Cactus Club Cafe — Restaurant in Vancouver

Update: providing a link to “reach out and learn more” and never responding is disappointing. Shocked at this level of service….

I visit Cactus quite regularly in other locations but unfortunately, my experience here was nothing short of disappointing. From the moment we arrived, the service was bad and by the end of our visit, it was clear that attentive customer service was not a priority for the staff.

We originally asked to sit outside which was declined at the patio was "closed" yet we watched numerous people sit out there and new customers be seated. We arrived a few minutes (10ish) from happy hour, the server came around to great us and said flatly "Do you want waters?" No hello or anything, which is pretty typical at all restaurants. We said yes and when she asked if we "want anything to eat" we stated we would be waiting a few minutes for happy hour. She proceeded to leave annoyed and we were assigned a new server, which was odd.

We were seated near the bar, which gave us a direct view of the bartenders and servers—Alex, Hannah (our new server), and 2 other staff members—who seemed far more interested in chatting loudly about their personal and dating lives than in doing their jobs. Not only were they engaged in personal conversations, but they were also standing around on their phones, completely ignoring guests who were clearly waiting for service at the bar. When a new customer would sit down, they would turn their backs and continuing chatting. It was frustrating to sit there, finished with our food, waiting patiently as we asked for the bill twice and a to go box three times.

To make matters worse, a food modification was not made correctly for myself, with allergies. This is not a minor mistake—dietary restrictions should always be taken seriously, and yet there was no effort made to correct the issue or ensure that the meal was prepared safely. All she said was "Oh they didn't take that off?" and walked away, no apology or care. Given that this could have led to a serious health issue, the lack of care in accommodating allergies is deeply concerning.

Beyond the poor service and mistakes with our order, the overall treatment we received was what truly stood out in the worst way. As two younger women, we felt completely disregarded by our server, while they had no issue providing attentive service to the older men seated near us. It was hard to shake the feeling that we weren’t being taken seriously simply because of our age. We came in looking forward to a nice afternoon at happy hour, yet instead, we were made to feel like we didn’t deserve the same level of service as other guests. We have both worked in restaurants and were in shock watching these employees behave. The restaurant was also not busy whatsoever.

Overall, this experience was frustrating and disappointing. Between the inattentive service, the failure to accommodate an allergy, and the clear favoritism shown to certain customers, I cannot recommend this restaurant based on what we experienced. I truly hope management addresses these issues because no guest should have to feel ignored, dismissed, or unimportant when they are paying for a...

Cactus Clubs are usually reliable, but our experience today at this Cactus Club location was horrendous enough to turn me off of the chain for a long while.

We popped in for a late lunch and our server seemed friendly and on top of things at the start. I ordered a drink, then we ordered some pretty standard fare - a pasta dish and a steak. The server checked back for water and drink refills pretty regularly in the meantime.

Someone else on staff came through and dropped off our mains. Upon cutting into what was supposed to be a medium steak, I instead encountered a very, very, beyond well-done, tough steak. No problem, mistakes happen. We flagged down our server, politely said "Sorry, this is way, way overdone," he agreed and was apologetic, and he came back with a plate to grab the steak back, leaving me with my sides while a new steak was refired.

Twenty-five minutes pass, during which my partner completely finishes his meal and our server disappears almost completely, bypassing our table all but one time to awkwardly clear my partner's empty plate while ignoring me, not offering drink refills, or even just apologizing again and acknowledging that food will eventually come. While I don't really understand how a restaurant that cooks chicken and beef all day long could botch a steak so badly then try to serve it anyway, I was actually quite polite about the mistake nonetheless and would have been happy had lessons presumably from Hospitality 101 simply been followed, namely don't abandon the customer and maybe keep them happy with a drink in hand in the meantime. Instead, the server shut down and just made the situation unnecessarily awkward. Ultimately, we had to flag him down and tell him to just forget it, take it off the bill and bring us our cheque.

Presumably the manager on duty then came over with the new steak in a box and apologized for the issue. I told her that it would have been fine had there been any effort made to actually check on us and keep us comfortable in the meantime, and she says that she understands and that "You don't owe anything today." She then immediately follows that up with handing my partner a cheque for his food and asks whether he needs the machine. I tell her that we were eating together and this should have been one bill, to which she doubles down, "Yes, yours is no charge, just his is left." Obviously we were there to enjoy a lunch together and we didn't get to do that, so this just came across as incredibly tacky. I don't want to be that guy, but I also can't help but wonder whether a different-sex couple would have been treated the same.

Overall, this was such a disappointing experience. Front of house, the kitchen, and management all need to step it up. Gordon Ramsay would pop a...

I have been a regular at this place for over four years.

My friends and I always meet there after work to chat and relieve stress, but yesterday, I experienced the worst service I’ve ever had, something I haven’t encountered at any other restaurant.

The blonde bartender Eden on duty yesterday was extremely rude to us. This is the first time I’ve ever received such service. We don’t know if her behavior was because we didn’t leave a tip or if she simply has a discriminatory attitude. If tipping was the issue, yesterday was the only time I had not left a tip at Cactus Club.

She was busy as closing time was approaching. She asked us to pay first, and when we requested to split the bill, she tossed the card machine to each of us. After we finished paying, she greeted the man sitting next to us with a bright smile, saying, “Thank you so much~” while politely handing him the card machine.

We understood what she was trying to show us, but we didn’t care.

I still can’t believe that people like her exist. It made me think that she is very immature and unprofessional.

I felt extremely uncomfortable, and she completely ruined our night.

Throughout the evening, the bartender did check on us a few times. Since I have lived in Vancouver longer than my friends, I understand and appreciate her efforts and was planning to tip. However, when she threw the card machine at me for payment and immediately started her closing duties, I thought her behavior was incredibly rude.

I could have asked to speak with the manager right then and there, but I was sure she wouldn’t acknowledge her behavior. So, I decided to share our experience with another staff member who had been kind to us earlier and could speak our language.

Thanks to her, I was able to calm down. She sincerely apologized on behalf of the bartender, which I truly appreciated.

I had always considered Cactus Club a high-end restaurant that maintains a clean and sophisticated atmosphere. The staff there had always upheld excellent service standards.

But yesterday, all that trust was broken.

If the bartender treated us that way simply because we were Asian, then she likely already holds a biased mindset and will continue to be rude to other Asian customers. If it was because of the no tip, then it shows that she refuses to reflect on her own mistakes and will keep displaying rude behavior while working at Cactus Club.

Perhaps she noticed our reaction, as she came to the front at the end to say goodnight to us.

However, I don’t think I will be visiting the Burrard Cactus Club again.

The food and the kindness of the other servers were truly...