Here is an article that I read on BENIHANA's in Santa Monica>
It was written by Habi-Bees of Santa Monica and it appeared on
myspace.com's JAPANESE FOOD LOVERS UNITE forum:

Friday, August 04, 2006

Benihana's ruined my sister's birthday
Current mood: ****ed off
Category: Food and Restaurants


Last night, I took my sisters to Benihanas for teppen-yaki. It was for
my sister J's 21st birthday.

We got there at 7:50, and were told we'd have a 30 minute wait, so we
walked around the 3rd street promenade for twenty minutes, and then
came back to sit. At around the time we should have been seated, an
Asian couple wandered in and signed their name on the waiting list, and
then sat down to wait themselves.

Another ten minutes passed, and then a large party of girls, who had
been there before us, were led into the dining room. One male host
then motioned for the Asian couple to follow them. When I stood up to
inquire why we weren't being seated first, the male host shrugged, and
then another male host made held up a hand to me and jogged after the
diners, as if to stop them. No one came back.
I went to the front desk, and the female hostess apologized and told me
wed be seated next.

Ten minutes later, we were led to an empty table at the back of the
restaurant, near the bathrooms. We were the only three there, which
meant we had to wait for the table to fill up, or so I thought. When I
asked if that was the case, our waitress assured me that it wasn't, and
that if the table didn't fill up in ten minutes, the show would start
anyhow.

Twenty minutes later, the table was full. It was now 9 pm. The show
started forty minutes later, with us and the others seated at the table
growing more and more impatient as tables seated later than us were
served earlier. At 9:40, our harried chef showed up and began to cook,
but do little else. He flipped a shrimp tail into his hat and pocket
and made an onion candle, but that was it- there were none of the other
tricks I had seen at establishment like this one. He then proceeded to
burn the food of the couple seated to our left, who complained, gave
him back the plates, and walked out of the door.

As soon as our food was prepared, we asked for boxes and a check,
because it was past ten and we were taking the bus, which stopped
running close to that time. My sister J found the manager and told
him, while we were out in the dining room, about our long wait and
being passed over for a table earlier. He told her, verbatim "Well,
next time make a reservation."
She told him that the problem was that the couple that had been waiting
for ten minutes, instead of forty, hadn't made a reservation either.
He assured my sister that they had, and that there was nothing he could
do. So my sister walked with him to the front desk to ask the hosts.
The host, who had shrugged earlier, shrugged again. The female hostess
told the manager flat out that they hadn't made a reservation. The
manager said once again that there was nothing he could do.

I went then to the manager as my sister was asking him if there was a
higher up that we could talk to, and he said no, there was no one, just
tell him our problems. We explained to him, again, everything we had
gone through that night with his establishment, including the
overcooked food and the waiting for a table, and how it took us two
hours to be served. He began assuring us over again that the other
couple had made a reservation.

I demanded to speak to someone higher up than he, and then he started
apologizing and said he was sorry our evening was not satisfactory, and
that the meal was on the house, "although even the couple who left
paid." We knew for a fact they hadn't as we had witnessed their entire
visit.

There was nothing more he could do, we felt, and so I and my littlest
sister left the restaurant to wait outside while my sister J went to
the restroom. After she came out of the restroom, while the rest of us
were outside, the manager cornered my sister J and barred her way, not
letting her go and trying to make her pay. She gave him her credit
card after a few minutes. I went back inside to see what the hold-up
was, and then started to argue with the manager about trying to corner
my sister into paying what he had already said would be comp'ed. He
then pulled us both into the the back room, and told us he would take
$15 off, but that was all, we had to pay the rest, and stood in the
doorway to keep us from leaving.

It was too late for us to catch our bus by then, so I handed him back
the receipts for my sisters card and told him to put it on mine, since
it was all supposed to be a treat for her birthday anyhow. I signed my
copy after they "voided" hers( if they did it hasn't been returned to
her account yet), and I paid the chef and our waitress tips with cash,
and we left (escorted by the manager who then thanked us for coming.)

