Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › ALKI CAFE!!!!!!
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April 22, 2008 at 5:31 am #622499
BonnieParticipantNice to meet you JoB! I wish everybody else would post under their actual name. (I really wish my Parents would have named me something else…of course when I was a kid I wanted to be named Heather but thinking back then I’d have to go by HeatherG or HeatherJ)
April 22, 2008 at 5:32 am #622500
JoBParticipantcharlabob…
you posted while i wrote.. i was not.. i repeat not.. aware you had written so couldn’t have been referring to you…
anyway, i know you and the other half sleep in a house..with nice artwork… what you were wiling to give up is a welcome addition to my office…
goodnight all.. i really do have to get some sleep.
April 22, 2008 at 5:35 am #622501
AnonymousInactiveBonnie, I legally changed all 3 (1st,M,last) of my names in my 20’s. It’s never to late:) And I use 2 of 3 initials. Does that count?
April 22, 2008 at 5:36 am #622502
charlabobParticipantJOB, I have no idea what you’re talking about — I’m fairly self-absorbed, but nothing I said was about me or about you talking about me. Sometimes, if rarely, I do manage to get over myself :-)
Glad you’re enjoying the painting, and that it has a good home. We have a number of pieces by the same woman and that was always a favorite.
April 22, 2008 at 5:41 am #622503
BonnieParticipantyes JT, that does count!
April 22, 2008 at 7:29 am #622504
DSV90MemberWow … the discussion certainly went on quite the ride since I posted this morning. That’s way too much ugliness for the most educated city in America :>)
Lintle, you were actually reasonable until post #78. Continue to patronize Alki Cafe … clearly you will go there regardless of staff, owners or menu because the space itself allows you to time to retreat into yourself… more power to you.
For the unsophisticated one who finds it morbid to surround yourself with people who care about you during a time of loss in a public place … it is customary in some cultures to celebrate the life of someone who has died in a restaurant. I have both participated and witnessed it…multiple times. Now, go back to your home under the bridge.
The third time is a charm so here it goes … the owner(s) have the right to refuse service and they did not exercise that right.
They chose to seat and serve the large party so if they felt inconvenienced it is their fault … they don’t have the right to berate customers they choose to serve.
I will qualify myself by saying I have patronized Alki Cafe. I haven’t been back since spring of ’07 because the food doesn’t impress me. We always received good service. If the restaurant changes hands, I will probably go back.
April 22, 2008 at 12:32 pm #622505
KayleighMemberMembers of the Menses Mafia: never feed the trolls. ;-) I bet lintle and goodserver get mad about people swearing in public too.
April 22, 2008 at 2:18 pm #622506
lintleMembermy middle name is lintle and I am only one person. not any of the others.
I am glad they are here though. they’ve been better capable of putting this into perspective! and someone was even there?! WOW!
Seems the insults started when someone posted an opinion differing from the OP’s. though I tried not to attack they kept coming making it very hard to stay above board. but with others chiming in with better opinions and true perspectives I can just sit back and watch which I did for a while.
Just because people may have a different account of what happened does’nt mean they don’t have empathy or are lying. I, for one, do empathize with the OP and you don’t have to believe it but personally think they were using it, maybe even subconciously to, manipulate the tuth to gain supporters for a dillusional and dishonest cause by giving a heavily diluted and fact missing account of the truth.
Honestly, it’s like trying to tell the truth but you get bashed by a republican who needs to re-emphasize a tradegy totally unrelated to what really happened, or is happening, dumb-down with insults and other spew to gain an edge of ‘sympathy’ for the OP that was already given. Smart, above board, people know better and can’t be lied to or manipulated. the truth is the truth. no matter what we argue here. using a tragedy to manipulate others around you, or in this case, over stay a welcome imposing yourself and grief onto people who really don’t have to care.
It IS morbid too bring down a WHOLE RESTAURANT and their day because of your tragedy. It’s the same reason the WHOLE WORLD does’nt drop what their doing at the time to join you in mourning at a funeral. I’ll bet they tried really hard to accomodate but the party, kept taking liberties that was not theirs, affect or infecting the whole place, slowly bringing key parties in this incident to a boiling point then realizing theirs was moneys they could afford to lose!
