Where not to go for dinner -Momo Sushi (Westbank)

josee · Post by **josee** » Aug 1st, 2006, 7:41 pm

I had a most unpleasant dinner experience tonight that I would like to share. After being stuck on the bridge for a while heading back to the Westside, I decided to go for dinner with my 4 year old daughter. Having a sushi craving, we headed to Momo sushi located in Westbank near the theatre. I ordered a sunomono salad and two sushi rolls. The small restaurant was fairly busy. When my daughter and I got close to finishing our meal I made the decision to ask for another roll and to my surprise was denied the request. The sushi guy decided that he was too busy for another roll and that our order had been completed. With my daughter telling me that she was still hungry I paid the bill. We drove home and had a couple of peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I felt that I was in a Seinfeld episode with someone yelling "no more sushi for you!"

BigBadBootyDaddy · Post by **BigBadBootyDaddy** » Aug 1st, 2006, 8:07 pm

that is just wrong, if its too busy, hire more staff

Fleshfailures · Post by **Fleshfailures** » Aug 1st, 2006, 11:57 pm

I'm a fan of Momo's, and I find that the downtown location is much better for everything, including service. Once, when it wasn't even busy at Momo's (in Westbank), they wouldn't let some friends and I order anything because they had too many call-in orders. :129:

So they sent us downtown. But at the same time, having tried to make sushi myself, I can see why they do that. It is pretty time consuming...But, like supermario said, hire more people to make the sushi. Maybe even expand the place.

westsidemom · Post by **westsidemom** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 12:16 am

Having been a VERY loyal patron of MOMO SUSHI in Westbank, I feel like i should make some things very clear about sushi and the rolls that we all love! YES it is very time consuming to make each and every handmade roll! but thats why we love it so much...I too have called the restaurant for a pick up order craving the to die for Crispy Crispy Roll...just to be disappointed to hear that it would be at least a 45 minute wait...of course i was sad i couldn't have it in five minutes, but thats the way she goes...I dont write scathing letters to ruin business for them...

If you are lucky enough to happen upon a small restaurant that serves amazing food, such as this place, you must realize that other ppl love it as well...and really, I am sorry that you were denied your extra roll, but really in the time you were devouring your dinner, there were other people ordering food too...should they be denied, or wait longer because you made the muistake of not ordering enough to begin with...and dont get me started on "hire more staff" if you really live in the Okanagan, you darn well know what its like to hire people at this time of year!

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 8:11 am

It's one thing to be told that you will have to wait for your order, but it's another thing completely to be refused service.

PITA · Post by **PITA** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 8:37 am

If they wanted another roll, they should have been served one. It doesn't take any time to make up a roll.

commonsense · Post by **commonsense** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 9:13 am

I would have refused to budge...once my a$$ is planted in that seat, you'll be serving me until I am good 'n' @#$%ing ready to leave and not until then...that seat/table is for paying patrons and as long as I am ordering food, I am a paying patron...so sad that others are hungry too...I'm betting they'll try to show up earlier next time.

One thing that makes me REALLY want to make a scene is bad service...and I tend to let everyone know what the scene is about...

MOMO...you just lost points.

Fleshfailures · Post by **Fleshfailures** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 9:16 am

Random: Did you know that Momo in Japanese means thigh, or peach?

gardengirl · Post by **gardengirl** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 1:04 pm

westsidemom wrote:Having been a VERY loyal patron of MOMO SUSHI in Westbank, I feel like i should make some things very clear about sushi and the rolls that we all love! YES it is very time consuming to make each and every handmade roll! but thats why we love it so much...I too have called the restaurant for a pick up order craving the to die for Crispy Crispy Roll...just to be disappointed to hear that it would be at least a 45 minute wait...of course i was sad i couldn't have it in five minutes, but thats the way she goes...I dont write scathing letters to ruin business for them...

If you are lucky enough to happen upon a small restaurant that serves amazing food, such as this place, you must realize that other ppl love it as well...and really, I am sorry that you were denied your extra roll, but really in the time you were devouring your dinner, there were other people ordering food too...should they be denied, or wait longer because you made the muistake of not ordering enough to begin with...and dont get me started on "hire more staff" if you really live in the Okanagan, you darn well know what its like to hire people at this time of year!

Sorry Westside Mom. Bad service is bad service.
I have never heard of anyone being refused more food. That is just a part of the meal. Usually, a waitress will come by and ask "Is there anything else, would anyone like dessert?". This is part of running a restaurant, it is also a way to produce more revenue. That is frequently a way the restaurant upsells more beverages or other items.