I don't know exactly why this establishment saw fit to treat us all
this way. Years of customer service have taught me that the customer
is always right, officially, and unofficially, you are at least
responsible for placating an upset customer and trying to help them so
that they dont feel so ****ed off once they leave the establishment.
They were sarcastic, evasive, and blatantly lied to us when we had
proof standing before them that we had been treated wrongly. It took
an hour of arguing to even get an apology. (Before that, it was just
advice; "Next time, make a reservation.")

There will be no next time for me and my family. I will tell everyone
I know about the awful service, the overcooked food, and what I felt to
be blatant discrimination of my sisters and I. I wanted you to know
about how customers are being treated in the 4th street branch in Santa
Monica.

And on their birthdays, no less.

This BENIHANA's is located at 1447 4th St., Santa Monica, CA.
Tel. (310/260-1423)

Comments:
Well written, legitimate grievance against BENIHANA's.
I myself also had some really bad experience with BENIHANA's many many
years ago in New York. I vowed then that I would never ever go back to
BENIHANA's. You're actually paying for the "show" rather than for
food. I also heard that the quality has gone down considerably from
when the chain started years ago.

The proper way to handle any chain restaurant that says there is a wait, is to
leave a name and leave for good. They want you to sit in their bar and throw
money away on drinks, their most profitable item. Refuse to play their game.
The next several people get told there is a longer wait because your name is on
the list. It they give you one of those flashing buzzer things, put it under
your car's tire when you drive off. That costs them cash. If we all do it the
place quickly gets a rep for making you wait so long that it is always better to
go to another place. And their bar profit goes down and their costs to replace
the stupid flashy buzzer things skyrocket. Management will get the message you
are there for food period. After all, in the customer service business, the
customer is never wrong!



