unfriendly staff at maxella pinkberry/the magic is gone
I took the family to the new pinkberry this morning at 11 am. We are all fans, just started going about a month ago, starting at the sawtelle location where part of the fun was the cool, upbeat staff who knew my kids by name and they were very excited about the product. the experience at this new lincoln/maxella pinkberry was, ah, just OK. what was sort of an addiction before was gone....angela the cashier and order taker was not very nice or accomodating.she reminded me of the sort of person that works at mc donalds- tired, underpaid and not happy or healthy for that matter.
I ordered a med "combo" which I thought was the combo of plain and green tea which they are advertising right now. I asked when she was making it, "is that the ccombo"?( I didn't see the green tea swirl)"yes", she replied. whan she handed me the yogurt, I asked again, "is this the combo of green tea and plain?" "oh no", she replied, "that is called the swirl".
without offering to redo it, change it to what I initially wanted. I have to say I was shocked, my normal self would have insisted on a change but I was dumbfounded as far as where did my friendly, happy pinkberry people go?
Amanda Enclade
Feb 11, 2007 01:17PM
I don't care how good a place's food is - there is no excuse for bad service - rude, indifferent, or otherwise. Given that I have already voiced my personal disdain for this bad corporate-like citizen that wears arrogance on its sleeve like a soldier displays the Medal of Honor on his chest, I hope (probably in futility) that people will stop supporting this antithesis of what a food business should be like. In my biased opinion, I feel there are so many better options that one could choose from, let alone just opting to refrain.
I don't know where you live, but if you're anywhere within striking distance of Sepulveda and Palms, Yoku Yoku, a relatively new yogurt/gelato place is serving up really great products. I posted a relatively long-winded (I think I'm getting this rep) writeup about them - and they treat you like a revered customer - as a business should. Afterall, who is paying the bill? Surely not Angela at Pinkberry.
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Is it pretty much the same product as Pinkberry? My go to fro yo place is currently California Roll & Sushi on Westwood/Santa Monica. To be honest, they're getting pretty close to achieving that "crackberry' texture that everyone likes at Pinkberry. They don't have as great a selection of toppings, but they're cheaper and I like to have plain yogurt anyway. $2 small, $5 large, $1 per topping.
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They texture at Yoku Yoku is not like Pinkberry - the crackberry texture that you're referring to. It's very creamy - some say it it too creamy for them, but I think it hits the spot with their fresh toppings. The prices are in the same range as Pinkberry, in fact they are a little more, if I recall... I personally am a straight-up gelato person who likes it neat. All I can tell you is to look up the posting - I think the last entry was about a few days ago. Ultimately though, you should be the judge - it's a relatively small investment to make if you're already eating at the Pink...
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PS- Don't let their "eclectic" taste in chair colors throw you - their products, level of service, and comfortable setting are what count - just wear sunglasses...
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How could you tell Angela wasn't healthy?
Was she coughing and sneezing in the food?
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or perhaps she was "over"-weight, misshaped and ridden with acne. (eyes roll).
but just to throw a penny in the pot, i agree with bulavinka.
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unhealthy...hmmmm...unhappy, grumpy, unhelpful with a greasy mc donalds feel.
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i agree that rude service is never any good, but i do want to point out that ordering a medium "combo" is a literal menu item - a medium yogurt with a combo of three toppings. Last time I was in and asked about the swirl, I was informed I could _only_ buy the swirl in a 10oz size, for $6, and each topping would be an additional $.95. The reasoning behind this sizing/pricing probably merits a whole new conversation. But it does make sense why she misunderstood your order.
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yes, it is understandable, but when she realized I wanted a "swirl" she could have happily replaced my combo with one, especially since I dropped 25 bucks on our entire order -that is not understandable.
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I am so sorry to hear of your experience. I have just read about the story someone's mom was thrown a bag of ice when she asked for it- and no apologies later. I was given wrong size and when I asked to get the right size ordered, employee scooped yogurt out of a cup and dumped into smaller- try to charge me for the larger - I corrected and he was pissed - my yougurt came messy, I felt bad, and was angry that he was angry--
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