UPDATE, 8:45 A.M., FEB. 1: We've received a response from the Charlie Palmer Group–see bottom of post for details.
ORIGINAL POST, 10:30 A.M., JAN. 31: Well, it's evident the management at Charlie Palmer in South Coast Plaza aren't paying attention to what's being written about the DG Burger concept. Edwin slammed them a couple of weeks ago for having a testy hostess at the front (the idea being that you place your order, and then take a table). Yelp–which has accorded them three and a half stars, the same rating as the Carl's Jr. on La Palma and Kraemer in Anaheim–is full of mentions of the snippy service.
Today, as we were eating there, we got the eyerolls and
not-quite-held-back sighs of frustration as we picked what we wanted to
eat.
]
As we sat and ate, the hostess headed back to chat with someone she knew
(we assume, since the guest got a second helping of fries on the house).
Unfortunately, three parties approached the counter and, seeing no one
available, turned around and left.
Guys, listen: Amar Santana's food deserves better than this jaded Gorgon
you've got up front. Either send her to a customer-service seminar, or
send her to work someplace where dealing with customers isn't part of her daily
duties.
The burger is worth the cost. (The fries aren't, though–mushy!) The
service is going to turn people off, and bad word-of-mouth about the
service will travel faster than good word-of-mouth about the burger.
UPDATE: Erin Jevis, the Director of PR and Marketing at Charlie Palmer Group,
responded via e-mail to the post:
“As difficult as it was to see your
piece on DG Burger yesterday, we appreciated your comments. We are all
now aware of this situation and it is being addressed. Great food and
the best possible guest experience are always our top priorities. We
will do what is needed to make sure that DG Burger reflects that.”
We look forward to seeing the improvements.
