3 /5 Kathy Richardson: Once again, I am preparing for another surgery. This one is 13 months and 1 day after my rotator cuff surgery in December 2024. Lucky me.
The procedure will be in Bellevue, rather than Tacoma, so I was up there for my labwork and pre-op appointments. Once finished Ray and I decided to eat before heading home.
Not being familiar with the area, I did a search for restaurants. This place was close so we headed that way. There is street parking only and we were lucky to find an open spot which we took. The directions were confusing and pictures were unavailable so we began walking up the street, thinking we were heading in the correct direction. We were almost 2 blocks away when I asked for assistance and was told we were walking in the wrong direction. When we got back and were nearly to our car, I saw their name on an awning and realized we had parked almost in front of the entrance, which is not marked in front.
We went inside and waited to be seated. We had arrived at approximately 3:15. We were asked if we had reservations and said no. We were informed we could be seated but there were reservations for 5:15 and we would need to be gone by then. Not knowing if service was slow, we almost left, but decided to stay.
We were barely seated when our server arrived to take our order. We had not even had an opportunity to look at the menu. While not rude, she did act exasperated, and walked off before we could even order something to drink. In her defense she gave the same level of service to a regular who was seated at the next table and knew her by name. He was also informed he would need to be gone by 5:15.
When our server came back, we placed our order. My husband ordered a cup of black coffee. I ordered a coffee nudge from the bar. Both were delivered and were cold. She never came back until our meals were served. She never offered more coffee.
We each ordered the Cajun chicken sandwich and fries. Our meals arrived hot, unlike the coffee. They were good, but for the price, they were not outstanding.
We were seated next to the hosting station. We had to ask the hostess, who had just arrived to work, for more coffee, and to go boxes. Only then did our server appear, after the hostess brought ONE box and coffee. This time the coffee was lukewarm. I asked to have some coffee added to my drink hoping to get it warmed. Our server told me, when she brought the bill, she did not charge me for asking for coffee in my drink. I came closer to making a snide remark, especially after telling her the coffee was cold, and getting no response.
I have worked in restaurants and bars. I own a customer service business, so I am probably more critical than most. I am also very understanding when an establishment is busy, and the staff is running their tails off taking care of customers. This place was far from busy. She did not need to hover, but she certainly could have availed herself a bit more. She acted as though checking on us, and the table next to us, was an inconvenience to her.
There has been a lot of discussion and controversy, on social media lately, regarding tipping. I have no problem leaving a good tip for good service. Conversely, I have a real problem leaving a tip when the service leaves a lot to be desired. It has nothing to do with affordability, and everything to do with rewarding for bad behavior. I left a larger tip than I felt she deserved, but it was still less than the recommended tip when it was time to pay. We paid, collected our receipt, and left. I doubt we will return. I hope other people have better experiences.
