Mary Celie E.
Yelp
The only issue we encountered was with the front-of-house staff, who were extremely unprofessional and failed to provide accurate wait times. I understand it was a busy Saturday evening, and we were initially told the wait would be 45 minutes for indoor seating or 25 minutes for outdoor seating. We opted for outdoor seating, but it took over 1 hour and 10 minutes to get seated. We had to ask four times about our table and were met with attitude each time. We even inquired about waiting at the bar while our table was prepared, but were flatly told no, which I found surprising since allowing customers to sit at the bar and order drinks could bring in more revenue.
On the fifth time we asked, the hostess casually told us, "Oh honey, we forgot about you." This was highly unprofessional--not only because "honey" or "babe" is not appropriate language when speaking to customers, but also because we had been waiting far longer than expected. When our table was finally ready, we were told to wait another five minutes while the table was cleaned and prepared. At this point, I went to the front to ask if we could be seated indoors, given that we had been waiting more than 25 minutes. While I was explaining the situation, the manager arrived to assist, but the hostess returned with a hostile attitude and loudly told me that indoor seating was reserved for guests with reservations.
I explained that we had been told there was a 25-minute wait for outdoor seating, yet we had been waiting for over an hour, and I could see plenty of open tables inside. Her tone became even more hostile as she refused my request and continued to provide the worst customer service I've ever experienced. Having worked in the hospitality industry--restaurants, car rentals, and five-star hotels--I would have handled the situation differently. I would have apologized for the miscommunication and gone out of my way to provide excellent service, especially after a prolonged wait. Instead, she did the opposite. Her behavior towards my party was unprofessional and unpleasant, making us feel unwelcome.
I visit many different restaurants and have never had such a terrible experience with front-of-house staff. All three young women were unprofessional, preoccupied with their phones, and inattentive to customers. Once we were finally seated, we noticed that other staff members kept glancing toward our table, which was located at the very back of the outdoor seating area. It felt as though the hostess had bad-mouthed us to the other staff. Fortunately, our server Josh was incredibly polite, attentive, and provided excellent service, paying attention to every detail.