Kayleigh is a making my case of dumbing down. I guess there will always be those kids from the back of the class chiming in inapropiately. they seem to never learn. I guess they have to play their cards in life as well.
“As the evil troll rubs his hans together, lurking in ambush”! lol
April 22, 2008 at 2:44 pm #622507
KayleighMemberIs it cold there in your parents’ basement, Ms. Troll?
You’re not even a very good troll—we saw through you in your second post.
April 22, 2008 at 3:07 pm #622508
CMPParticipantI haven’t bothered to read all of these posts b/c they’re boring me. I’ll just rant about large parties gathering at restaurants that can’t accommodate them. If you have a large group, then seek out a place that can promptly seat you such as Endolyne Joe’s. Or host a brunch at your own home…it’s easier, your friends can rudely show up really late, the food is almost always good and you don’t have to worry about surly restaurant owners giving you bad customer service. Problem solved.
April 22, 2008 at 3:14 pm #622509
CroweMemberHow did everyone forget the reason why the group was there? The loss of a BABY. Nothing touches that kind of pain. A loss of a child, let alone an unborn child. There was no excuse to treat anyone in that party the way he did. I stopped going to the Alki Cafe because of the food, among other things. I’ll be waiting for a truly excellent cafe there someday.
Meanwhile i drive to Dish or 14 Carrots or Paddy Coins…. anyone want to open a rocki’n good cafe in WS?
If I were able I’d welcome large groups with open arms no matter the reason. My regards to the family who lost their baby.
April 22, 2008 at 3:36 pm #622510
beachdrivegirlParticipantCMP- when do you got to Endolyne Joes?? Everytime i have been there with a party of 2 we have to wait at least 20/minutes to be seated…
April 22, 2008 at 3:36 pm #622511
TheHouseMemberWoo Hoo! Everyone is pissed off and I didn’t even stir the pot.
Comment to everyone that hates Alki Cafe:
Keep it to yourself. This is one persons letter and experience. They apparently are in a very emotional state and not necessarily thinking rationally, rather emotionally. It sounds like they really did have a bad experience, but my question to them is “Why did you stay?” If someone did that to me I would simply turn my back and walk out and inform him that he just lost over $400 in revenue for the day and inform him that I am posting on the WSB and writing a letter to the Herald. I would have walked into another restaurant, spoke to the manager and informed them of what occurred at Alki Cafe. Any smart manager would welcome you with open arms. I would also inform the manager that i would write a letter to WSB and the Herald commending them for seating you without notice.
Comment to the owners to Alki Cafe:
Your customers are your life. How you treat each and every customer dictates whether you will stay in business. As a restaurant owner you have an obligation to EVERY customer whether they are an individual or a group of 14. I’m sure you can appreciate how much damage you can do if you piss off 1 person!
April 22, 2008 at 3:50 pm #622512
BonnieParticipantIt seems to me that if the owners of the Alki Cafe would have simply said ‘I’m sorry, we can’t accommodate a group this size.’ nobody would be having this discussion on this forum.
April 22, 2008 at 3:59 pm #622513
JoBParticipantnobody is gone this morning so chances are that we are dealing with individuals here…
Crowe is right to remind us that we are dealing with the feelings of loss we all get when a child is lost..
there is no way to express fully how we feel for this family’s loss.. for all families who find themselves lost in loss…
but i think maybe we are also dealing with how we feel it is or isn’t appropriate to express grief… some feel grief should be kept in a private room.. others that exposing it to life is the only path forward…
and how we feel about being treated badly when we choose to spend our money on ourselves…
lastly.. there seems to be the sense of outrage that one bad day can sound the death toll for another local business…
all heady, emotionally charged sentiments…
i have made it clear that i think it is always the business owner’s responsibility to make the best of the situations they find themselves in.
yes.. they may have a loss that one day.. but the long term good will they gain more than compensates for one day’s receipts…
in addition to the group… from the accounts, half of the cafe was filled with regular customers … who would have supported an owner struggling with a bad situation with tremendous loyalty.
but i can also see that this cafe might have been a poor choice.
i understand why friends would choose an intimate setting for this kind of gathering.. but having been in the business myself.. i would never congregate with this kind of group without a solid reservation and all that entails… it’s just too risky for the outcome of your event…
perhaps this will be a learning experience for all the parties involved…
April 22, 2008 at 4:03 pm #622514
JoBParticipantApril 22, 2008 at 5:33 pm #622515
DSV90MemberJoB yes, you’ve consistently stated where you think the responsibility lies and I agree with you.
