Six of my co-workers and I went to Samurai for lunch...we usually trade off between Samurai and Mikuni's once per month. Between the seven of us, we frequently spend over $200 (with tax and tip) whenever we go out to sushi. Today, my sushi dish was very bad. Samurai usually has very tasty and fresh sushi, but the way mine was prepared didn't suit my taste buds. There was too much hot sauce and mustard drowning the roll and there was more tobiko than rice. I took one bite and pushed my plate away. A sushi aficionado at our table also tasted the dish and gave it a negative review as well. With one piece of the roll missing, I summoned the waiter, who asked if I would like anything else. I politely declined. A few minutes later, he returned to tell me that his manager refused to take my $9.50 lunch off the bill! I asked him, ""But he's willing to switch it out for something else?"" (thinking that if I have to pay for this horrible meal, I may as well bring something home that I'll eat later), to which he replied, ""No, he said he won't do that either."" Bless this poor waiter's heart, for he tried bringing out some other sushi dishes for me ""on the sly"" to make up for his manager's poor decision-making, but by then I had not only lost my appetite, I was miffed that a restaurant manager would be willing to lose hundreds of dollars per month in business over a meal that costs $9.50! Not to mention the fact that (per marketing research) I am apt to tell AT LEAST 16 people about my horrible experience and also urge people to never eat at Samurai (Mikuni's just over the freeway). I implore you all to ponder for a moment that if this manager is THAT chintzy over a meal, imagine a scenario where he may keep expiring fish, just so that he doesn't lose money on food shrink! I work for a very large corporation and, without a doubt, this manager just did SERIOUS damage to his reputation. I hope it was worth the $9.50, buddy!
Pros: The wait staff is very nice, patient, and as helpful as they are allowed to be.
Cons: Management should go back to school and take courses regarding customer service and successful business practices.
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