Tsunami Sushi Baton Rouge — Restaurant in Baton Rouge

So.... this place came in highly recommended by several food industry colleagues...long story short.... NEVER tell the guests a definitive NO.. ever!!! We initially told that we had a choice to be sat at 640pm or at 730pm for an party of 7. We decided to grab the earlier seating to be accommodating to the hostess/restaurant, and since our party was still incomplete, we were afraid to lose the table overall. So we were sat, 10 minutes passed a server popped in...(just to say hello and acknowledge that we were there as he puts it.) oh his name is Raley/Riley/ Raleigh oh however he spells it... water service took another 10 minutes, which seems like 30, because i have gotten a phone call and completed that phone call and water wasn't delivered yet. Upon hanging up, the gentleman, the manager i assumed, appeared to our table to tell us the he can no longer add extensions or additional table for our party, we haven't asked for any additional table(mind you).. but as he said that, i exclaimed that we would be needing an additional chair/seating for our 7th person whom i just had a phone conversation and confirmed that she is on the way up the restaurant. To my suprised he exclaimed a loud No. And as i further asked, he then made it seemed as if I had asked for his first born and that he had absolutely done more than enough and fully accommodated our party...and made me feel as if I now owe him!! To my dismay, i got up, went into the host stand, and had further interaction with the same gentleman and, once again, was given a definitive NO for answer... not one or any attempt to resolve my party's seating issues. I guess it took him another hot minute before it dawned on him about his erroneous efforts..as he then proceeded to our table once more with the excuse of " a table is about to get up, and we might be able to move your party to that table" ..blah, blah, blah... which was exactly what a guest (especially of the same industry or line of work) is looking to hear when they have issues... A resolution or an acknowledgment that you are attempting to resolve their dining issues... not and never a definitive NO.

the food is subpar, at best. the incident has tarnished my entire dining experience. the only saving grace was a Sierra, our new server. She was very quick with water and beverage service. She knew how to resolve a problem table. She continued with her quick wit, made us feel welcome once again, and gave us a feeling of reassurance that the rest of the meal will be ok... She even delivered some free edamame with our sake and cocktails and some free mochi ice cream for desserts (to our suprise). And even though they were out or couldn't make a Chocolate Martini for one of us and were out of Ika fries ( on a Friday night, before 8pm), Sierra was truly a breath of fresh air in a very dampened and humid dining room. ... So thank you, Sierra, and may your manager or Maitre D' learn something...

Imagine your Tsunami experience begins with a simple request: would it be possible for your table of six to be seated near another table of six that includes some of your colleagues? You're at a Baton Rouge sushi restaurant on a random Wednesday night in March, this shouldn't be a big deal, right?

Imagine now that, in this nearly empty restaurant, the hostess informs you that this is in fact not possible and that you will have to be seated on opposite ends of the restaurant. That is unless you want to sign a large party contract with a mandatory minimum per person and pay with only one card, which you aren't even allowed to do at this point anyway. Your table is seated first, your colleagues arrive, and then you proceed to look at each other across a sea of empty 6-tops.

Though you and members of your party ask the hostess if there is any way that you can move to the open table that is literally right next to your colleagues, she refuses to extend you this basic courtesy and tartly reminds you that she already told you about this when you called to make your reservation. As the empty restaurant slowly fills, imagine the surreal experience of asking to speak to the manager and then having him also tell you that it's impossible to move your table. He asks to shake your hand after refusing your request and then another 20 minutes pass before that adjoining table is filled by a father and 5 children.

Imagine that you then place your order and wait upwards of 60 minutes for your sushi to arrive. When you ask your server why you haven't gotten your order yet while your colleagues have ALREADY FINISHED THEIR MEAL, she says flippantly "maybe they ordered before you." They didn't. Finally 2.5 hours after you arrived at this hellhole, you discover that, despite all of that garbage about large party contracts and mandatory minimums for groups of 8 or more, your table of 6 is somehow still considered a large party and the staff at Tsunami have slapped you with a mandatory 18% gratuity for their service.

Imagine that, instead of acquiescing to a run-of-the-mill request to move to a different table, all levels of restaurant management go out of their way to be shockingly rude and inexplicably difficult throughout your meal. Imagine what might happen if you need to alter a dish because of a food allergy or the money you might be charged if you need to adjust your reservation. You know how this ends- come to Tsunami and you won't have to use your imagination; this place offers mediocre sushi and an unparalleled, rock-bottom customer service experience.

TLDR: As other reviewers have noted, the customer service here is awful. I don't typically write reviews, but this experience was beyond the pale. Food is ok, but definitely not worth...

My friend and I went to dine in one night. i ordered the Thai Spaghetti, because on the menu, it sounded pretty good. When the food came, I tried a small bite and was immediately surprised... in a bad way. It was sickly sweet like they accidentally dumped a jar of sugar in it. It just didn't taste right. I called my server over and asked if I can either exchange it for something else at the same price point or simply to take it away because I was not gonna force myself to eat it nor pay for it. I also informed her that it tasted funky to me. She then informed me that I cannot exchange it for something else, and that she needs to discuss it with her manager. My server then takes the bowl away from me. She comes back a few minutes later and says that the manager told her that the food did not taste funky so nothing was wrong with it (so you took my bowl away to try it in the back?) and that she can't take it off the bill completely, but she can offer me a 50% discount. I sat there stunned and completely confused. From someone who's also in the food service industry and have been to many restaurants, I have never encountered this before. Minutes went by, and my server returned. I told her that I know this is not her fault and do not put any blame on her. She is simply relaying a message. If her manager wants to make that kind of decision, because essentially i'm still paying money for food that I do not have, that she should come out and talk to me face to face and clear up any confusion I have left about this situation. What exactly am I paying for? The bowl was still completely full. Approximately 2-3 strands of noodles were eaten. Then, it was taken away for the manager to eat. I understand that you cannot take it off the bill simply because I didn't like the food, but if you're gonna make me pay for it, at least I should have the food. Finally, my server came back and told me that the manager cannot come out and talk to me because she's too busy. wow. You know, for a more high end dining experience, I would think the manager would find time to talk to a dissatisfied customer. It only shows me the manager's lack of respect and consideration. My server apologized to me profusely the entire night, which was something she should have not been doing. She should have not been apologizing in place of her unprofessional manager. Any manager who makes their wait staff take the fall and the blame for a dissatisfied customer is a manager that should not be employed any longer. This would be the last time I...