Trina K.
Yelp
We cannot prevent others from receiving preferential treatment, but we can choose to leave the table when humane treatment and positive vibes are not being served.
We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation and stood around with two other groups (2 and 4) to be seated. The other two-person party was a walk-in, and the second party member arrived AFTER us. The party of four stated they called and were told that they could be accommodated. (As a point of reference, a reservation requires you to provide a credit card at booking.)
The hostess told me that the diners at "my" table had already paid, so it would be just a few moments before I could be seated. Afterwards, she departed to seat the party of two (who did not have a reservation) AND the party of four who called about availability and were told to come over.
The hostess returned to seat us more than 15 minutes later. But just before she did, another duo entered the restaurant withOUT a reservation and were told they would be seated immediately after we were. As we were being walked to "our" table, I noticed it was an arm length away from the first couple without a reservation (who arrived after us) and the family of four who called before arriving. As I unrolled my napkin to place it in my lap, the hostess returned with the newly arrived duo and seated them in the corner near us. Then, she placed a pile of place settings on a four person table and combined it with a two person table next to it. Less than a minute later, she led in a family of six who had presumably arrived after she had seated us.
Finally noticing the hostess hustled and moved with purpose for EVERY other group shook me at my core. It was then that I finally realized we were not welcomed. As I attempted to overcome my apprehension and experience what we were told would be a delicious meal, I realized we had only one menu but two drink menus. As we waited to get someone's attention for a second or QR code, I decided it was time to spend money where I would be welcomed with open arms and treated with respect.
The moral of the story is that, while the food is reportedly delicious, all customers are not treated as equal.