ALKI CAFE!!!!!!

[jbd]

I just reread the original post and lkimball never asked that anyone boycott The Alki Cafe. They were just posting their experience and like DJSonsteng said “that is good enough for me”.

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[Bonnie]

It’s good enough for me too because I have a friend who went to the Alki Cafe and made the mistake of asking to be seated somewhere else because the sun was in her eyes. (note: the restaurant was almost empty at the time) The owner started yelling at her simply because she wished to change seats and refused to allow her to change seats. Well, after reading about the experience of this other poor woman…that is enough for me. I won’t go there. Ever.

lintle and barmargia, please do post your opinions…we may not agree but post them all the same.

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[Heinz57Mom]

I’ve been online for at least a decade. I’ve seen a lot of drivel and a whole lot of attention whores I’m selling the foul smell of an attention whore in your post lintle. It smells so foul I suspect that you are the owner of the Alki Cafe.

Do us all a favor. Pull your head out your a$$ and get a clue!

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[TheVelvetBulldog]

Regardless of whether 15 people showed up at once, or in groups of two or four, the restaurant is still having to accommodating the same number of paying customers, right? It seems disingenuous to claim that a group of people is putting a restaurant out by their attendance – most restaurants HOPE for lots of people to show up. As far as the server having to deal with extra folks in his/her section – either add another server to help out, or realize that someone is about to get a REALLY huge tip!

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[Anonymous]

lintle and barmargia, don’t retreat to a corner and not post. This is an unusual thread in that it combines a tragedy with a rant. Hard to pick a response.

The ganging up on can be more of an perception than a reality. WSB states they receive almost 5000 unique hits a day, not including business multiples. If more people would be brave enough to venture in, I don’t think the dialog would appear so one sided. As it is, only a few like minded individuals do most of the posting. Take up your space. It’s just as much yours as anyones.

And lintle, my comment about the pub wasn’t a reflection of your giving. You said the only reason you didn’t go was because you disliked the place. Since the event had nothing to do with the environment, other than the generosity of the space being donated, it seemed like a lame excuse. That’s all.

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[Bonnie]

I agree VB, I think that a restaurant would love the fact that a big group wanted to come to their restaurant. I would think they would be honored that they chose the Alki Cafe over somewhere else.

i have heard that Christo’s has good breakfasts. (is that the name?? actually never been there but my SIL goes and likes it)

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[JimmyG]

I read the OP and thought why should the restaurant treat a person poorly at any time? The whole background of what the poster’s wife went through is immaterial to the treatment from the owner, it would be inappropriate at any time.

When writing a letter of complaint you must leave the emotion out of it and state the facts.

The facts as I read it is a large group went to the Alki Cafe and they were treated poorly. If I had been in the group I never would have placed an order, but left almost immediately after the attitude.

While I appreciate the outpouring of support for the loss of the OP’s child, it is a separate issue from the bad service received.

And everyone has a right to their opinion. Some of you here seem to think if it doesn’t fall into lock-step with yours it shouldn’t be posted. I for one hope lintle sticks around WSB.

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[Bonnie]

JimmyG, I agree. It is two separate issues, but believe that the Alki Cafe owner should treat people with respect no matter what.

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[DSV90]

I won’t patronize Alki Cafe any longer and here’s why … they CHOSE to handle the situation badly.

Restaurants fall into the category of hospitality business don’t they? It could very well be that whoever told them they could handle a party that size was mistaken. If it honestly was not possible for the large party to be accommodated then wouldn’t it have been better to tell them up when they arrived? Why then decide to seat and berate the customers DURING THE MEAL? In full view of other customers enjoying their meal no less! It’s obviously difficult for the owner to deal with people on that level. Fine … DON’T WORK THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE! THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR FROM A PROPRIETOR IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE!

There are so many other restaurants in West Seattle. THE FOOD AT ALKI CAFE IS NOT THAT SPECIAL!!! Luna Cafe has wonderful food and fantastic service … ALWAYS!!!

Quite frankly, most people would rather have mediocre gourmet food and superb service than above average diner food with wretched service.

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[lintle]

I am not the owner or an attention whore and I appreciate those with the personal awareness to take a bi-partison view of what I posted as I appreciate the views of others.

