Clinton St. Baking Company (2008-07-04)
I knew Clinton St. Baking Company was popular, but to be made to wait nearly two hours for a table is just ridiculous. First they told us "About half an hour", then it was "probably an hour", then it was a deceitful "very soon, don't go anywhere!". Once you've waited an hour and a quarter, do you leave? Of course not! You've wasted that much time waiting, might as well wait some more. In our minds, the table would turn up as soon as we leave the line!
When I said we were "made" to wait, it's because the restaurant
employs a very unfair system in table allocation. In order to
maximize profit, they would seat couples first, then the four-people
groups. The three-people parties such as us got tossed aside so
as not to waste an empty seat. I saw couples who came after us
all got
seated before we did. Being a Sunday that day, the restaurant's
open till 4 pm and only when 2 pm rolled around did the rest of the
4-people and 3-people groups get called inside.
You know what's so ridiculously upsetting about the whole
situation? Not that we were lied about the waiting time, or the
unfair allocation system, but we were given a table for TWO!!!
There's a long bench by the wall and tiny square tables pushed against
it to make up a row of tables, pretty standard stuff. All the
tables were squeezed tightly together and there was really no room for
two grown-ups to share one seat. KL had to eat his lunch from the
tiny corner of the tiny table, and he was seething the entire
time.
Seeing all other 4-people and 3-people groups got two tables pushed
together in their comfortable seats, we felt cheated. If we were
to be given a two-seater anyway, why make us wait 110 minutes for our
table? I really really regret we didn't say anything about our
table situation, it's not like Marco and KL are timid people who are
afraid to voice complaints.
Admittedly the food was very good. The roll in my sandwich was
the best I had this trip, the crust was thin and crisp and the inside
soft, and the fish was fried to perfection with a super crunchy outside
and moist inside. But I had wanted to go there solely to eat
their crabcake sandwich which wasn't on the menu that day!! And
the guys didn't order the famous pancakes or french toast which kinda
makes our patronage there pointless.
No matter how great the food is, with this kind of treatment, KL vows never to return.
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