Good food but not-great counter service
3
Posted on 08 / 28 / 2010
Making a drive from Medford, OR to the SF Bay Area, my husband and I were happy to find Grilla Bites in Redding -- perfect for a quick lunch.
Although the food was good (more on that shortly) the counter service was pretty awful.
When we first arrived and walked up to the counter, the woman behind the counter was very busy searching in the cabinets under the cash register. Although she saw us, she did not make eye contact, greet us, or verbally acknowledge us in any way.
She eventually wandered off to the kitchen (again, without saying a word). She reappeared about a minute later, finally asking if she could take our order.
Although a minute or two may not sound like a lot of time, it actually *is* when you are just standing there watching someone wander around instead of greeting you and taking your order.
We placed our order and when she repeated it back to us, she'd forgotten that my husband had requested to leave the cheese off his sandwich. We pointed it out, and she said she'd directly tell the chef to leave it off. (You can guess what's coming.)
We'd ordered two sandwiches and a cup of soup. She brought us our soup a few minutes later and it was the wrong kind -- not what we'd ordered. She went to fetch the soup we'd actually ordered.
When our sandwiches appeared, surprise surprise, my husband's sandwich had a huge slice of cheese on it. Not wanting to deal with the lady again, he just pulled the cheese off, but I could tell from his expression that he was pretty disgusted that it was still wrong after being discussed twice.
Now, on to the food. It was good. Our sandwiches were tasty -- mine a soy bacon, spinach, and tomato with vegan cheese on gluten-free bread; his a tuna sandwich on gluten-free bread. Both sandwiches came with chips and hummus. Both of the soups (the one we ordered and the one we didn't) were fresh and tasty.
I was happy with the menu -- lots of veg and vegan options. Sandwiches, soups, wraps, rice, vegetables, a lovely salad bar, smoothies, coffee, and more.
Overall, I would probably eat there again, but the counter service clearly is in need of help. If any managers or owners are reading this -- you really need to do some much-needed training with your staff.
First impressions are important. Greeting customers is important. Taking orders correctly is important. Some folks might not be as patient as me with so-so service. You don't want to lose customers due to lack of training and management.
Pros: Lots of veg options, Tasty food, Fresh
Cons: Substandard/unacceptable counter service