wrote:
> Here is an article that I read on BENIHANA's in Santa Monica>
> It was written by Habi-Bees of Santa Monica and it appeared on
> myspace.com's JAPANESE FOOD LOVERS UNITE forum:
>
> Friday, August 04, 2006
>
> Benihana's ruined my sister's birthday
> Current mood: ****ed off
> Category: Food and Restaurants
>
>
> Last night, I took my sisters to Benihanas for teppen-yaki. It was for
> my sister J's 21st birthday.
>
> We got there at 7:50, and were told we'd have a 30 minute wait, so we
> walked around the 3rd street promenade for twenty minutes, and then
> came back to sit. At around the time we should have been seated, an
> Asian couple wandered in and signed their name on the waiting list, and
> then sat down to wait themselves.
>
> Another ten minutes passed, and then a large party of girls, who had
> been there before us, were led into the dining room. One male host
> then motioned for the Asian couple to follow them. When I stood up to
> inquire why we weren't being seated first, the male host shrugged, and
> then another male host made held up a hand to me and jogged after the
> diners, as if to stop them. No one came back.
> I went to the front desk, and the female hostess apologized and told me
> wed be seated next.
>
> Ten minutes later, we were led to an empty table at the back of the
> restaurant, near the bathrooms. We were the only three there, which
> meant we had to wait for the table to fill up, or so I thought. When I
> asked if that was the case, our waitress assured me that it wasn't, and
> that if the table didn't fill up in ten minutes, the show would start
> anyhow.
>
> Twenty minutes later, the table was full. It was now 9 pm. The show
> started forty minutes later, with us and the others seated at the table
> growing more and more impatient as tables seated later than us were
> served earlier. At 9:40, our harried chef showed up and began to cook,
> but do little else. He flipped a shrimp tail into his hat and pocket
> and made an onion candle, but that was it- there were none of the other
> tricks I had seen at establishment like this one. He then proceeded to
> burn the food of the couple seated to our left, who complained, gave
> him back the plates, and walked out of the door.
>
> As soon as our food was prepared, we asked for boxes and a check,
> because it was past ten and we were taking the bus, which stopped
> running close to that time. My sister J found the manager and told
> him, while we were out in the dining room, about our long wait and
> being passed over for a table earlier. He told her, verbatim "Well,
> next time make a reservation."
> She told him that the problem was that the couple that had been waiting
> for ten minutes, instead of forty, hadn't made a reservation either.
> He assured my sister that they had, and that there was nothing he could
> do. So my sister walked with him to the front desk to ask the hosts.
> The host, who had shrugged earlier, shrugged again. The female hostess
> told the manager flat out that they hadn't made a reservation. The
> manager said once again that there was nothing he could do.
>
> I went then to the manager as my sister was asking him if there was a
> higher up that we could talk to, and he said no, there was no one, just
> tell him our problems. We explained to him, again, everything we had
> gone through that night with his establishment, including the
> overcooked food and the waiting for a table, and how it took us two
> hours to be served. He began assuring us over again that the other
> couple had made a reservation.
>
> I demanded to speak to someone higher up than he, and then he started
> apologizing and said he was sorry our evening was not satisfactory, and
> that the meal was on the house, "although even the couple who left
> paid." We knew for a fact they hadn't as we had witnessed their entire
> visit.
>
> There was nothing more he could do, we felt, and so I and my littlest
> sister left the restaurant to wait outside while my sister J went to
> the restroom. After she came out of the restroom, while the rest of us
> were outside, the manager cornered my sister J and barred her way, not
> letting her go and trying to make her pay. She gave him her credit
> card after a few minutes. I went back inside to see what the hold-up
> was, and then started to argue with the manager about trying to corner
> my sister into paying what he had already said would be comp'ed. He
> then pulled us both into the the back room, and told us he would take
> $15 off, but that was all, we had to pay the rest, and stood in the
> doorway to keep us from leaving.
>
> It was too late for us to catch our bus by then, so I handed him back
> the receipts for my sisters card and told him to put it on mine, since
> it was all supposed to be a treat for her birthday anyhow. I signed my
> copy after they "voided" hers( if they did it hasn't been returned to
> her account yet), and I paid the chef and our waitress tips with cash,
> and we left (escorted by the manager who then thanked us for coming.)
>
> I don't know exactly why this establishment saw fit to treat us all
> this way. Years of customer service have taught me that the customer
> is always right, officially, and unofficially, you are at least
> responsible for placating an upset customer and trying to help them so
> that they dont feel so ****ed off once they leave the establishment.
> They were sarcastic, evasive, and blatantly lied to us when we had
> proof standing before them that we had been treated wrongly. It took
> an hour of arguing to even get an apology. (Before that, it was just
> advice; "Next time, make a reservation.")
>
> There will be no next time for me and my family. I will tell everyone
> I know about the awful service, the overcooked food, and what I felt to
> be blatant discrimination of my sisters and I. I wanted you to know
> about how customers are being treated in the 4th street branch in Santa
> Monica.
>
> And on their birthdays, no less.
>
> This BENIHANA's is located at 1447 4th St., Santa Monica, CA.
> Tel. (310/260-1423)
>
> Comments:
> Well written, legitimate grievance against BENIHANA's.
> I myself also had some really bad experience with BENIHANA's many many
> years ago in New York. I vowed then that I would never ever go back to
> BENIHANA's. You're actually paying for the "show" rather than for
> food. I also heard that the quality has gone down considerably from
> when the chain started years ago.
>

On Sun, 17 Sep 2006 16:27:10 -0700, Golden California Girls
> wrote:

>After all, in the customer service business, the
>customer is never wrong!

Well...let's look at this situation. You didn't get a seat and you
drove off hungry to look for another restaurant. HOW does that make
you right??!!

In article <uvGdneA0g71ORJDYnZ2dnUVZ_qednZ2d@championbroadban d.com>,
Golden California Girls > wrote:

> The proper way to handle any chain restaurant that says there is a wait, is
> to
> leave a name and leave for good. They want you to sit in their bar and throw
> money away on drinks, their most profitable item. Refuse to play their game.
> The next several people get told there is a longer wait because your name is
> on
> the list. It they give you one of those flashing buzzer things, put it under
> your car's tire when you drive off. That costs them cash. If we all do it
> the
> place quickly gets a rep for making you wait so long that it is always better
> to
> go to another place. And their bar profit goes down and their costs to
> replace
> the stupid flashy buzzer things skyrocket. Management will get the message
> you
> are there for food period. After all, in the customer service business, the
> customer is never wrong!
>

I agree. The OP waited much longer than I would have. What's more, why
go to a chain Japanese restaurant when there are bound to be plenty of
excellent mom & pop places in the Los Angeles area?

