ALKI CAFE!!!!!!

[lintle]

I love West Seattle and WSB!!! Please never stop folks. makes my world alot more fun! you guys are slaying me.

My abs hurt and I can’t even get back to my workout from laughter! God I love this place. I’ll never live anywhere else in Seattle but here.

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[Kayleigh]

You are wise, faithful1. ;-)

I believe the original poster. Honestly, I think service in general is getting worse in a lot of places. I wonder if it’s a sign of the times.

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[DSV90]

JimmyG we are not debating what 911 is used for, come on now. It’s misused all the time you know.

Lintle, you aren’t defending your position sufficiently. There is no room in the world for rudeness at any time. Especially if you are asking the public at large to give you their money for the services you choose to render. Again, they could have turned the party away but, they didn’t. This group of ladies gave the benefit of doubt and decided to stay because of past positive experiences. In addition, it would not have been fair to the server if the group had just got and left either since that’s how the majority of their wages are earned. You didn’t think to put yourself in the position of the staff member who made the effort to make the experience pleasant obviously.

Another reason I won’t go back … if the owners who you state are “all business” choose to treat paying customers that way, then how do they treat the staff? Like indentured servants I imagine judging from the OP. You stated the place is better when the owner isn’t there … that is unacceptable. Their presence should fortify the business rather than be a detriment.

He’s not pleasant chap you say? I’ll repeat my original statement, he shouldn’t work the front of the house. If he’s all business he should have enough sense to acknowledge his shortcomings in order for the business to succeed.

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[DSV90]

Wow Lintle, I just read your latest post … sorry you are an attention whore.

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[JimmyG]

So have any of you who were there on the 12th contacted the Cafe since this happened?

When I have a complaint with a business I first write a polite and non-emotional letter to the establishment and give them a chance to respond. I’d be interested to see if the Cafe would even respond, and if they did respond would they apologize or be defensive?

And I truly wonder why anyone would sit through a whole meal when the owner is using non-verbal body language to scare you?

My feet and wallet would have done the talking for me long before I allowed someone to intimidate me while I was trying to have a meal.

Yes the business owner was out of line, but my self-respect would force me to leave before ever giving the place a dime of my money.

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[servergirl]

This is BS have any of you ever served at a restaurant before? If you have then you will understand what kind of stuff we go through. Yes this situation should have been approached differently and some actions are not excusable. who else will be effected by this viscous circle? Not only the owners. Who? students, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, sons, daughters…….. who? The people working at this establishment are just working at life to try an get by.

What was the owner going through that caused him to act this way? What kind of tragedy had life thrown at him? When you are angry you don’t think about the whole picture you concentrate on your outlook or the second hand information given. From person to person information is embellished and added to. Unless you were there then you DON’T know what happened you just take a strangers word for it right. Lets run them out and then whats going to be put here another bar great thats what we need. Or lets get rid of the whole building and put another condo.

When life throws you a curve ball some of us try to hit it and others cower away its non negotiable. But what ever happens we go on.

When you work with the public so closely you begin to realize how people really are. Their feeling effect you whether it is good, bad or ugly. People make bad decisions and mistakes everyday. Should the innocent pay? Should the persons who dish or receive pay? We all have treated or been treated differently because we can’t keep our emotions in check. There is good and bad and remember this the next time someone strikes out on you, think about what made them do that. Or you can thank the person who’s cheerfulness was contagious. Grasp life make it better and move on.

To the people who’s lose was so great:

I am truly sorry and can understand your situation and pain. You to can move on and just remember there is always blue sunny sky’s behind the dark and dreary no matter how far away it seems.

Sincerely

servergirl

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[JimmyG]

DSV90 at post #53, I’m well aware 911 is misused all the time.

Which is why I called JoB on her statement. Her scenario of the owner being “abusive” would have been a huge misuse of 911.

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[lintle]

I agree DSV90

I am also not a fan when he’s there. His wife is far better. I like only some of the staff but thats ok. I still love the place and I am not a fan of bad service either. I get treated good way more often than bad and thats good enough for me. you are allowed a different criteria and opinion if you wish though.

I very much agree with JimmyG.

