George C.
Yelp
Over a year ago, my wife and I went to Dao for our Wednesday night date night. This had been one of three locations on our regular date-night rotation. Up to this point, we had seen a decline in customer service. Everything was slower, certain items on the menu were unavailable, etc. Still, we kept coming back because whatever we got at the table was fantastic. On the night in question, we sat for almost 10 minutes without service. I flagged the hostess down and another waiter to no avail. I mentioned this to the hostess on the way out and barely got a, "Sorry about that." So, we did not go back till yesterday (11/23/2025).
We were in the mood for sushi and were in the area. Surely, the experience could not be as bad as before. We were greeted by the hostess and sat at a table with no wait. There were at least four waiters and two hostesses working. We were one of 6 tables inside. We sat and watched all but one waitress pass our table. The table behind my wife ordered drinks, had them delivered, and then ordered food. Another couple was seated behind me. We had seen no one and were looking around to see if we could get a waitress's attention. One did walk up, but she stopped at the newly seated table behind me, taking their drink order. My wife is usually the patient one, enjoying experiences, taking her time. Before I could say anything, she looked at me and said, "Let's go". On the way out, we mentioned the service issue, as I did before. The hostess first wished us a good day, then gave us a confused look when we told her we had not received service. The hostess had sat us in a nearly empty restaurant less than 10 minutes before and had already forgotten us.
Yes, the food at Dao is good. Yes, they have adequate staffing and have been around for a while. Yes, their location is ideal and probably costs a good bit in rent. However, something has changed in their management, rendering customer service as an afterthought. We will NOT go back again. Too many good to great sushi restaurants in Tallahassee to spend money at one that does not put their customers first.