LE COQ FRIT (VANCOUVER) — Restaurant in Vancouver

Quite concerning to see that my poor experience at this place wasn’t an isolated one…

I went with my parents for lunch and initially wanted to dine in, however seeing that the seats were full we decided to take out. Coincidentally, right after our order was placed 3 of the 5 seats in the restaurant became available so we sat down and decided to dine in instead since it was raining outside.

Then, the owner came to us and said something we couldn’t quite make out (we understand and speak English perfectly, but her quiet voice and the loud music made it difficult) but both me and my mum interpreted it as “we’ll change your order to dine in”. She turned around very quickly before we could even respond.

When we collected our food, the owner, in a condescending manner, then told us that we weren’t allowed to dine in since we ordered takeout. This left us confused as we were under the impression that she changed our order to dine in.

When we confronted the owner she simply kept telling us it’s company policy and that WE had to tell them that we changed to dine in. She condescendingly added that this isn’t a McDonald’s (no it’s not but I don’t see any michelin stars anywhere either). When I asked “why would we tell you we want to change our order when we thought you came to us to change our order?” she just doubled down saying it’s policy without answering the question properly.

For extra context, while we waited for the food a member of staff even wiped the table and seats for us (she was very nice and I do NOT want her thrown under the bus). Also there were no new dine in customers waiting for seats for the whole time we were there.

We gave her the benefit of the doubt and put the initial misunderstanding down to miscommunication (which it hardly was since both me and my mum heard the same thing). However she still rudely insisted we leave because it’s “policy”.

From what I could see from the dine in customers next to us at the time, the chicken was served in the same boxes and the only difference being they were given a tray. This led me to question her about the difference between dine in and take out, to which she had no answer - because other than the tray there is no answer…

I get that policy is policy but the owner (ie policy writer) being so up tight isn’t gonna achieve anything for the business other than a bad review. If you’re so precious and stingy about your seats and bathroom (read other reviews) maybe you should...

I typically don’t write reviews, especially negative ones, as I understand how they can impact a business. I usually prefer to address any concerns directly with the owner, offering constructive feedback so they have the opportunity to make improvements.

However, in this instance, my issue was directly with the owner.

I visited Le Croq Frit with my family for a quick meal before my children’s after-school activities. We’ve dined there several times before and have always enjoyed the food.

When we arrived, there was another family placing their order. My children sat down on two of the five available stools while we waited. The owner abruptly told my children that they couldn’t sit there as the stools were reserved for the other family. To my surprise, the father of the family assured the owner that it was perfectly fine for my children to sit, as there was an extra stool available.

Despite this, when I attempted to place our order, the owner continued to reprimand me, insisting that my children vacate the stools, even though the other family had no issue with them sitting there. I politely asked the other family to take the seats, but they declined, stating that it wasn’t necessary and that the children should be able to sit.

When I tried to order again, the owner continued to speak to me in a condescending and dismissive manner, repeatedly stating that there weren’t enough stools. I found this confusing, as the other family had made it clear they were fine with the seating arrangement.

I hesitate to attribute this behavior to anything other than poor customer service, although the thought crossed my mind that there may have been a difference in treatment, as the other family was Caucasian and my family is Indian. However, I have visited this establishment before without issue, and the owner had always been courteous.

I’m not sure if the owner was simply having a bad day, or if there is a deeper issue regarding how she values her customers. I later did some research and found reviews from former employees suggesting poor treatment, which might indicate a pattern of behavior.

In any case, I will not be returning to Le Croq Frit.

I’ve decided to take my business elsewhere and would recommend others...

It's time for fried chicken. But which one? After doing an extensive Google search, I decided to try Le Coq Frit. I had the impression that they had dine-in tables. But it was just a long bar along the window. We decided to try the Signature Chicken Burger, and Chicken & Croffles with a side of Cole Slaw. The Chicken Burger was scrumptious, very juice. I've ordered many chicken in waffles at various restaurants, and 99% of the time, the chicken was over-fried, too crispy and dried out. This was not the case. It almost seems like the chicken had been brined and lightly sous vide before dipping in batter and deep fried for a very short time. The outer crispy bits were medium crunch rather than rock-hard crunchy like those I had often encountered. The chicken pieces in the Chicken & Croffles were much smaller than the piece in the burger. I am not a heavy sauce person, so I didn't like the sweet & spicy sauce drenched over my pieces of chicken – I must remember to order sauce on the side next time. The croffles were enjoyable. I couldn't finish them. The most disappointing item was the cole slaw. The photo on the website looked like cooked pickled red cabbage, I should have known that cole slaw would not look like that and my cole slaw was pitiful. While it tasted fine, the red cabbage was shredded too thing, and this dish definitely does not resemble the photo as advertised. I asked while ordering whether the Chicken and Croffles would have garlic. The order server indicated strongly that there would be no garlic. However, my internal garlic meter says otherwise. I felt uncomfortable after the meal. I think food outlets need to be more aware of the fact that garlic allergies can cause serious problems! We came back again and ordered just the crispy chicken pieces with sauce on the side. Definitely, the sweet and spicy sauce smelled strongly of garlic. The chicken also left an after taste of garlic but not as strong as the sauce. As to their desire to provide the best dining experience – the servers here consistently go out of their way to be attentive and polite. They were more courteous than our local Japanese restaurant. At least, they delivered...