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| - I used to dine at this restaurant every Saturday for the buffet. I have not been there in a couple of months and the interest of my wife and I to dine there is waning. With the exception of the usually-poor buffet desserts, the food offerings are good, but the lack of effective, customer-oriented management always leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. I secured great publicity for the restaurant through an article published in the major local newspaper, yet despite that and dozens of visits to the restaurant, I am generally "greeted" as if the staff has not seen me before. It can be next to impossible to have water glasses refilled, to place a beverage order, or to have used plates cleared from the table. On many occasions, the young lady who is "managing" the dining room has sat at the cash register reading, oblivious to the needs of customers in the dining room. I look at restaurant favorites of mine like Red Tea House, Mount Lebanon, Atria's Peters Township, Scoglio Greentree, and Primanti Brothers, Mount Lebanon, and note that all of these are successful due to offering top-notch service and because of active and gracious management which makes the customer feel welcome and appreciated. No one fills that role at Loving Hut. I would add a note on price: $14.99 for the buffet is pricey, especially for lunch. The restaurant reduced the price to $12.99 some weeks ago, a wise move, but it returned the price to $14.99 the following week and for future weeks. The restaurant has a prominent sign posted at the register area which discourages the customer from using a credit card: "Cash is Preferable". As one who always uses a credit card for a charge of close to $40, this makes me uncomfortable. The Loving Hut demonstrates that there is more to a great dining experience than simply dishing out out good food. The diner tends to frequent establishments where he or she is made to feel that they are valued. I would emphasize that if one would like to have a beer or glass of wine with their meal, that not only is there no alcoholic beverage service here, but that consuming alcohol is not permitted. This is the only adult restaurant of which I am aware which imposes its moral code on customers.
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