I have learned not to take things at face value because most I’ve experienced do not fit neatly in their appropriately morally imposed labelled boxes. life is much more than our personal experiences, as real as they are or seem. there is almost alway another perspective to everything, different shoes to stand in and other opinions to challenge your own. etc…

again my condolences to the threads originators for their loss

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[DSV90]

Okay lintle, here’s the deal … if you do a little research about Alki Cafe you will find the same complaints of rudeness from the owner separate from this incident. What of those perspectives?

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[faithful1]

ok I seriously feel the need to reply to LINTLE, first of all who do you think you are? you have no idea what happened at the the restaurant,or what it’s like to deal with this kind of loss. this not something that you just “get over” like you stated in your post. I am offended that you would write such things about Lori and the whole situation. it’s like you didn’t even read the letter. even if you did, you took it apon yourself to assume that Lori thought everyone should cater to her and that was never her thought or intention. why do you feel it’s okay for someone(yes even a large party) to get yelled at by an owner of an establishment for simply being there? we tried to call ahead but they do not take reservations…so some people got there early to let them know.To your comment about had we ever been there we would know not to have that big of a party, we have been there many times, with large parties. I have worked in the service business (at a very high stress and high volume restaurant) this kind of behavior is unacceptable. it was amazingly unprofessional, and to say that WE inconvienenced them? by being there? that is a load of crap! yes we were a large party,but there were other open tables and I’m sorry but that’s part of the business. It’s a restaurant…people wait to be seated, you serve them food, that is what you get paid for. if you can’t handle it(which the owner obviously couldn’t) then you should find something else to do. I just can’t believe that you would blame this on her!!! that outrages me! you need to open your eyes and talk about something you know about because obviously you know nothing about the service industry or about this situation, so you should just shut it!

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[Sue]

First, my condolences to the person who lost the baby – I am not a parent and cannot even comprehend such a loss. I am sure it has been extremely difficult to deal with, and I’m sorry for that.

I’m also sorry that you had to deal with that incident at the Alki Cafe. There really is no excuse for that kind of reaction from the owner of the restaurant.

I probably have breakfast every other weekend at the Alki Cafe. This has never been my experience at the cafe. That doesn’t mean this didn’t happen, or that the owner doesn’t have issues, etc. It just simply means what I said – my experience there has been absolutely different, with wonderful employees who serve us well, we enjoy the food, and we have no intention of boycotting them.

The first thing I thought of after reading the original post with respect to the cafe, however, was “where the hell do you put a party of 15 in there?” The place isn’t very large. Yes, a group of that size would be an inconvenience. Frankly, the person on the phone who said that a party of that size on a weekend morning was okay really should have said that they’d either do a one-time special reservation for an event (so they could set it up ahead of time, bring in more staff, etc.), or that they couldn’t accommodate.

Now, think about this for a second. The place is busy on a weekend morning. Most people are going to be in and out of there in under an hour. You go, eat, have some conversation, and leave. A large party isn’t going to be out of there in an hour – you’ll be visiting, chatting for a long time, probably spend 2 hours in there and take up a lot of tables and energy of waitstaff. For a place of that size, it’s an inconvenience, and they (cafe) should have thought about that before agreeing to said group coming in.

My thoughts on this in no way discount the horrible way you were treated – that really is inexcusable. But do try to look at it from all sides.

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[LBG]

wow…it’s funny how some people can call out an original poster, but then are absolutely horrified if anyone dares to disagree or take them to task for what they posted.

The major thrust of your original post lintle is how hard it is to deal with such an inconvenience of such a large party at a restaurant. paragraphs 3,4,5 and 6 are a tale of how this evil group of women descended upon this vulnerable, unknowing place of business. I believe the phrases you use are….they expected the world to crumble at their whim(ridiculous hyperbole)….not only their right, but job to inconvenience everyone around them and treat the world as though they’re the only ones in it.

You are absolutely entitled to post your opinion, but don’t try and say you are taking a bi-partisan approach. to declare that you need to put yourself in other peoples shoes and then to not heed your own words is very hypocritical. Your post absolutely puts you in the owners shoes, but by the above mentioned comments, you don’t bother to put yourself in the shoes of the OP. Sure you throw in a…sorry for your loss…and the “chap” could have probably handled things better, but c’mon….the whole of your post seems bent on demonizing the OP.

A few interesting points from the original post.

1. The original poster, as mentioned above, was never asking anyone to boycott the ALKI Cafe…this is in stark contrast to you saying that you will befuddle any attempts (of a boycott) in your power.

