bad vibe at Udupi in Berkeley

[Guest guest]

Hi BAVeg-Folk,

 

So, I'm super-disappointed that a restaurant I

frequent because they have delicious, delicious food,

also consistently has really terribly horrible

service. Udupi Palace on University & MLK in Berkeley

has becoming an increasingly unpleasant place to dine.

I go there quite a bit (1-2 times per month), and

usually we'll order a Dosa and the South Indian Thali,

explaining that we'd like it vegan-style. Usually, I

get a blank stare in response. Almost without fail,

they'll bring the thali with yogurt and one other

dairy dish, and I'll have to remind them. When they

first opened, they used to replace the dairy dishes

with something else. Now they get irritated, and the

last time it happened, they simply took away those two

items, and never brought anything else. When I asked

about it I was told, curtly, that those were extra

dishes anyway (false), so no replacements would be

made. Then, we went for dinner a couple of weeks ago

at 9:30 p.m. (close to the 10:00 close time, but not

too close -- I used to be a server) and were glared

at, and had menus thrown at us. The server, when she

came to take our order made a show of looking at her

watch and saying with irritation, " Just 15 minutes. "

It was unreal. Has anyone else had experiences like

these at Udupi? If not, please share with me your

techniques for getting good service in this place.

Short of being really nice, tipping well, and speaking

clearly (all of which I always do), I'm kind of at a

loss.

 

Sandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger.

http://messenger./

[Guest guest]

Hi Sandra,

I'm sorry to hear that Udupi seems to have lost their

way when it comes to customer service. I've always

liked eating there. I haven't ordered the thali

dinner, but when I order a vegetable curry, such as

chana masala, I tell them to leave off the

raita,(yogurt) and to replace the poori with an

unfried bread--chapati. I've always gotten it as

ordered. I didn't ask for a substitution for the

raita, though, and maybe they would have responded to

that as they did to you.

My recommendation is to let the manager know. I've

never found him hostile or cold, or not interested in

bringing me a vegan meal that meets my request.

There is one female waitstaffer with limited English

skills, and she can seem somewhat standoffish and

disinterested in the kind of customer service that I

think is important for a good dining experience.

Bob

--- Sandra Lupien <sandrallupien wrote:

> Hi BAVeg-Folk,

>

> So, I'm super-disappointed that a restaurant I

> frequent because they have delicious, delicious

> food,

> also consistently has really terribly horrible

> service. Udupi Palace on University & MLK in

> Berkeley

> has becoming an increasingly unpleasant place to

> dine.

> I go there quite a bit (1-2 times per month), and

> usually we'll order a Dosa and the South Indian

> Thali,

> explaining that we'd like it vegan-style. Usually,

> I

> get a blank stare in response. Almost without fail,

> they'll bring the thali with yogurt and one other

> dairy dish, and I'll have to remind them. When they

> first opened, they used to replace the dairy dishes

> with something else. Now they get irritated, and

> the

> last time it happened, they simply took away those

> two

> items, and never brought anything else. When I

> asked

> about it I was told, curtly, that those were extra

> dishes anyway (false), so no replacements would be

> made. Then, we went for dinner a couple of weeks

> ago

> at 9:30 p.m. (close to the 10:00 close time, but not

> too close -- I used to be a server) and were glared

> at, and had menus thrown at us. The server, when

> she

> came to take our order made a show of looking at her

> watch and saying with irritation, " Just 15 minutes. "

>

> It was unreal. Has anyone else had experiences like

> these at Udupi? If not, please share with me your

> techniques for getting good service in this place.

> Short of being really nice, tipping well, and

> speaking

> clearly (all of which I always do), I'm kind of at a

> loss.

>

> Sandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger.

http://messenger./