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[andrea]

I’m sorry, but why would you choose to frequent a place where the owner is known to be a meanie, the service staff is only so-so, and the food isn’t stupendous? Ummm, there are a lot of decent, well run restaurants in WS that deserve our patronage far more than someplace that obviously does not take pride in their work and service to the community, otherwise they would do a far better job of retaining customers. As a lifelong resident of WS, I can’t even recall the last time I ate at the Alki Cafe…it NEVER seems to be open (!) and there never seem to be many people in there when it is, which makes me think that it isn’t that great a place to go in in the first place…so I don’t, and won’t in the future. Along Alki Ave you have many other really nice food options from Christo’s, to Duke’s, even to the Celtic Swell…never a wait, never a complaint from or for the owners or the staff, and great food at each in all price ranges. I obviously haven’t been missing anything by not eatting at the Alki Cafe, but I will share this story with friends and family and let them know that the Cafe is not a restaurant to frequent.

and to Lori and her family, please know that many around you in the WS community are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

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[beachdrivegirl]

servegirl- hate to break it to you but when you work in the service industry you have to be able to put aside what may be going on in your personally life and put your customers first. I personally work in outside sales (and have been a serve girl before)and I dont allow myself just to be rude to innocent customers/potential customers because I might have something else going on in my life and if you can not put your outside life aside when you go to work or especialy own a business you need to change what you do because otherwise you will fail.

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[charlabob]

Let me put in a plug here — walk right down the street and go into Christo’s. For some reason, they’re never very crowded — they’re lovely people, the food is more than good (especially Sunday brunch, including the incredible bloody marys.)

They don’t make lattes, but they don’t mind at all if you bring one from another place (at least they don’t say so.)

I know they’ve had trouble attracting crowds, but try it–and then go back. (I do have a warm spot in my heart for Greek dynasties — but this one is especially cool.)

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[andrea]

love Christo’s too charlabob…they are incredibly nice and their Sunday brunch is the best around…and their gyros are scrumptous.

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[LBG]

Hi service girl….funny post. The drama…students, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, sons, daughters. Good stuff.

The problem with your basic premise is that this thread or the OP’s story would somehow be the cause of all these hardworking people losing their livelihood. Your anger, as a server(just guessing by your handle) should be focused on an owner that doesn’t seem to value customer service.

In interpersonal relationships, we should always be concerned with what the other person is dealing with. If this was a matter of two people having a conversation and one treated the other with rudeness, I would hope the person being treated rudely would consider why the person is acting in this manner.

But that is not the case here. This is a place of business where people pay their money for good food and, one would hope, good service. If anyone in the service industry expects a patron to tolerate rudeness and then brush it off by saying they must be dealing with something in their own lives seems a bit naive at best.

Doesn’t the op state that the server, and I posted this earlier, was very accommodating? Maybe the group didn’t leave, as JimmyG suggested they do, because they wanted to make sure that he/she received a tip and wasn’t left with a lot of effort with no return.

I would think that would allude to the group taking care of the students, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, sons, daughters….

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[flowerpetal]

I am the doubting Thomas. And that has caused me to stick my foot in my mouth before. My sincere condolences to the Kimball family. Its difficult to say the “right” words; but do know that many of us have our thoughts with you all.

I have observed that six people have taken memberships in order to respond to this forum topic; including the original poster. That concerned me. It would not have been reason enough for me to never go to Alki Cafe, albeit,I have never been there in the first place. I scanned through the posts and may have missed others who have been mistreated similarly and I didn’t read that (or I missed it!). Bonnie, who’s name I recognized, didn’t like the food. That meant a little more to me.

I don’t wish necessarily to raise suspicions; but if a stranger came up to me… or wrote in the forum about being mistreated at a restaurant.. then I too would not go there.

Does Alki Cafe have a reputation for this level of rude behavior?

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[apattalochi]

First of all, lintle, STOP sending your condolences. It doesnt make anything you are saying any better and you dont feel bad for their situation as it is. No, service like that should never happen. But what Todd and Lori were expressing is that he KNEW that this was a get together for a devastating loss, and still, he went on with his actions. By the way, we wouldve left, but all of us had already ordered!!