2. The poster actually has the full name of her husband at the bottom of the email. How many people who rant actually put their name to something?

3. If the OP’s husband’s email is correct, the group called and asked beforehand. A little different than just showing up and saying..hi, we need a table for 14.

4. the husband does say that the waitress was very accommodating and pulled up an extra table. Just seems to me that he is giving kudos to the waitress and that if there was an extra table, that it couldn’t have been that crowded.

5. It seems like her husbands letter is tell to their story with the point being that an owner should “treat patrons like gold”…he even says at the end of the email “sensitivity aside, where is the professionalism?….Shouldn’t you want to cultivate an atmosphere where people feel like the establishment is a warm and inviting place?” It seems that the message trying to be conveyed is that you never know what someone is dealing with so you should always treat people with kindness. Especially if you are the owner of a business.

This was not a backyard BBQ that someone crashed….it is a place of business. If 14 uninvited people that I didn’t know came to my backyard for a BBQ i would tell them to leave. If 14 people that I didn’t know came to my place of business and said we would like pay you for good food and good service, I would say welcome in!

Now remember lintle, this is just MY opinion of your post in regards to the OP…feel free to fire back.

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[apattalochi]

First of all, if anyone has any doubts of any part of what the original post said, dont. Everything is fully accurate. I was there.

I have always been under the impression that if you are a business owner, then you WANT customers who will pay for your services. My husband is a restaurant manager, so trust me, you want to have 14 people just walk in. That is NOT an INCONVENIENCE in ANY WAY. $$$$$$$, thats what that is. Loyal customers who tell friends and visit on a regular business, that’s what that is!!

This obviously isnt what the owner of ALKI CAFE wants or thinks he needs. No the original post did not ask anyone to boycott this restaurant, but you know what? I AM.

BOYCOTT ALKI CAFE!!!!

Unless of course you want to be treated like garbage in your free time. And those of you who are defending this crappy restaurant, go ahead, eat there, you’ll see what we are talking about.

But dont get too comfortable, because they are losing customers every second and we wont stop.

Soon you’ll have to find another crappy restaurant to eat in!!

ALKI CAFE SUCKS!!!

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[lintle]

OK. We’ll agree to disagree but ALKI CAFE RULES!!!!

Endolyne is a much better place for a party like this on the weekend. Seriously! Or Charlestown for that matter! Or even better Salty’s has way more room and better equipped than the fore mentioned 2. There are other ways around things. They should have just left. We would have and we love the Alki Cafe.

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[Franci]

Charlestown really?? You don’t get out much do ya? They have been closed for a couple of months now.

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[Bonnie]

well, lintle…lucky for you because there should always seating for you at the Alki Cafe. Hopefully you won’t ask to move your seat though.

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[JoB]

lintle…

have you ever tried to change venues on a large party at the last minute? not such an easy thing to do… especially if people don’t arrive all at the same time.

once committed.. that probably wasn’t an option.

i am sure every person at that table wished it was…

it just wasn’t an option to add one more stress to a breakfast meant to surround someone with love because of their loss…

that one more seemingly little thing can be one thing too much to get through the next minute, let alone a gathering of friends where you know you are going to lose it from all of the love and concern.

large party.. small party… that was no way to treat a paying customer…

i don’t know whether the owners were having a particularly bad day themselves or not.. but i do know that it’s up to them.. not their customers.. to surmount their issues… and to provide a positive experience.

It’s hard to know what to do when a fuss occurs during an occasion like that one.

Had it been merely a gathering of friends.. i would have called the owner on his behavior and let him know that i was fully prepared to leave with my entire party without eating or paying for his food. Had he persisted in being abusive, i would have called 911.

But not for that occasion. i would have done the same thing that her friends did.. i would have bit the bullet and tried to get through with as little fuss as possible.. because the last thing the mom needed was fuss.. and i would have complained afterwards…

If you have been eating at this cafe for years, you must love the space or the experience or even the owners.

i can think of one of my past favorite places (in another city) where i ate regularly simply because of the owner… crusty on the outside… demanding and bossy with her staff… but a heart of gold and a kitchen that only served her regulars the best.

i hope this is that kind of place for you.

i hope it was simply a bad day for them…

But you can’t fault the readers on this blog for reacting with the only way they have to show support for the way this woman and her friends were treated that day…

sometimes you do everything right… a good choice of place. .. notifying the owners ahead of time.. showing up early to make sure things worked out… and it still doesn’t matter. Because in the end.. the responsibility for service.. and for the food.. rests with the owners.