In article >,
Ward Abbott > wrote:

> On Sun, 17 Sep 2006 16:27:10 -0700, Golden California Girls
> > wrote:
>
> >After all, in the customer service business, the
> >customer is never wrong!
>
> Well...let's look at this situation. You didn't get a seat and you
> drove off hungry to look for another restaurant. HOW does that make
> you right??!!

You would have waited and tolerated that shoddy treatment? More power to
you, but if I was in that situation, I would have not waited more than
20 minutes and I would have certainly been seated and served elsewhere
long before the OP was seated and served that evening at that Benihana's.

On Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:11:45 -0400, Shawn Hirn >
wrote:

>You would have waited and tolerated that shoddy treatment? More power to
>you, but if I was in that situation, I would have not waited more than
>20 minutes and I would have certainly been seated and served elsewhere
>long before the OP was seated and served that evening at that Benihana's.

You know...we are talking about Santa Monica....not Pig Trot, Alabama.
I know they could have thrown a rock and hit fifteen good restaurants
from the parking lot at Benihana's.

Conducting your own little nelly spell, (nee, tantrum) in the lobby is
tasteless and uncouth. Life is too short to make "such a big
scene" over something so trivial and most things in life are minute by
comparison.

The OP was offensive in their own right.

In article >,
Ward Abbott > wrote:

> On Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:11:45 -0400, Shawn Hirn >
> wrote:
>
> >You would have waited and tolerated that shoddy treatment? More power to
> >you, but if I was in that situation, I would have not waited more than
> >20 minutes and I would have certainly been seated and served elsewhere
> >long before the OP was seated and served that evening at that Benihana's.
>
> You know...we are talking about Santa Monica....not Pig Trot, Alabama.
> I know they could have thrown a rock and hit fifteen good restaurants
> from the parking lot at Benihana's.
>
> Conducting your own little nelly spell, (nee, tantrum) in the lobby is
> tasteless and uncouth. Life is too short to make "such a big
> scene" over something so trivial and most things in life are minute by
> comparison.

Who said anything about making a big scene. I didn't say anything about
that type of behavior, nor did the OP (if I remember correctly). If it
were me, I would have simply left the restaurant after twenty minutes.
No scene at all. I agree that life is too short, which is why I would
have never waiting so long for a table at a restaurant that is more than
likely in close proximity to other restaurants that are as good or
better.

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:04:51 -0400, Shawn Hirn >
wrote:

>Who said anything about making a big scene.

Arguing a strangers case is silly.

Here is a link you need to keep as a bookmark.

http://carcino.gen.nz/images/index.p...9a680/463c5922

Shawn Hirn wrote:
> In article <uvGdneA0g71ORJDYnZ2dnUVZ_qednZ2d@championbroadban d.com>,
> Golden California Girls > wrote:
>
> > The proper way to handle any chain restaurant that says there is a wait, is
> > to

> I agree. The OP waited much longer than I would have. What's more, why
> go to a chain Japanese restaurant when there are bound to be plenty of
> excellent mom & pop places in the Los Angeles area?

Yes, the family could have gone to other places in Santa Monica or Los
Angeles, true.
However, they wanted to go to Benihana's to celebrate the sister's
birthday.
That was their prerogative.
However, going through such experiences is part of life.

I found out that the manager of Benihana's of Santa Monica is Michi
Shiraishi.
Michi Shiraishi, Manager
Benihana's of Santa Monica
1447 4th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tel. (310/260-1423)

I also e-mailed several times to Customer's Relations of Benihana's
Headquarters (www.benihana.com). I have yet to receive a single
response from them.

In article >,
Ward Abbott > wrote:

> On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:04:51 -0400, Shawn Hirn >
> wrote:
>
> >Who said anything about making a big scene.
>
> Arguing a strangers case is silly.
>
> Here is a link you need to keep as a bookmark.
>
> http://carcino.gen.nz/images/index.p...9a680/463c5922

I was not arguing a stranger's case. I was saying what I would do if I
was in that situation. Big difference.

