MS
Melanie Santillan
4 days ago
Last night at 8:30 p.m., I had a reservation for four guests, including myself, to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. My family and I have dined here multiple times, truly love the food, and were excited to return for such a special occasion. Unfortunately, our experience this time was very disappointing.
After waiting a few minutes, the hostesses seated us, and we were greeted by our server, Wendell, who went by Wade. His greeting was not necessarily rude, but he seemed confused and unsure of what to do. He mentioned that he would be right with us because he had another table to attend to, which we completely understood. When he returned to take our drink order, however, he repeatedly hesitated, forgot what we had ordered, and had difficulty keeping track of our requests. He would say things such as, “Oh… what was that again?” before trying to recall our order.
Wade explained that it was his third day, and we genuinely tried to be patient and understanding. Everyone has to start somewhere, and we recognize that learning a new job takes time. However, throughout the evening, our entire party felt increasingly uncomfortable. There were multiple instances of disorganization, including difficulty getting our order right and dishes being left behind us.
The most disappointing part of the experience was how my mother-in-law’s birthday was handled. Wade told us that he had forgotten to put in the order for her birthday dessert. When it came time to sing, he placed the dessert behind her and began singing without it being properly presented. Even other staff members had to remind him to wait. Later, while we were still eating our desserts, he brought us the check and then suddenly asked, “Oh, wait, how was the dessert?” He appeared to have forgotten about the birthday dessert again, which made an already uncomfortable situation even more awkward.
I want to emphasize that my disappointment is not directed at Wade personally for being new. Rather, I believe there should be more preparation, training, and support before a new server is placed on the floor independently. A guest’s dining experience, especially when celebrating a special occasion, should not feel disorganized or uncomfortable because a server has not yet received enough practice.
I kindly ask management to address this matter and consider having new servers shadow experienced staff members until they feel confident and are adequately prepared to handle their own tables. We returned because we have genuinely enjoyed this restaurant in the past, which is why this experience was especially disappointing.
I hope this feedback is taken seriously and that steps are taken to ensure future guests receive the level of service this restaurant is known for. We came to celebrate a special birthday, and unfortunately, the service took away from what should have been an enjoyable evening.