Kaizan Sushi — Restaurant in Port of Spain

What a horror story this experience turned out to be. I ordered online since we were running late for the kids to go to bed. Upon arrival I was informed by the waiter that my order was not ready because I added a foreign number to my order and they were not able to confirm the order. I was asked if I wanted to still put in the order, it would take 25 minutes. No problem. After 15 minutes he comes to me and asks about some modifications I requested in my order. I explained these modifications and he went back in. 30 minutes after he came to me I went back in and complained about the length of time it was taking. At first they ignored me, and when I started to complain louder every time another employee came to try and hush me. At the end the manager came with a bossy attitude saying "I am this and this and I am the manager". She came with this lame excuse that my orders were special because of the modifications and that they had a surge of orders after my order. At this time I was really upset, because I had been waiting for 50 minutes with two "hangry" and tired kids for an order that was supposed to be ready when I arrived there. Mind you that when we got to the hotel and ate the food it still had the spicy sauces on two of the rolls and the cream cheese I explicitly asked to leave out.

To the owners of this restaurant, if you cannot confirm an order with a foreign number through your online order, make your app as such that it is not possible to order online with a foreign number. And if I can recommend you try adding whatsapp business so you can whatsapp call the client. Furthermore please make your employees aware that modifications are often related to allergic reactions, and if you are taking longer than expected...

The staff is always friendly, their app is easy to use. Consistent quality for the most part food wise. They always have deals which is great.

There's also the downside. The app stopped working for me, taking me only to the privacy page. I emailed the app developers and they couldn't fix the error (we tried a few things). Eventually deleted the app and used the website as suggested which isn't totally mobile friendly. Collected the digital reward points and queried about using it in dining in to which I was told I can by whoever manages the IG. Went to the restaurant for a date night to use it to be told that it can't be used there, the higher ups don't know how to deduct the points from my acct if I do and that they don't know who told me it could be used there (despite having the IG message which they saw). Also learnt that it can't be called in either- you must order through the app to redeem (maybe the website might work too). None of this was communicated in their marketing from what I've seen, nor changed after the incident. The app was re-downloaded just to use the points (thankfully this time it worked many months later)

As a loyal customer that has made over $4k worth of purchases there since Sept 2020 (because the online bit wasn't around before to record and the instore purchases still aren't recorded either).... I was dissatisfied with...

The Budda Belly experience was atrocious. In the 3ish hour that we were there, we got 2 servings.

Those two servings also didn't include all of the items that we requested as there were very clearly missing items from both orders.

The server did their best given the current situation, and repeatedly apologized for the delay due to "the new menu and how packed it is". Unfortunately for Kaizan sushi I have eyes (two in fact) and there were clearly empty tables around us. Food also didn't leave the kitchen as often as it should have. I sincerely believe a combination of understaffing and purposely delaying AYCE orders leaving the kitchen was at play.

Between Kaizan nuking the menu (there are no longer any desserts, and many rolls are missing in the latest revision, including the Philly. Lots of rice items though).

I wouldn't recommend that anyone do the Budda Belly All You Can Eat anymore.

After waiting 90+ minutes for our second serving in a restaurant preparing to close (another server came to clean up because ours was nowhere to be seen), the only fast process (and was wholly accurate and missing nothing) was the bill at the end.

Very disappointed that I went to an all you can eat and needed to stop for food on the way home.

Check out More Vino instead? I haven't tried it, but it can't be worse...