Valencia Street Station — Restaurant in California

Customer Service Department Valencia Street Station San Francisco International Airport San Francisco, CA 94128

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding an incident of racial profiling I experienced at your Valencia Street Station restaurant located directly upstairs from Terminal A15 at San Francisco International Airport on Monday, August 5th, at approximately 12 PM.

I arrived at Terminal A15 for flight 5653 from San Francisco to Sacramento and had some time before departure, so I decided to get a meal and an adult beverage. After surveying the menus at both Gott’s and Valencia Street Station, I opted for an Avocado Burger from Gott’s and proceeded to Valencia Street Station to order a drink.

Upon sitting down at the bar, I was immediately approached by an employee named Jose, who rudely demanded that I either order something or leave. His abruptness and tone were uncalled for, especially since many other patrons were sitting without food or drink. Feeling singled out, I realized I was the only African-American in the vicinity and began to suspect that I was being treated differently based on my race. This suspicion caused me considerable emotional distress.

Despite my polite response that I was indeed there for the bar, Jose whistled at the bartender, who was busy assisting another customer, to attend to me. This act was humiliating and drew unwanted attention. When I attempted to express how his actions made me feel, Jose ignored me entirely, further exacerbating my distress.

As I tried to eat my overpriced burger, I could no longer enjoy my meal or order a drink, fearing that consuming alcohol might worsen the situation. When I attempted to engage Jose again to explain how his behavior affected me, he ignored me. Eventually, I approached him to ask for his name and a business card to file a complaint. Jose refused to provide his full name or show his airport identification. He claimed he had no manager when I requested to speak with one.

Feeling increasingly frustrated and marginalized, I took a picture of Jose, to which he reacted by covering his face and running into the kitchen. Another employee, Nyla, who is also African-American, witnessed this exchange. Nyla called the manager, Claudia, who assured me she would address the issue. However, Claudia’s dismissive tone and apparent personal relationship with Jose made me doubt the sincerity of her promise to resolve the matter. I requested that she follow up with me to explain how the issue would be resolved, and she agreed.

I am deeply hurt and distressed by this experience. Racial profiling is a serious matter, and no one should be made to feel inferior or unwelcome because of their race. I urge you to take this complaint seriously and conduct a thorough investigation into Jose’s conduct and the overall customer service practices at your establishment.

I request a formal written apology from both Jose and your management, as well as a detailed explanation of the steps you will take to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future. Please provide a timeline for your investigation and subsequent actions.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt and...

Very poor customer service. I ordered a ham and cheese croissant and chicken tacos. I was told they'd both be ready to collect together. I went and got a table as it was busy, then returned to wait for my order. 20 minutes later the chicken tacos was called out, and when I asked about the croissant, I was told it had already been called out "30 minutes ago". This must have happened when I went to get a table. It took me four attempts to ask politely for this ham and cheese croissant, which I could see on the table behind the cashiers - the two "customer service" assistants did not seem to want to give it to me, despite my having paid for it, simply telling me that they'd already called it out. Appalling customer service, having to beg for my food which I paid for like that. And judging from similar reviews on here, the management doesn't seem willing to make a difference. The food itself was pretty mediocre in the end, definitely not worth the price. I would highly suggest getting your airport food from elsewhere, these people don't deserve to be raking any money in at such a lucrative spot, and don't seem to understand that it is the tourist dollar that pays their wages. So smile a bit, and give some good...

RUDE SERVICES! PLEASE AVOID!!!

I ordered a cup of tea and while asking for an extra cup of water. The waiter says the hot water is extra $1.5. I was surprised by the price but said okay. I then waited and waited for my cup of water and tea. Then the other waitress says I need to pay for a cup of hot water and says I didn’t pay. The previous waitress then pointed at me asking rudely and almost yelling for me to go back to the long line (to pay for extra water).

I did not get my water at the end by the way. No apologies whatsoever. Both the male and female are very rude and acted like I owe them in the first place. They don’t know how to start sentences with “please “ or anything like that from the beginning when they took the order.

If you don’t want to get your day ruined, don’t come. There are other...