Parkside Cafe — Restaurant in California

Okay, so here it is: I have never been more dissatisfied with service in my entire life. This was straight up, the most unfriendly and rudest place, with the strangest rules I have ever seen - I have worked every job in the industry from washing tables to cooking, to serving, to managing and I was floored by how bad the service was.

I went here with a group of 5 on Thursday lunch. We were quickly stopping through Stinson on a drive up the cost and wanted a round of beers and some oysters, and other apps, and we were considering staying for an early dinner. The place was fairly empty, no line at the stand, only two tables occupied inside and about 8 or 9 free [picnic] tables outside.

When we talked to the host, we said we only wanted a quick beer and some apps, and she initially turned us down before a wait to ask another waitress who was in full incognito mode - sunglasses, mask, and SnapBack if she was allowed to seat us. The other waitress said yes, but that we needed to be quick and would need the table back for dinner (mind you this was at about 1500). No problem, we’re happy to have a quick refresher, and I asked if they had any reservations so we could know if we needed to leave. Nope - they don’t do reservations, and the restaurant was more than half empty.

The same waitress was curt, and short with us our entire time, and rushed us through our order. Sure, the oysters were great, as was the garden and the beers, but that’s where it ended. We were happy to pay the outlandish prices for apps but the waitress was pushing us to get out, and said that “the owner sets the policy that we can only stay if we have dinner” - even though the owner was not around.

The table next to us had a single man eating a single plate of food without a beverage - anyone in the industry knows a table that’s getting drinks and apps can easily end up with a much larger check than a lunch or dinner tab, and as a former manager I would never imagine kicking out a paying table when you clearly have empty seats in the house. Mind you, we were quite and respectful, not rancorous or belligerent (we had had only one drink!) and it wasn’t as if there was another reason not to have us. My party was quickly and rudely ushered out the door before even finishing one beverage.

I went to use the restroom, and was challenged if I was a paying customer or not and YELLED at by another waiter to wait outside for the line for the “SINGLE STALL!!”, where there was clearly room on the inside to wait for the restroom. Like man, even if I wasn’t a paying customer, that’s not how you treat people. The dining room was nearly empty and I couldn’t understand what his deal was.

Went to grab a coffee on the way out (which was stale), and had equally rude service from the kiosk server.

I regret spending any of my money at this place, and if I could I would warn every single person to stay away, and ask the owner how the heck he can justify having such abysmally miserable staff on his payroll. I get that they’re on the beach, and probably deal with riffraff and crowds in the summer, but to not be able to handle individual customers with dignity and respect - while charging ludicrous prices for mediocre-looking food - is something that I cannot imagine to be coming from a good place. I have never stiffed a server once in my life, and I struggled with myself but opted to tip a fair amount regardless.

The oysters were excellent, but man, did I leave with a bad taste...

I’ve eaten here several times - both at the patio and at the snack bar. The food here is good - arguably the best option in Stinson. I give it a low rating because I have consistently had bad experiences with the service and/or policies here. That is not to say that all the wait staff is rude - our waiter yesterday was lovely- but in general, something is going on here that’s led to many uncomfortable experiences at Parkside.

The most extreme example I can give is from last year, shortly after I’d had knee surgery and was on crutches/in a brace. My friend left me on the bench outside the snack bar and went to put our order in. The benches were closed for covid, but there was no one else there and I wasn’t capable of standing for long stretches. Someone from the restaurant came out, demanded that I stand up, and waited for me to do so. Even after I explained my situation, the manager remained and insisted I stand up. We wound up leaving - it was such an over the top, unimaginably negative experience.

Yesterday was not quite as bad, but still bizarre and uncomfortable. Parkside has implemented a very strict bathroom policy that requires restaurant eaters on the patio to get a bathroom pass from the host and then find an indoor bathroom monitor to give the pass to. You cannot enter the restaurant until you show the pass and, if someone is in the bathroom, you cannot wait inside to use the bathroom - you have to wait outside for the bathroom monitor to come find you. People eating inside are not subject to the same rules, so when the bathroom monitor told me I was free to pee (hooray), I found the bathroom occupied by someone who was sitting inside the restaurant and was escorted back outside to wait again. In the words of my friend, it feels like elementary school.

These are two larger examples, but years of smaller, uncomfortable experiences have left me with the impression that Parkside probably has poor upper level management that’s affecting the overall culture there. Leaving this review in hopes that Parkside will do something to...

I’ve always loved having a post-beach meal at the Parkside for the past 2 decades, but the last few visits have been horribly managed by the crew. The line for take-out and pick-up are the same, forcing everyone to wait for ages, while the person “in charge” disappears for 10 minutes....no communication...just MIA while we chat with each other “is this the pick up line?” Or the “place an order line?” The food that is ready sits on the shelf getting cold. Pro tip—make 2 lines! Have a dedicated staff member who doesn’t disappear! Make a separate pick up line!! Next problem—the order process and food selection. I can’t eat gluten so I asked for a lettuce wrap burger “we don’t have that kind of lettuce so we can just give you the burger without a bun”...”OK” I say knowing that they do have that kind of lettuce before they chop it so they could just easily have a couple pieces available for the growing number of gluten-free people in the world. After waiting 20 minutes, my burger is ready, on a bun. I was over the lack of service at this point. Seating—we get it. Covid. Etc. it was after sunset and cold and dark. We didn’t want to eat in our car. There are 4 large picnic tables off to the side on what appears to be a self-seat area, familiar to us after a year of covid take out procedures all over the bay. Order your own food, seat yourself, bus your own tables. No problem. But at this mess of a mismanaged place, one is not allowed to eat to-go food at the open, empty tables. After the long wait, the messed up order, and the horrible mocha made by an untrained barista, we are told by 2 different staff members (suddenly staff is available!) “no take out seating”, which, at this casual beachside setting, just seems absurd and the final piece of egregious mismanagement. The entire experience left a bad taste everywhere. Not friendly. Not helpful. Not organized. Not the kind of hospitality one expects from an expensive beachside cafe in Stinson. It doesn’t seem to matter to the owners or staff, tho. They are busy and...