my wife and i recently ate at volterra restaurant in kirkland. we called ahead and ordered takeout. i was told to show up at a certain time to get our order. the food was pricey but we heard the quality was great. i used some gift cards that were given us and i was told at time of payment that they were trying to activate them. after another 25 minutes of waiting for the payment to be processed, i asked the hostess if the food was still hot. she assured me it absolutely would be fine and i foolishly took her word without checking. i drove the less than 2 miles to my home and sure enough, the food was ice cold. we tried to eat some and it was horrible. i had the wild boar and the sauce contained some sort of inedible hard nuggets like rocks or spice chunks. i immediately called the restaurant and was told by the manager that he would call one of the owners, michelle quisenberry. because it was the night before thanksgiving, he said she may not get back right away. well, 8 days later i called again and was told to email her. i sent her an email and she responded. her response blamed me for all the issues and she also blamed her manager for not getting back to me. after spending $85 on two small entrees, she offered me a $25 gift card as a “token of gratitude.” as if she was insulted i even complained. i responded to her with the following issues highlighted:
hopefully i can recap some of your points so you understand how i see it:
• you are correct that the host was trying to do a good job. it is not her fault that the kirkland restaurant was not prepared to handle the gift cards. it is yours as you are management.
• if you want to place restrictions on gift cards for holidays, then you should note that on your website or gift card ahead of time. again, that should not be my issue as a customer.
• if the food is only meant to be enjoyed in-house, then again, you should stipulate that on the website and gift cards.
• if i take the time to verify when i should be there to pick up the food and show up early so i can take the food immediately, then i’m assuming the food would stand some chance of making it home remotely warm.
• if i also take the time to call as soon as i get home to discuss the situation, then at the very least, you should be willing to respond to me sooner than 8 days later. if your employee failed to reach out, that is also not my responsibility.
• finally, if i was served cold/poor food while dining in the restaurant; i am sure you would be willing to rectify the problem on the spot. but because i chose to take it home, i am being punished. i was not just disappointed with the temperature, i shared that the wild boar contained small inedible pieces contained in the sauce. if they were some sort of spice, it was too hard to eat.i hope you understand that we would like to see your business succeed in our neighborhood.
here was her response in kind:
perhaps i didn't explain clearly. your giftcards were issued for our ballard location and technically valid for use in our ballard location. as a courtesy, my staff took the necessary steps to call ballard so you could redeem the gift cards in kirkland. rather than communicating that to you and letting you make the decision if you wanted to wait or save the gift cards for use in ballard, the host did not do that and i do apologize. however, it was not a reflection that the kirkland location is not prepared to handle gift cards nor were there restrictions related to the holiday.
once i received your email, i responded within 30 minutes so i'm not sure how much faster service you expected. it was my understanding this matter was resolved until i heard from you and i reacted immediately once you made me aware that you hadn't been contacted by garron.
your order was prepared with care and your food was warm when it left the restaurant. we simply cannot guarantee that to go orders will be warm - and offer compensation- once food is taken out into the cold and transported to your home. as a token of goodwill, i offered you a $25 gift card which i felt was generous considering your bill was $85 including tip.
given the tone of your communication with my staff and via email, it appears that no gesture of goodwill will rectify your experience. however, we'd love to welcome you back to the restaurant if you would like to accept my offer of a $25 gift card. i've cc'd garron who will be happy to prepare it and mail it to you if you provide your mailing address.
again, she failed to assume any responsibility and blamed me and her manager. i will never eat there again and am disappointed at the attitude of michelle. i did notice she is a partner owner with the renowned chef, don curtiss. if he is as talented as the reviews indicate, her management regarding customer service must certainly hurt the business. she clearly doesn’t understand. i would not recommend them to anyone.