Toan L.
Yelp
I wasn't going to leave a review since my brother recently left one, but I feel it's important to share my experience. This was the first time in my dining history that I felt truly uncomfortable due to poor service.
At first, everything was fine. The server greeted us, asked if we had been there before, took our drink orders, and gave us time to decide. He even made a joke about root beer, which I played along with. However, when I politely asked, 'Is it cool if we cook for ourselves?' his demeanor subtly changed. He initially responded politely, so we didn't think much of it, but looking back, it seemed to offend him. While I don't feel obligated to explain why we wanted to cook for ourselves, management should consider that some customers may feel more comfortable doing so.
After that, service declined significantly. For 20-30 minutes, no one checked on us. At first, I assumed our server was giving us space, but it's basic service etiquette to check on guests, offer refills, and see if they need anything else. Despite empty water bottles, side dishes, and drinks, no one asked if we wanted refills. We had intended to order more meat but couldn't because no one came by to take additional orders.
When Alex finally returned, it was only to make a passive-aggressive comment: 'Hey, I heard you guys broke the grill!' At the time, my cousin and I thought he was joking, but in hindsight, it seemed pointed. When I asked, 'Does this happen often?' he replied, 'With you, yeah. Us? No.'--which caught us off guard.
Even after that interaction, service did not improve. We placed our empty water bottles at the table's edge to make it clear that we needed refills, yet no one came. It felt like we were overlooked, and the staff seemed aware but made no effort to improve the experience. When we left, the hosts at the front didn't acknowledge us or say something along the lines of thank you for coming or have a good night, reinforcing the overall poor service experience.
I'm not sure if Alex assumed that us cooking for ourselves meant we wouldn't tip or if our age played a role in the lack of service. Ironically, we thought we were helping by taking some of the workload off since it was a busy Saturday night. Regardless of the reason, this level of service is unprofessional. It reflects poorly on both the staff and management--how can you hire someone who doesn't respect the customers who contribute to their paycheck?
I'm not here to argue that 'the customer is always right,' but I do believe every guest deserves basic respect. If cooking for myself is frowned upon, I would have appreciated clear communication instead of passive-aggressive treatment. I still tipped 15% on a $200 tab, but I left disappointed. If you find yourself with Alex as your server, you may want to consider requesting another one.