And lintle, this may be fun, or a big joke to you, but it’s not to many, especially for Lori and Todd.

Maybe you should ask your co-worker, who you say went through a loss like this, how they feel about the situation.

To all of you who either will continue to eat at alki cafe, or have never been there, this is not the only bad experience that I know of at this restaurant. They are consistantly rude to customers and that is why you should NOT give them your business. Lintle, do you have children? If you do just imagine how your life would be if you were to lose a child!!! Do you know what it took to even go out in public for Lori?

Christos is great! You wanna know the biggest reason why? The great service! Lintle, you need to get a life and stop taking pleasure in hurting others! I WELCOME RESPONSE!!!

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[servergirl]

beachdrivegirl

Honey you don’t have to break anything to me Never said It was alright to take your anger out and be rude to anyone else. I was trying to say that there are reasons for why people do the things they do and everyone makes mistakes.

LBG definitely understand your point of view naive don’t think so just want people to stop the madness thats all. And the owner definitely not defending him just trying to put in a different perspective and not have everyone feeding of the same plate of anger. The owner may not value customer service but it doesn’t mean that the rest of the restaurant should be viewed by one persons mistake. Definitely going to breakfast there just to see if anything has changed. Really curious

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[WSJ]

Hi everyone,

Just figured I throw my two cents in. I’ve been going to the Alki Cafe around once a month (weekend breakfast only) for about two years now. It’s mine and my wife’s default place for breakfast in West Seattle. We think the food is good, the view is pretty, and the dining room is comfortable. But the best part about it is that you don’t have to wait that long for table, even during the very busy weekend brunch rush. Usually, no longer than 15 minutes. I’ve also felt that the service has been fine. It’s not white linen service, but I’ve never been treated rudely. In fact, my usual order includes a substitution, and I’ve never been hasseled for it. The owner has always been polite.

My wife and I were at the cafe that morning. From what it sounds like, we arrived just after the owner approached the party. We were not witness to his angry yelling when the table was moved, but we did see some heated discussion between the owner and a couple of the patrons. We couldn’t hear the women, but repeatedly heard the owner state that his business isn’t set up to handle a party of 14 people and he wouldn’t have seated them if he was there when they arrived. I also noticed that, while some people at the far end of the table were ordering, those nearest the door had already finished eating. We arrived between 10:00 and 10:30, were seated about 35 minutes later, and left the cafe about 35 minutes after that. The party of 14 were all still there when we left. (I’m not swearing in court by my timeline, but that is how I remember it). If the first part of the party arrived at 9:00, that means they were there for over two hours.

I would assume that the weekend brunch is the Cafe’s busiest time (I’ve never gone there at any other time), and that is when they make their most money. And considering that our wait was longer than usual, I would guess that the large party was pretty diruptive to their business, and that the Cafe lost money because of it. I’d bet a party of 9 at 9:00 am might not be a big deal (probably before the big rush hits), but a party of 14 for 2+ hours during the busiest time is a big problem. I don’t know about the Alki Cafe, but many restaurants operate on the slimmest of profit margins, and a major disruption during the busy times can result in a net loss for the week.

Though, I understand the owners frustrations, it sounds like the owner handled the situation very poorly. He should have repromanded his employees, not the customers.

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[LBG]

servergirl….you SHOULD go. Everyone on this thread should make up their own mind on whether or not they want to patronage this establishment. If the op’s experience doesn’t sway you from going to a place that you like, then so be it.

It seems like the intent of the op was to share an experience. Isn’t that what the forum is generally for? I just took umbrage at the remarks that this group was somehow responsible for the way they were mistreated. Like it or not, as you may well know, when you are in the service industry, if you don’t treat people right, word gets around.

People do make mistakes, but in reading other posts on this and other blogs, and hearing other experiences from people in WS, it just doesn’t seem like this is a one time occurrence. I am choosing not to go back there. What you do with your money and time is for you to decide.

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[Myrtle]

Well put LBG – everyone is allowed to read this thread and decide for themselves…. that’s the beauty of posting opinions and personal experiences…

I feel that Alki Cafe could have just as easily said “I’m sorry, we cannot accommodate you after all. May we split you up among several tables – or refer you to a nearby alternative?” You might not have liked the answer – but it would have been fair.

