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| - On April 4th, I went with three friends to Kabuto, located at 446 Tyvola Road, Charlotte NC. Two of my friends were celebrating birthdays, so this was a special occasion.
We set at a grill with one other patron. Three of our party ordered the Hibachi Chicken, and one ordered the Jalapeno Chicken. By way of context, the other patron had a shrimp dish.
Our chef did a great job with his presentation and, given my allergy to shellfish, he was careful to ensure that our food was cooked separately from the other patron's shrimp. I greatly appreciated that.
The chef at the grill was preparing the various food items for our plates, and of course, that takes some time; however, the member of our party who ordered the Jalapeno Chicken was still waiting for her food, which certainly should have been delivered by that stage.
Our waiter, Trevor, advised us that her food should be served in five minutes. At the same time, we noticed that another table (seated after us) had received their sushi, and the gentleman at our table had requested and received his to-go box. At this point, at least 20 minutes had passed. Trevor returned to the table, apologized for the inordinate delay, and said the cost of the Jalapeno Chicken would be removed from our bill. While we appreciated the gesture, the delay was unacceptable and, frankly, baffling. Trevor explained that the back kitchen was overwhelmed with orders. In that case, why did others seated after us receive their food ahead of our order?
Trevor said he had "done all he could do", adding that there was "no need to get an attitude". At this point, I requested to speak with the manager.
A few minutes later, Christia came to our table. I apprised her of the situation and our disappointment in the excessive delay in receiving food for one of the members of our group who was celebrating her birthday. I also informed her of Trevor's confrontational response. Christia apologized, saying that "Trevor also gives attitude to other staff members." In my opinion, that last statement demonstrated a lack of professionalism. She further went on to say that the chef was struggling to keep up with orders and that "he gets frazzled when busy." Again, not an appropriate comment to make to guests.
At that point, the Jalapeno Chicken finally arrived-two skewers bearing four pieces of chicken each set upon a measly handful of lettuce (see below picture).
I asked Christia if she felt this lack of service and small portion of food warranted a discount for the entire party. Christia's response: " I have to be honest and say no" The most discount she could give in any circumstance would be 10% bud did not feel that it would be appropriate in this situation. Upon receipt of the checks by Trevor, Christia had discounted each by 10% and not charged for the Jalapeno Chicken.
In summary, this was a highly disappointing experience, and the situation was poorly handled by both Trevor and Christia. They were dismissive or our concerns and we were not made to feel like valuable guests. I hope you will understand that the restaurant has lost four customers as a result.
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