Again, if they were told they would have to wait, that is one thing. To be refused service, something completely different.

As for being time consuming, not when you know what you are doing. It all looks very magical to the "white folks", but it is not that big a deal.
The rice is precooked in large rice cookers, all the items are assembled as a part of the prep. Go to some of the places in Vancouver, they are fast. Making basic sushi rolls doesn't take any longer than assembling a burger once the patty is cooked.

Also: something to learn in customer service...they client who has taken the time to come into the business takes precedent over someone on the phone!

westsidemom · Post by **westsidemom** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 2:53 pm

Well I guess i dont look to be catered to as everyone else does, I have worked in the industry. I am very understanding. Apparently i should be appalled at being treated that way. Should I embarass myself, and the staff, and anger the cook thats preparing the meal I eat. I am all for expressing myself to the manager if i am dissatisfied. Taking the grown-up route. Therefore the communication is there to correct the problem (And possibly a free meal!)

As for the comments from gardengirl, I dont appreciate comments like "It all looks very magical to the "white folks", but it is not that big a deal. " I find that extremely offensive.

At Momo Sushi in Westbank, there is only one sushi guy making rolls. lets say the restaurant is full my guess is about 40 seats. how many rolls would each person order. Based on how many Josee wanted (3) times the 40 ppl is 120 rolls! okay a little unrealistic, lets cut that even in half...60 rolls...plus any orders coming thru on the phone...thats a lot of rolls baby!..
Even so, I feel bad for Josee to apparently be refused service, but thats only one side of the story. I agree she should have been presented the option to wait for another roll. If thats the whole story.

Is this thread actually gonna stop people from heading out to Momo?..I think not. And as for the Seinfeld episode, it was based on a real life situation, but guess what? The product was so good, people went anyways, and the story made it to TV.

gardengirl · Post by **gardengirl** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 3:16 pm

westsidemom wrote:Well I guess i dont look to be catered to as everyone else does, I have worked in the industry. I am very understanding. Apparently i should be appalled at being treated that way. Should I embarass myself, and the staff, and anger the cook thats preparing the meal I eat. I am all for expressing myself to the manager if i am dissatisfied. Taking the grown-up route. Therefore the communication is there to correct the problem (And possibly a free meal!)

As for the comments from gardengirl, I dont appreciate comments like "It all looks very magical to the "white folks", but it is not that big a deal. " I find that extremely offensive.

At Momo Sushi in Westbank, there is only one sushi guy making rolls. lets say the restaurant is full my guess is about 40 seats. how many rolls would each person order. Based on how many Josee wanted (3) times the 40 ppl is 120 rolls! okay a little unrealistic, lets cut that even in half...60 rolls...plus any orders coming thru on the phone...thats a lot of rolls baby!..
Even so, I feel bad for Josee to apparently be refused service, but thats only one side of the story. I agree she should have been presented the option to wait for another roll. If thats the whole story.

Is this thread actually gonna stop people from heading out to Momo?..I think not. And as for the Seinfeld episode, it was based on a real life situation, but guess what? The product was so good, people went anyways, and the story made it to TV.

As I understand it, the forum is for people to exress opinions. That is what we are doing. The "white folks" comment was put in quotations to indicate that it was tongue in cheek. People who love the place despite its warts will continue to go there. I don't think posting an opinion about an experience is going to ruin this guy's business. It is admirable that you are defending the owner/chef and you have every right to do so.

I did not see any negative comments about the food. Some times a good owner or chef is not a good manager.

If the kitchen is not able to keep up with the demand, there are a number of things you can do. The former Cheesecake Cafe was a prime example, they had a huge dining room which they seated to the max. The kitchen could not keep up. As a result, people waited for ages to get their order. When it arrived it was often wrong, or ill prepared. They could have closed off a section to serve the guests better. They would have had happier customers and developed better regular business.

It sounds like more than one person has had a similar experience. If you are a regular customer and you care if the business thrives, you could mention the comments to him. If the customer service improved, he would have a more successful business and perhaps be able to hire more staff to sustain it.

