Bagel Bagel (Kaohsiung)- service issues?

[naguoning]

This morning I made the mistake of going to Bagel Bagel with the intentions of eating breakfast. This place has become a class example of useless service. I used to go there regularly but....
I got there (the one on the north side of Kaohsiung, not far from MingCheng Road) about 10:40, waited about 10 minutes at one of the tables outside, went inside to order breakfast only to be told we can't serve you that, it is after the finishing time. Well I asked what the time was that it finished, since it used to be 11 am for years. I was told 10:50. My watch and phone both had it as right on 10:50. I asked what time she thought it was "10:51" was the answer. Well given I had already waited about 10 minutes and they had moved their serving time, and they I was a regular customer you would think maybe she could let that one minute silde... But #@$%^&*(.
On top of it the stupid waitress (called "Yo-Yo", an apropriately stupid name) has asked me on quite a few occasions to help translate when other foreigners sitting with me had ordered and she could not understand since her English is not too good but instead of being nice to me what does she do.....
I have always found the service at there and lighthouse (same owners) OK when the owners are there, but when they are not then....

[L-A]

Not just me then! I used to be a regular customer too, but haven't been back for a while. Too many mistakes. I used to get 2 of everything I ordered, or milk tea instead of a latte, then things started going missing from my order (liked it much better when I got two of everything) and sometimes turning up on someone else's table.

I only noticed this happening after they expanded and hired a lot of new staff, unfortunately that was a while ago now, but the service is still off. I like the food and some of the old staff a lot, but don't have enough time to waste it trying to locate my lunch. I've told them how I feel. It's not a language problem either, I get the same thing happening, regardless of whether I order in Chinese or English. I just figured I was jinxed.

[basscat]

Really sorry to see those happens in Bagel Bagel.
It's the only place that I can find the right taste of bagels in Kaohsiung. I had spent several mornings there when I spent my holidays at my brother's house in Kaohsiung.
Of course, I went there with a very good mood, because I was on vacation.

There are not many places with tasty western foods in south.
Maybe you can think about expressing your feelings to the owner for improving the quality of their service.
Hope thus helps.

[Durins Bane]

If you are not happy with the service at BB then by all means go and talk to the owners. They are outstanding people and would most certainly listen to your complaints.

[zogwell]

I went there yesterday and ordered the quesadillia and was brought a microwaved torillia filled with cheese and meat. WTF? I've come to expect this sort of thing from Taiwanese places, but this place is foreign owned. A sad moment.

[mod lang]

It seems to have gone downhill since they moved from Linsen to Minsheng Road. The last couple of times I went there, the food was skimpy and ridiculously overpriced. I noticed also that most of the customers were locals, not Westerners, which says something.....I guess Taiwanese are used to this kind of thing. Foreigners know what good service at a reasonable price is.

[Indiana]

Definitely talk to the owners if you have problems like these. Their names are Brett and Ellie, and they are a fantastic couple who would be interested in your feedback for sure.

They own The Lighthouse Pub in Koahsiung as well, and can be found there in the evenings. Brett is the Canadian guy behind the bar. Very easy to talk to.

I suspect that since they opened their pub, other things may have fallen by the wayside a bit. There are two or three Bagel Bagel restaurants, and their pub is probably the most popular expat pub in the city. They are very busy people.

[zogwell]

I'm a busy guy myself and don't have time to track down the owners at some expat bar to tell them the quality of their food at one of their other restaurants is not up to par. Stand up guy or not, if he's the owner he should be checking up on things. My hunch, however, is that they told their employees to make the quesadillia in the microwave. Either way things are slipping and I'm not going back.

[zogwell]

Mod,

I'm pretty sure that the owners of the Linsin BB were a different couple. I think they own the Parthenon now.

BTW, Nice Dawkins quote!

[L-A]

Actually the last couple of times I've been to Bagel Bagel, the service has been fine (north branch) and the food good. Much better than the period after the renovation.

If you have any complaints, you can also talk to the shift manager, you don't have to track down Brett or Ellie.

I really like Ellie, she's awesome. I've had lousy service at the Lighthouse a couple of times and she's sorted it out quickly and politely on the spot, busy or not.