The OP was just sharing an experience because what happened to them publicly added insult to injury in regards to what happened to them personally. That’s why people are reacting so passionately.
There is no empathy clause in life but, compassion for fellow human beings is something to strive for … not dismiss. We are all interconnected aren’t we? Aren’t we all here openly discussing something that makes folks uncomfortable?
Pleased to meet you BTW JoB, you’re a smart cookie. Hopefully kids from the back of the bus are welcome to join the cool kids ;>)
April 22, 2008 at 7:03 pm #622516
WSJMemberOne thing to note:
I have twice now been referred to as female. Don’t know where that came from, but I am in fact a man. :)
April 22, 2008 at 7:38 pm #622517
JanSParticipantI think when people can’t tell from a name, for some reason , on this particular forum, people assume that it’s a woman posting..don’t know why that is. Notice…we’ve even been called the “menses mafia”…
so…you must be a William, Walter, Willard, Wayland, Wes…hmmm…my brain isn’t coming up with too many male “W” names at the moment – lol….
April 22, 2008 at 7:46 pm #622518
CMPParticipantBeachGirlDrive, I eat at Endolyne Joe’s once a year, if that often…I can make food just as decent at home for a lot less so why go out? But I have been there for a rehearsal dinner and they accomodated our group of about 15 quite nicely in that back room.
I’ve learned from friends with high standards, that if you’re not satisfied with your service, write a letter to the restaurant or speak to the manager as you’re leaving. There’s no need to send a letter to a newspaper that will inspire others to boycott that establishment. You’ll probably end up getting comped for your meal or given a gift certificate so you’ll give them another try. I like to give a restaurant the benefit of the doubt if the food or service is inconsistent and maybe that was the case with Alki Cafe owner on this particular morning.
April 22, 2008 at 7:51 pm #622519
LBGMemberWSJ…pretty sure that was me you were referring to. Sorry about that. Being a man as well, I feel that it always makes me look wiser when I use a female’s words to back up the point I am trying to convey.
April 22, 2008 at 8:18 pm #622520
WSJMemberNo worries. I actually thought it was funny.
And JanS, my name is Jason. WSJ was supposed to be WS J, but the space seems to get removed after creating the username.
April 22, 2008 at 8:39 pm #622521
JanSParticipantahhh, well, Jason, welcome…and welcome to LBG, too..it’s nice having a male perspective on here…
and wise words, too..”Being a man as well, I feel that it always makes me look wiser when I use a female’s words to back up the point I am trying to convey.” hehehehe…
ok…back to the Alki Cafe..:)
April 22, 2008 at 10:07 pm #622522
relarsonMemberI am a former employee of the Alki Cafe. During my time their I worked very closely with Steve – the owner – as I was hired to manage the restaurant. My experiences with him led me to the conculsion that his communication style is centered solely around meeting his business goal; creating more business.
I can imagine that Steve was fairly pissed off that morning because more unannounced customers kept joining the party (even it if was only 1 or 2, it would be enough to upset the flow of the breakfast hour). His thought probably was, “Why should these people just walk in and be seated, when 20 others have been waiting patiently?” Also, on a busy breakfast morning he has a map in his head of where people are going to sit and how he can rearrange the joint to seat the most people – moving a chair probably upset his whole grove.
Now…with that said…Steve is a HUGE a**hole, everybody knows that. As the owner he has the right to treat people how he wants to while they are in HIS restaurant. Where our power as customers comes in, is whether we will accept that treatment. That is up to you. Are you willing to spend your money in his establishment? Thus supporting his disrespectful treatment of others?
Personally, I chose not to. I am a hard working, compassionate woman who demands more respect from individuals. It is MY choice, as it is YOURS!
April 22, 2008 at 10:15 pm #622523
flowerpetalMemberI’m not sure that I would refer to myself as compassionate in the same post in which I called someone an a**hole; and a huge one at that!
Aside from that relarson, I found your post insightful.
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