Emotions aside, and I know nothing about the owners – I feel the service and food has gone waaay downhill over the past two years. The fancy burger buns and steak fries have been swapped out for cheaper versions. The service is curt and the prices high. I literally had to send back breakfast potatoes last time as they’d clearly been sitting under a heat lamp…where am I – McDonalds? I already decided I will not be back.

Going out for a nice meal is a luxury (for a lot of us) and should be a pleasant experience. If you want to send a message – hit ’em where it hurts and INSTEAD support businesses that actually go OUT OF THEIR WAY to win your business with quality service, respect and good product for a fair price – with every visit!

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[Anonymous]

Although I realize that it is probably the last thing on their mind’s, I really hope the OP lets us all know what the Cafe’s response was (if they even get one).

I think this business has an opportunity to make a bad situation better. Hopefully that will be the outcome.

As far as all the back and forth on this thread, I just think everyone is entitled to their one opinion. If you wish to boycott this restaurant, do. If you have never had a problem there and enjoy patronizing the place, do.

Also, I had a bad experience at a local restaurant and shared that experience on this thread, but I never expected anyone to boycott that restaurant because of my experience (and because I, personally, am boycotting it). I don’t believe that was the intent of the OP. They simply shared their experience, and want you to make your own decision based on what you now know.

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[Anonymous]

Not this thread, sorry. This forum.

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[faithful1]

in response to wsj,

again I was part of the party of 14. I arrived at 9:00 and everyone was not there yet.( someone HAD arrived early to let them know how many people we would be having, to give the cafe a heads up) we didn’t even get seated for about another 20 minutes. we got our food, and that’s when the owner came up to us and started yelling at us. We had JUST gottten our food…it’s one thing if we had gotten our food, had eaten and were sitting there chatting it up, not caring about others that were waiting, but this was NOT the case. After the owner yelled at us the first time he glared at us the rest of the time that we were eating, trying to make us as uncomfortable as possible. we ate fast and did not linger at the cafe. Many of us wanted to leave right after he started yelling at us but since most of us have small children, we were on a timeline(going to another restaurant at that point whould have been too long a process)…that’s why I KNOW we were not there for more than two hours! that is way over estimating the time schedule.

I suspect your wait was longer than usual because he was taking his focus off other customers to put all his energy into being rude and to make us feel as bad as possible. there was also another large party that was waiting for tables after us, so that’s pobably another reason your wait was long. there were many open tables at the time so I’m not sure why people were not being seated except he was in such a tizzy about us that he couldn’t focus or work on anything else.

As far as being disruptive to their business? we were business…that makes no sense.there are people that have what it takes to work in service and restaurants and people that don’t ( he obviously doesn’t). you have to be able to stay calm in high volume and high stress situations (which we were not trying to create a stressful situation) and be able to multi-task and handle things in a professional manner. because at the end of the day that’s what counts and that makes a sucessful business.

I want to point out that we were never rude to them, we didn’t do anything to provoke this kind of behavior. we were trying to make a good day for Lori. why would we make it a priority to inconvience someone and provoke a rude response? that’s not what we were about.

Also I want people to know that our SERVER was wonderful, she herself said that she didn’t care if she got in trouble, she didn’t want us to worry about the owner.She was very kind.

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[faithful1]

ps, Our length of stay should not matter, but we weren’t even there for one and a half hours. I know that for a fact

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[lintle]

I sent my condolences only because I’ve experienced this 16 years prior to now and had a good friend and co-worker go through the same thing. but you also don’t have to believe me, or anyone with a different opinion, as well.

I’m taking the view of a third party and I only been going to this place for over 10 years.

I think ‘WSJ’ is saying it best! If you don’t understand after reading that then you won’t understand. If this had gone to court you would lose if had been camped out there for over an hour!

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[barmargia]

This is mostly to JT regarding a comment made some 20 hours ago…I’m sorry if you thought I was retreating to a corner to post, but first I had my say, and since I was just making my say and wasn’t trying to change people’s minds I was done, second I have a job and a life and I sleep, so if I’m not posting it’s not because I’m “retreating”, it’s because I’m done, or I’m doing something else.

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