Can I get you something to drink, cuz that's all we have, suckers!
I've been eating exclusively at kosher restaurants for the better part of 10 years now. There are always some ups and downs when it comes to service at kosher places, but I don't think I've ever experienced this type of disaster before.
It's a Sunday night, and everyone eats out. We were expecting the place to be packed, but by the time we got there at around 8pm, the place was 70% full, and we didn't have to wait to be seated. So far, so good. The good stops there.
The waiter comes by, asks if we're ready yet. No, we replied, a few more minutes would be good, but while we wait, can we have some water and a bowl of pickles please? (Apparently you need to request the bowl of pickles to get them for free.) The guy comes back, water and glasses in hand. No pickles. "Are you ready yet?" No, a few more minutes please, and can we please have a bowl of pickles? Sure, one moment. One minute later, the guy comes back to refill half of the glasses with water, slams the pitcher down on the table. How about those pickles?
2 minutes later, we're ready to give our order. The waiter quickly scribbles it all down. May we please have a bowl of pickles? Sure, one moment.
So we continue along with lovely conversation. Almost 10-15 minutes later, a different waiter returns with four out of 5 dishes. I look down at my plate, and notice that there are 5 onion rings in place of fries. What happend to my fries, I ask. Waiter #2 says, "We're out of fries." OUT OF FRIES? How is that possible, this is a deli, isn't it?? Um, ok, so can I have more than 5 onion rings, please?
The waiter comes back out with a small plate of onion rings. "Are you happy now?", he asks. Um, yeah. Thank you.
2 minutes later, another waiter comes back to the table and looks at my friend who has still yet to receive her food and says, "I don't know if the other waiter told you, but we ran out of chicken." RAN OUT OF CHICKEN?? "Yes, no more chicken." Um... so after looking through the menu again, she reluctantly orders a pastrami sandwich.
Guess what? Yep. A minute later, the waiter returns and says, "We don't have anymore pastrami." I put down my food, and look at the guy, and plainly ask, "So what DO you have in the kitchen?"
No fries.
No chicken.
No pastrami.
My friend was so frustrated at that moment, she didn't order anything.
To all the Jewish DC natives, this is what you call "pulling a Stacks." To everyone else out there, you call it "typical. It's a Jewish place."
Sure, for all intents and purposes there is only one kosher place in the District (JCC lobby notwithstanding). But why does that mean the service has to suck and that you can get away without having even a semi fully-stocked kitchen?? Why treat us like crap?
Why, you ask? Because they can. Because nobody is going to complain, and even if people do complain, they will keep on coming back because there simply is no place else to go. So any change that will come of this complaining will probably be minimal at best.
We don't have a choice, we're held hostage. We've been screaming for years for a kosher place to open nearby, and we got our wish. And we'll keep on going back. Because we're blinded by the food, and we'll complain while we're eating it.
So sad. So very very sad.
PBTH.
Oh, yeah. We finally did get the pickles.
It's a Sunday night, and everyone eats out. We were expecting the place to be packed, but by the time we got there at around 8pm, the place was 70% full, and we didn't have to wait to be seated. So far, so good. The good stops there.
The waiter comes by, asks if we're ready yet. No, we replied, a few more minutes would be good, but while we wait, can we have some water and a bowl of pickles please? (Apparently you need to request the bowl of pickles to get them for free.) The guy comes back, water and glasses in hand. No pickles. "Are you ready yet?" No, a few more minutes please, and can we please have a bowl of pickles? Sure, one moment. One minute later, the guy comes back to refill half of the glasses with water, slams the pitcher down on the table. How about those pickles?
2 minutes later, we're ready to give our order. The waiter quickly scribbles it all down. May we please have a bowl of pickles? Sure, one moment.
So we continue along with lovely conversation. Almost 10-15 minutes later, a different waiter returns with four out of 5 dishes. I look down at my plate, and notice that there are 5 onion rings in place of fries. What happend to my fries, I ask. Waiter #2 says, "We're out of fries." OUT OF FRIES? How is that possible, this is a deli, isn't it?? Um, ok, so can I have more than 5 onion rings, please?
The waiter comes back out with a small plate of onion rings. "Are you happy now?", he asks. Um, yeah. Thank you.
2 minutes later, another waiter comes back to the table and looks at my friend who has still yet to receive her food and says, "I don't know if the other waiter told you, but we ran out of chicken." RAN OUT OF CHICKEN?? "Yes, no more chicken." Um... so after looking through the menu again, she reluctantly orders a pastrami sandwich.
Guess what? Yep. A minute later, the waiter returns and says, "We don't have anymore pastrami." I put down my food, and look at the guy, and plainly ask, "So what DO you have in the kitchen?"
No fries.
No chicken.
No pastrami.
My friend was so frustrated at that moment, she didn't order anything.
To all the Jewish DC natives, this is what you call "pulling a Stacks." To everyone else out there, you call it "typical. It's a Jewish place."
Sure, for all intents and purposes there is only one kosher place in the District (JCC lobby notwithstanding). But why does that mean the service has to suck and that you can get away without having even a semi fully-stocked kitchen?? Why treat us like crap?
Why, you ask? Because they can. Because nobody is going to complain, and even if people do complain, they will keep on coming back because there simply is no place else to go. So any change that will come of this complaining will probably be minimal at best.
We don't have a choice, we're held hostage. We've been screaming for years for a kosher place to open nearby, and we got our wish. And we'll keep on going back. Because we're blinded by the food, and we'll complain while we're eating it.
So sad. So very very sad.
PBTH.
Oh, yeah. We finally did get the pickles.
posted by elanit | 9:10 PM
8 Comments:
All kosher restaurants seem to be run out of the same manual, the world over. This manual dictates that you will run out of staples such as, say, chicken and fries. It also is the source of a phenomenon only seen in kosher restaurants: the one-trip salad bars. Yes, they actually say on the menu and/or on the salad bar splash guard itself "Salad bar is one trip only." This manual also says that kosher restaurants must randomly close early to inconvenience hungry customers. Bonus points if you close early when hungry travelers show up!
I have never seen the manual, of course. It's reserved for kosher insiders. But it's there. I promise. And you know it's true.
By the way, the DCJCC has superior food and service.
The DCJCC has good food and real good service. But, they are just a tad out of the way (ie, not so metro-accessible for the lazy folk), and more importantly, they close at 8pm.
:-/
BTW- if the salad bar is "one trip only", why dont they just make us the salads themselves!
This manual you speak of, I am sue it exists. And it probably hides in the same place our socks go when we put them in the dryer.
Tonight, when Sarah and I went to Siena's for dinner (after the couples massage class), they've taken a big step for the worse: they've decided that the only employees allowed to speak to customers (and attempt to take orders) are the ones who are busy learning English as a fourth language.
I had to explain what I meant by a "veggie" pizza (that is, a pizza with cheese and vegetables) probably about 5 times, to 3 different employees who between them had about a 4th grade level of English comprehension.
bleah.
Totally annoying, but I must say, from here (10 miles from the Middle of Nowhere, England), I salivate just thinking about eating ANY food out. Well, not quite, but pretty close.
*cough* spam *cough* Danica *cough*
I'm disappointed to hear that Eli's has gone downhill. I had high hopes for it.
I can tell you that they had what we ordered at 6:15pm and it came in a quick fashion. On the otherhand, I seem to find an item missing on some items.
I went to Eli's for lunch with my dad today, and it was better: my dad said the food was great but the service was slow (but accurate).
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