Xavier L.
Yelp
I ordered from El Cameron on 5/4 for delivery 5/5. I want to say that I was encouraged to order from them by the glowing reviews they'd received in Conde Nast and Eater and the fact that they were prominently featured in Eater as a great place to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. I had realized that in the shelter in place mode that my cooking had lacked meals that were inclusive of Latin (especially Mexican) cuisine and I found myself craving tacos. I was excited by the website and pictures and looked forward to an amazing meal to celebrate an important work milestone. I instructed my partner to not bother cooking for the evening.
Unfortunately, my food order didn't arrive. I phoned and left a message on their line. I did not receive a return phone call instead I received a text message an hour and 15 minutes after my delivery window (which was from 6-8 pm) stating that the delivery driver had been in an accident and that this affected their ability to deliver food. I felt bad about this circumstance, but I was frustrated that more immediate plans for communication with customers had not been put in place. By the time I received the text message, it was too late for me to order elsewhere and I was left to prepare a desultory meal that in no way was what I had in mind to celebrate the day. To their credit, I was offered a 25% discount or the possibility of a refund. However, I replied asking for a bit more of a discount credit (I and other customers I imagine were severely inconvenienced) or a refund. That text was not replied to for another 30 plus minutes. I was assured a manager would reach out to me the next morning to either offer a larger discount or process a refund. Alas, I did not receive a message from anyone the next day (5/6) as promised. Given the snafu, and what I felt the poor response to it represented, I was no longer interested in food from El Camaron and simply wanted a refund processed. Most importantly, I did not feel that I could trust that they were sufficiently organized as an operation to ensure that orders could be processed in a timely manner and that emergencies could be properly attended to. Furthermore, I was irritated to discover that the charge had gone through on my card, and that no one from the restaurant contacted me to deal with my concerns.
I want to reiterate that at no point did I receive any additional contact from the restaurant. I understand that this is ultimately a pop-up operation but this kind of inattentive customer service seems like a glaring weakness. Instead, this morning (5/7) I received an e-mail noting that my card would be refunded the full amount. I will be attentively watching my account to make sure the refund clears.
I am sure the food from El Camaron is excellent. I want to support local restaurants and caterers during what I know to be a difficult time and I have ordered without issue from other venues either using partnered services or their own in house delivery. However, the way that they handled this situation leaves me underwhelmed and suspicious that they can handle the increase in traffic that must surely be happening as a result of the glowing press they've been receiving. If they can work out these logistical problems and improve their customer service, I am sure they will have a successful run in what is left of the Austin restaurant scene post-COVID. Unfortunately, that business will not be coming from me.