You can have a really bad dining experience on a bad day anywhere. It’s waht a business does or doesn’t do to make it right that matters…

In the service business there are always accommodations that have to be made to create positive experiences… Unless you are dispensing fast food at a counter… the dining experience has more to do with the way you are treated than with the food.. or even the place…

The way this group was treated from start to finish didn’t create a positive experience… and especially on this occasion, they really wanted that experience for their friend.

It’s like bringing a fruit basket and unwrapping it to find all the bottom layers were rotted…

Think how you would feel.

No cafe gets it right every day… Not even one of your favorites…

this day the Alki Cafe got it really wrong.

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[LBG]

lintle…I am a little disappointed that you didn’t address me personally like you did to others earlier in the thread. I thought that you would welcome the opportunity to rebut the points that I made. It seems like it would be a prime opportunity to incite. Maybe I could entice a response if I posted a rant on my passive/aggressive Seattle driving skills(another fine lintle post).

Your business philosophy is just silly….I use the word silly because I apparently have to combat the juvenile phrase “Alki Cafe rules!!!” most, if not all, business owners polled would say that they would absolutely welcome a large party of paying customers, especially with the state of the economy. Sounds like this group even called ahead and were told that it shouldn’t be a problem. Obviously they had been at the establishment before and were worried that a large group as theirs might be an issue. The very fact that they chose Alki Cafe says they must have enjoyed the establishment in the past to choose it for such a special day. Just turns out that the owner made the experience something other than special and they told their story about it.

You told your story how you love the place, they told their story how they don’t and the reasons why. To put the blame on them for their patronage is asinine. How is anyone to believe that you received good service BTW? nobody really knows what has happened when you have eaten at the cafe. You might be one that revels in terrible service. I think that this evidenced in the fact that you comment on the shortcomings of the owner yet “Alki Cafe rules!!!”. Maybe that train of thought is silly but not any sillier than your posts on this thread.

Again, this is MY opinion on YOUR posts and as everybody has repeatedly stated, we are all free to have our own opinions. The funny thing is, the more you defend the Alki Cafe and defer the blame on this group of women, the angrier people seem to get. It seems that you are doing more to create a boycott than to befuddle any attempt in your power. Might want to rethink your strategy a bit.

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[Kayleigh]

Anybody else hear trolls under the bridge?

‘-)

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[beachdrivegirl]

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss. My sister went though that five years ago and it was the worse thing she as well as our family have experienced.

I have been reading and sceeming through this post this morning and although I am not trying to take “sides” I do have to say it is absolutley unacceptable for any business OWNER to turn away a party based on thier size unless it is for fire safety capacity issues. If you are in the SERVICE industry it is your duty to SERVE your customer and to those customers who might have to wait an extra 15 minutes tough S**T -get over it.Although I have never personally be offended by the owner, and I know that the original poster did not ask me to boycott the Alki Cafe I will be and I will be asking my family to do so as well b/c that is just not acceptable and there are plenty of other restaurants out there that do deserve my business and $.

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[JimmyG]

JoB, you can’t be serious–you would call 911 if the owner of an establishment was being “abusive”?

That’s not what the cops are for, and what would the crime be? Being rude, having no manners, etc. isn’t what 911 is for.

And as stupid as it is for the owner of any establishment to treat customers like crap, it’s a private business and if they want to provide poor service that’s their choice, it’s not in any way a police matter.

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[faithful1]

Jimmyg…

I was there and I have to tell you that if the owner had gotten any more verbally abusive than calling 911 would NOT have been out of line, he yelled at many of us and did not back down, we tried to talk to him calmly so that it would not grow into anything bigger but he got louder and more intimidating…he stood over trying to use his non verbal body language to scare us. Because of the way he reacted to us we had no idea what he was going to do next. he has serious anger issues.

I will never go back because of they way we were treated for no reason. who knows what he will do next, he is a time bomb ready to go off.

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[faithful1]

Hey kayleigh, I’m just curious who you are referring to when you wrote the “trolls under the bridge” I hope your talking about Lintle and his association to Alki Cafe ;)

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