Tianxu Z.
Yelp
I've visited Haidilao several times and always had a great experience, which is why we chose it again to celebrate my daughter's birthday on April 18th. Since Haidilao is known for their fun birthday celebrations, we called ahead to book a table and mentioned the special occasion.
When we arrived, we noticed there was already a simple birthday decoration in place, and our waitress provided excellent, professional service throughout the meal. During dinner, we saw at least three other tables enjoying birthday celebrations, so we were excited and hopeful that our daughter's moment would be coming soon.
After some time passed with no celebration, I spoke to the hostess in the black suit to check on the birthday arrangement. She assured me it would be taken care of soon. Unfortunately, by the time we finished eating, nothing had happened. Our table had become quite cluttered with dishes, and we still hadn't received any birthday acknowledgment.
We eventually spoke directly with our waitress and discovered there had been a miscommunication--no one had informed her that it was a birthday celebration. I want to be clear that she was doing a great job and once she was aware, she quickly helped to arrange the birthday song. However, by then, the timing just didn't feel right, especially with the table full of dirty dishes, and I didn't feel it was the right moment to take photos or videos in front of my daughter.
While I understand it was a busy day (especially with Easter falling on the same date), the situation was disappointing. I hope this feedback helps prevent similar miscommunications in the future, as we truly enjoy dining at Haidilao