Next time, you might hear glowing reports.

peteykat · Post by **peteykat** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 4:03 pm

There was a restuarant back home that was only opened 4 months out of the year. The best Fish n' Chips you could ever eat, and that was the only thing they sold. No one ate in the place, you had to order it out. Sometimes it took 2 hours to get your order it was so backed up. Did they need another cook? Nah, because it was family owned, family secret. We all waited for it because that was the way it was. They had so much of a demand. But I tell you, it was worth the wait....man was it ever worth the wait. :123:

Fleshfailures · Post by **Fleshfailures** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 8:12 pm

westsidemom wrote:Well I guess i dont look to be catered to as everyone else does, I have worked in the industry. I am very understanding. Apparently i should be appalled at being treated that way. Should I embarass myself, and the staff, and anger the cook thats preparing the meal I eat. I am all for expressing myself to the manager if i am dissatisfied. Taking the grown-up route. Therefore the communication is there to correct the problem (And possibly a free meal!)

As for the comments from gardengirl, I dont appreciate comments like "It all looks very magical to the "white folks", but it is not that big a deal. " I find that extremely offensive.

At Momo Sushi in Westbank, there is only one sushi guy making rolls. lets say the restaurant is full my guess is about 40 seats. how many rolls would each person order. Based on how many Josee wanted (3) times the 40 ppl is 120 rolls! okay a little unrealistic, lets cut that even in half...60 rolls...plus any orders coming thru on the phone...thats a lot of rolls baby!..
Even so, I feel bad for Josee to apparently be refused service, but thats only one side of the story. I agree she should have been presented the option to wait for another roll. If thats the whole story.

Is this thread actually gonna stop people from heading out to Momo?..I think not. And as for the Seinfeld episode, it was based on a real life situation, but guess what? The product was so good, people went anyways, and the story made it to TV.

It doesn't take much to make an effort to hire another sushi chef. Of course people will still attend Momo's sushi, but that doesn't mean they don't feel the same way about the service.

acidrain · Post by **acidrain** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 9:26 pm

I too have a huge complaints about Momo's in Westbank. I would go as far as to say that they are trying to fraud customers.

I have called 2 orders in for takeout and have been refused service because they were too busy. At least in those cases that was upfront and I went elsewhere.

On 3 seperate occasions now I have gone into Momo's. All three times the waitress has said the sushi chef will not make rolls. The only way he'll do this if you order "hot food" with it ($12 and up meals). About 2 weeks ago I went in with one other person and we ordered 2 pops. The waitress then took our order and she came back after talking to the chef that said he wouldn't do the rolls once again! By then, I was quite peeved and left abruptly paying for my drinks. It wasn't that busy, but regardless I felt this was totally false advertising. To go in, seat someone, get them to order drinks and THEN tell them this? Totally ridiculous in my opinion. The first time I must add I did buy into this and DID order hot food giving them the benefit of the doubt. But its turning into a practice for them.

I used to be a loyal customer to Momo's in Westbank. However, there has been 2 other people I know of that had the same thing happen to them. Having to pay over ten dollars for hot food to get rolls is a bit of a scam in my opinion. If they are too busy they should say as much when you walk through the door. At least be honest to your customers.

Momo's downtown is the total and utter opposite experience. I've seen it twice as busy during lunch compared to the one in Westbank with the same level of staff. I get my rolls in 15 minutes tops, the service is so friendly and you get more food. I have never once had a bad experience there.

I honestly considered going to the BBB after my last experience in Westbank. If you were a tourist or went there for the first time you wouldn't know any better. It was almost 40 degrees that day and to say you had to order hot food to get a roll or two is absurd. If they don't want to make rolls, then they should scratch it off their menu.

I've never in my life in all the eating out I've done been told that, yes, we can make this food ONLY if you order that. What is on the menu should be what you can order. If it happened once I wouldn't have been all over it. But its been at least 3 times I can count.

I seriously hope people consider their options before going there because it may happen to you. They are always having a help wanted sign for waitresses. I don't blame them for this policy that you must order hot food to order rolls. It's obviously the people managing the restaurant.

I could go on and on about this cause they are doing this to a lot of people. I refuse to honestly go there again. I hope that Westbank opens up another sushi place that people can go to that offers a more professional level of service.

This thread may not put them out of business but if they are doing these kinds of things to people, then that kind of behaviour will.

westsidemom · Post by **westsidemom** » Aug 2nd, 2006, 9:39 pm

acidrain, I am sorry you have had these experiences...although it appears to me, you still go back...

paige, The man who prepares sushi in westbank, trained the sushi guy downtown for a year before opening that location.

gardengirl, i appreciate everything you are saying, however the "white folks" comment is a little too much for me too deal with...sounds presumptuous(sp?) and racist.