Dear Mr. Steve Takenaka
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
BENIHAHA
Tel. (800) 327-3369 Ext. 2805
FAX (305) 718-8927

Mr. Takenaka,
I am attaching the following article for you to read.
Recently I have read this article on the Forum section of myspace.com
regarding a grievance expressed by a family who had gone to the
Benihana's of Santa Monica, California.
The article was written by Habi-Bees of Santa Monica.
I was quite infuriated after having read that article.
The Forum section is entitled: "Japanese Food Lovers Unite".
It is read daily by thousands of readers, and it's also my favorite
website.
After reading that article on how the family of Habi-Bees was treated
at the Benhihana's of Santa Monica, I e-mailed to your Customer
Relations several times inquiring about the incident. I have yet to
get any response from you.
This is a matter of great concern not only to those who enjoy visiting
Benhihana's but to many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of the readers
who read that Forum.

I would certainly appreciate if you could let me know how the
investigation is going regarding that incident.

Ms. Habi-Bees has a popular website at:
www.myspace.com/beesk

Also, I am certain that there are many readers who are expressing a
feeling of outrage at the treatment received by the family, if the
description of the incident in that article is true. As of this
moment, I cannot take any position as to who was right or wrong in that
incident that took place at the Benhihana's .
I also wrote to Michi Shiraishi, the Manager of Benihana's of Santa
Monica:
Michi Shiraishi , Manager (310) 260-1423.
c/o BENIHANA'S in Santa Monica

I have yet to receive any response from her.
Please respond to this inquiry as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for your attention.

-------
I hope that somehow, Mr. Takenaka will read this.

wrote:

I have yet to receive a single
> response from them.

CASE CLOSED!! A GREAT VICTORY FOR THE HABI-BEES FAMILY

A POSITIVE RESPONSE JUST ARRIVED FROM BENIHANA HEADQUARTERS

Dear Mr. Norio Hayakawa;

Thank you for your e-mails, fax and telephone calls regarding the
customer who dined with us at Benihana Santa Monica in August.
It is very nice of you to show your concern for other people and
made effort and time in a generous manner.

The Manager, Michio Shiraishi, told me that he would like to send
a letter to the customer and offer an invitation by sending a dinner
certificate so that she can celebrate her sister's birthday again. We
all hope that the incident does not deter them from visiting us so
that we can make their next visit to Benihana a positive experience.

We truly value your kindness and patience.

Sincerely Yours,

Steve Takenaka
TLC of Customer Relations Manager

-----------
Yes, it definitely pays off to be persistent!!

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Here is an article that I read on BENIHANA's in Santa Monica>
> It was written by Habi-Bees of Santa Monica and it appeared on
> myspace.com's JAPANESE FOOD LOVERS UNITE forum:
>
> Friday, August 04, 2006
>
> Benihana's ruined my sister's birthday
> Current mood: ****ed off
> Category: Food and Restaurants
>
>
> Last night, I took my sisters to Benihanas for teppen-yaki. It was for
> my sister J's 21st birthday.
>
> We got there at 7:50, and were told we'd have a 30 minute wait, so we
> walked around the 3rd street promenade for twenty minutes, and then
> came back to sit. At around the time we should have been seated, an
> Asian couple wandered in and signed their name on the waiting list, and
> then sat down to wait themselves.
>
> Another ten minutes passed, and then a large party of girls, who had
> been there before us, were led into the dining room. One male host
> then motioned for the Asian couple to follow them. When I stood up to
> inquire why we weren't being seated first, the male host shrugged, and
> then another male host made held up a hand to me and jogged after the
> diners, as if to stop them. No one came back.
> I went to the front desk, and the female hostess apologized and told me
> wed be seated next.
>
> Ten minutes later, we were led to an empty table at the back of the
> restaurant, near the bathrooms. We were the only three there, which
> meant we had to wait for the table to fill up, or so I thought.

Could it have been that there was space for two at the previous table
(accomodating the couple) but not for three?

Sheila