OEC Japanese Express — Restaurant in Brandon

This was our very first time trying this place last night, and it was a very good experience! The service was friendly and swift. My mom and I ordered the steak & shrimp hibachi dinner and my dad ordered the steak hibachi dinner. The hibachi was great and not loaded down with sodium, oils, or a bunch of sugar; you could actually enjoy the essence of the food itself, but it was still very flavorful. I especially liked the brown sauce it came with, and the pink sauce made it even better in my opinion. The only thing I'd say I feel they could improve on though is the side house salad; it was just lettuce with only a few shreds of carrots with a cup of thousand island dressing. I just feel like they could make it a little more interesting with things like maybe some diced tomatoes or cucumbers or something like that, and also the dining area feels cold. But we also ordered the Japanese egg rolls and they were good and crispy, and it came with this red sauce that tasted like it had notes of fruit in it. Also, I tried the Japanese Sprite with my meal (I got the Lychee flavored one) and it was an interesting and unique experience because of the design of the bottle itself and how you have to open it (it has a marble in it), but it also had this floral and aromatic kind of taste which I really enjoyed. Overall, we loved our experience here and we will definitely consider...

The food is fine, but the real problem is the customer service. My wife placed an order online and I went to go pick it up. I walk in and the woman who I have seen running the main counter in the front is sitting down at one of the booths and doesn’t bother to acknowledge I came in. Grand scheme of things, not a big deal, but something I noticed from my restaurant experience as an employee.

I wasn’t sure if my wife had paid online yet, and the bags were all up in the same general spot. I began looking for my wife’s name on the bags. The lady then starts shouting at me that I “can’t take” any of these bags. I 1000% get that there are probably some people who take it and that’s all good, but don’t yell at customers.

I explained I didn’t know that it wasn’t paid yet as she snatched it out of my hand muttering under her breath. I said “excuse me?” Hoping that this wouldn’t turn into an issue, and she just said the price and set my change on the counter and walked away. This is the 4th time I have had aloof service from this restaurant, and I totally get if you’re having a bad day, but from the same person, 4 times in a row, that’s just bad customer service. It’s something that needs to be made known. I definitely am not giving money to a place that treats its customers like this. I know the customer isn’t always right, but at least show kindness when we walk...

The food is great but customer service is horrible. The lady has an attitude every time I come in. My baby grabbed an extra cup not knowing I had gotten her one and the lady yelled at her and snatched the cup. I paid in cash one time and she did not give me my change. So I said something and it took a few minutes for her to even acknowledge me. She kept 3$ out of $9 which was what I was supposed to get back in total. I know it’s not a lot but it’s still not “great customer service” and I still consider it as stealing. As said before, food is awesome but that lady needs an attitude adjustment if she wants to work in the restaurant environment. Some people won’t tolerate it and may act out if she treats them badly.

EDIT: 12/2/2022 I came back into the store with a friend today. I was ordering and have a quiet voice (as I have always ordered and been understood each time). The lady at the front desk was mumbling to herself the entire time and proceeded to say she didn’t hear me. I tried to speak up and asked if she had heard what I previously said. From there, she had an attitude again like every time I come here. She treats a lot of people this way from what I’ve read and have been told. I will not be coming back until she is no longer working the...