Corey G.
Yelp
I placed an order through the restaurant's pickup service, Square around 11:15 on Friday for an 11;50 pickup. When I arrived for my food around that time, I was met by waitstaff who thought I was in the wrong location and asked to see the receipt from the order.
Not a good start. So I went to Trader Joe's to get a couple of items. This was the other lunchtime errand I'd planned after getting my lunch, and I figured it would give the restaurant time to find the order I knew I had both placed and paid for.
20 minutes later I returned and was told that the order was being prepared. The auto had to be rebooted. I was offered a seat to wait. As the lunch crow came into this tiny dining room (and folks seemed to have their favorite spots) I loved twice to have space away from people, as Covid is still roaming.
As time rolled on and my lunch hour nearly gone, I got a little antsy about the wait and the waitstaff preoccupation with new customers with no acknowledgment of updating me on my order. I inquired and was told the story of the need to reboot and that my order had to be written by hand because no receipts had come out of the system.
At 12:30, 40 minutes after the requested pickup time, my order was ready. More excuses and apologies.
I understand that mistakes happen and technology is far from foolproof, but 40 minutes is a long time to have someone wait for a paid order. Despite the high temperature outside, I was never offered a drink or a discount or a free appetizer. Nothing but "sorry, sir" as if the issue wasn't theirs to own and try to fix.
In the end, my food was delicious, though my requested sauce was plain and mild, instead of the hot temperature I ordered. Mildly disappointing, but manageable.
I recommend space for pickup patrons to sit out of the way if diners-in. I also recommend that you acknowledge and try something, anything, to fix order issues. Don't just say you're sorry, but show it in some fashion. Happy customers return, bring others, and bring their business to you, instead of the many other eateries in Clarendon.