first: let me say that the food is amazing. that being said, the reason i will not be giving them my business anymore is because getting it is such a hassle.
the last two times i have been there, the people behind the counter have been rude, impatient, passive-aggressively sarcastic.
my boyfriend and i went on st. patrick's day about 30 minutes before close. it was sunny, but cool. they had pulled up all of the chairs and tables on the south side of the restaurant save for one which was presently occupied by a woman reading. (i remember thinking that either it was rude of them to close up shop around her, or that she had grabbed one from where they were stacked about 20 feet away.) we ordered food and went to sit in the sun, we grabbed two chairs and atablefrom the stack, agreeing that we'd return them when we were finished. sounds harmless enough, right?
here's where the harassment started. when our number was called and my boyfriend went to retrieve the food, the young man behind the counter chewed him out about unstacking the chairs. he said in open irritation they were "stacked there for a reason," before shoving the tray at my boyfriend and coming back to slam the side door - so loudly that the people in the line that had since formed at the window all jerked their heads to look.
i was taken aback, but my super nut burger lulled me back into my st. paddy's day contentment. when we finished, we ordered a smoothie for the road. only this time over the p.a., the guy behind the counter instead of just reading the number said "*just* a smoothie. guy who ordered *just* a smoothie."
ok, this is getting to be a little perturbing, but wait: there's more. remember that line i mentioned? people were scattered all over the parking lot looking for a sunny place to sit, and one couple in particular was eyeing my boyfriend and i as we were clearing off the table, obviously vying for it when we left. since the door to the side had been slammed by one very rude employee, we could no longer put it back from where we got it, so with that and the obvious desire of others to sit in the sun, we decided to leave it.
as we walked by the window to get back to our car the guy at the mic added commentary: "number __, your order's ready. and *thanks* for putting thetableaway. number __, your order's ready." i turned on my heel - he was staring straight at us.
alright, now i'm pissed. my boyfriend sees me on the verge of a nuclear rant and sends me to the car while he apologetically took thetableaway from the couple who were getting settled at it and put it by the side gate. as he walks by the window on his way back to the car, the guy at the mic says "*thank you*" just dripping with sarcasm. we leave before i blow a gasket.
here's why i'm angry:
i've worked in the service industry for 4+ years as a server and cocktail waitress, and if myself or any one of my coworkers treated a guest that way, we would be fired on the spot for harassment. yes, i'm aware that you're closing in 30, but that is no excuse to verbally abuse your guests. i've done my time, too, kiddo. i know what it's like to have to bribe the cooks and reopen the bar because atablewalks in 30 seconds before the doors lock. it is your job to treat them with the same respect that you do with your firsttableof the day.
needless to say, i'm pretty sure we're not going back. ironically, i mentioned it to a friend of mine who lives in fair oaks and she shared that sentiment: and all because of some rude and ungrateful hipsters.
such a tragic loss, the product deserves much better service.