"Right from the start, Alisha didn't appreciate me bringing this up. I’m not sure what I was supposed to do in her view, but this seemed to trigger her dislike for me. She returned to explain that the manager wouldn't remove the extra charges because I requested spicy mayo and eel sauce on top of my sushi rather than on the side, which incur a $0.50 charge per roll. I told her I would have appreciated a heads-up about this charge before receiving my bill, especially since I had ordered my rolls the same way as I always do. During our initial interaction, she didn’t mention that the sauces would increase the cost.
After this exchange, she simply looked at me and walked away, which left me confused and uncomfortable. About 5-10 minutes later, she returned laughing and shaking her head, but her demeanor changed when she saw me. The manager came over to explain the situation to me, and I reassured him that it wasn’t a big deal; I was just seeking clarification. Meanwhile, Alisha barely made eye contact with me, even while I was directly speaking to her. I was on the verge of tears, feeling unjustly treated while others watched, and all I wanted was to leave.
When Alisha came back to me with a forced, passive-aggressive smile, she tried to “empathize” by saying things like, “I hate when the manager comes over and makes me look bad,” and “I still don’t know how I was supposed to know this, but I guess it’s a hefty amount.” During our back-and-forth, she even commented, “How was I supposed to know that the sauce had an added price?” If she didn’t know the price, then why was I being questioned for my concerns about the price difference? She took this situation way too personally for reasons I couldn’t understand.
Throughout our interaction, I was as polite and friendly as I could be, just asking a simple question. I left a small tip and wrote a note that said, “Don’t take everything so personally and fix your attitude; not everything is about you.” As we left, she almost followed us out the door, sarcastically shouting, “Thank you, ma’am, for the lovely message!” I responded by saying I loved her, as it seemed clear she could use some positivity in her life.
I won’t be returning. I can’t believe the manager allows this kind of behavior from their staff. I never expected such a backlash. Alisha could have simply acknowledged that she didn’t realize there was an extra charge for the sauces and said, “I’m sorry! Let me check on that for you." Even if the manager couldn't adjust the charges, a polite approach would have been far better than her passive-aggressive and rude attitude. I hope the management sees this feedback and takes steps to improve, as it reflects poorly on them if staff are undertrained.
This was my go-to lunch spot with my best friend, and I have many fond memories here, but as I mentioned, I won’t be coming back. The food, however, is still amazing—fantastic sushi!"
Crunchy Roll
