large and tasted good. Most of the food was boxed for later because it was so plentiful.
The entertainment was a female DJ playing bangers between customer karaoke performances. Although, I would have preferred more music and less repeat "offenders" on the mic. Lol.
This place started filling up quickly around 8:30 pm and my seat was hijacked when I went outside for air. Upon my return, I checked out quickly since having nowhere to sit. I chose to tip my server well, since he did an excellent solo job. However, once home and wondering why my bill was so expensive, I noticed they had added an automatic gratuity of 17% to my bill "to be split among all wait staff." Therefore paying closer to 50% gratuity!
Don't get me wrong. I truly believe in taking good care of waitstaff. However, tipping should be at MY discretion and for the staff that has serviced me. Not staff who "sit & look pretty" while my $3 Diet Coke became watered down then discarded when I walked away briefly.
Opinion: Auto-gratuity gives no incentive for individual staff excellence in service and should clearly be marked on your bill, not a blurb on the printed receipt I had to ask for.
Because I did have a good time, my return to this spot is pretty sure. However, next time I will order only drinks and see if the gratuity is the same.
The gratuity thing is a personal preference (pet peeve) and is meant to inform, not dissuade you from checking this nice establishment out if you're local or in town.