American Girl Place - Dallas — Restaurant in Dallas

I recently booked a reservation at the American Girl Café in Dallas to celebrate my 5-year-old daughter's birthday. She loves dolls, and I have fond memories of American Girl from my own childhood, so I was excited to share this experience with her. Unfortunately, while the shopping portion of our visit was enjoyable, the dining experience left a lot to be desired. Upon arrival, we were upstairs looking for the café, unaware that it was located downstairs. Since this was our first visit, we sought assistance, but the guidance was minimal. A simple "the café is downstairs" wasn't very helpful. We needed clearer directions, especially since we were already running a few minutes behind. One frustrating aspect was discovering that the store's different sections don't share the same booking system. When we accidentally ended up by the salon while looking for the café, staff there couldn't access or confirm our dining reservation. Why isn't the full store on an integrated reservation system? If I have a café booking, all staff should be able to see it regardless of which department I approach for help. When we finally checked in at the café, I noticed that my reservation modification (from 3 to 2 people) hadn't been updated, but that was eventually corrected. However, we still had to wait about 15-20 minutes to be seated. The dining area itself was small and not well-maintained; the space we were seated in appeared untidy. The service started off fine, but quickly declined. When our appetizers arrived, I informed the server that we didn't want them. He mentioned they were part of the meal, which I acknowledged. Later, our waitress returned with a noticeably curt demeanor, reiterating that the appetizers were included and that there was no discount for skipping them. This follow-up seemed unnecessary since I had already communicated that I understood. Meanwhile, a simple request for an extra napkin took an unusually long time to fulfill. When our main meals arrived, the waitress didn't check in until we were completely finished. For a place that specializes in creating special moments for families, the lack of attentiveness was disappointing. I understand that weekends are busy, but good service should remain a priority. Fortunately, the experience improved once we returned upstairs to browse and purchase a doll. The staff in the retail area were friendly and available to answer questions, making the shopping portion enjoyable. American Girl will always be a beloved brand, but based on my visit, I cannot recommend the dining experience at this time. It has potential, but better customer service and attention to detail are needed to make it worth the visit. First-time visitors might still enjoy the novelty of dining with their dolls, but manage your expectations regarding...

My daughter, my twin 10 year old granddaughters and I visited the American Girl doll store in the Galleria in Dallas last week for the first time. The store was beautiful and my granddaughters were amazed and really enjoyed shopping. One of the sole purposes in going was to get their American Girl doll's ears pierced. The website had promised an amazing experience. We had made an appointment and the girls were so excited. When we arrived at the store the girls went to the nearest counter and told the sales clerk that they had made an appointment and asked where to go to get their doll's ears pierced. The clerk said at any register or upstairs in the salon. They chose to go to the salon. When we got to the salon there were 2 employees styling some of the doll's hair. My granddaughters went to the counter and told them that they had made an appointment to get the doll's ears pierced.(There were no other people in there at all.) They were met with some not-very-friendly looks and the salesgirl told them that they would only pierce the ears of American Girl dolls that were bought at this store that day. I replied that I had read the website and that was not mentioned in it. They also told the girls that their dolls were not authentic American Girl dolls but yet they never got within 10 feet of us or even looked at the dolls. She just said that they would not pierce their ears. I will never forget the look of disappointment on the girl's faces. I myself own a preschool and would NEVER hurt a child's feelings in this manner. We left the salon and started shopping downstairs. My granddaughters found some dolls that they loved and chose one. We paid for the dolls and told them we wanted their ears pierced. One of the ladies took the dolls to the back room and pierced their ears. Not at all the experience that had been promised on the website. In fact, there was no experience at all the entire time we were in the store. The only friendly clerk was a young girl that was being trained. She asked the girls what they were naming their dolls and actually treated them as if they were important customers. I felt as if I were not important enough to be shopping in this store. I was extremely disappointed at the the entire experience and will only be back if my granddaughters ask to come. I normally never write reviews but this was definitely not the experience promised and seeing the disappointed faces of my granddaughters...

My children and I tagged along with my husband who drove in for work (a 4 hour drive each way from Houston) for the sole reason that my 5 year old got to go for her very first visit to an AG store. This was a birthday gift to her, and while she didn’t realize it, I definitely could feel mostly a cold and “I’m busy” vibe from the majority of the staff. I left happy for my daughter’s birthday purchase but so confused on how there were so many people working and how we got such a lack of excitement, greeting, interest in chatting, warmth, etc. Please note, the store is absolutely beautiful, impeccably kept, and just a joy to stroll through to take in all of the fun displays. We were there a little over an hour. I received a short hello upon walking in, and that was it in terms of greeting or checking on us for at least a half hour. I felt that by my voice and body language as we walked by numerous employees, that it was absolutely evident that we were there for our very first trip. My expectations may be off but we watched so many videos about visiting AG stores and doll marketing event videos that I thought the atmosphere was going to be upbeat and fun. My daughter clearly loves AG! She had an AG backpack on with an Ariel doll inside and carried a Cinderella in hand. Not once did we feel excitement from an employee , I mentioned to one employee that this was a birthday trip and I can’t get over the lackluster response…truly no response at all to be honest. I was never checked on, and got help from one lady that has been with the company for 12 years after I went to ask her for help. By this time we’d be in the store 30 minutes and had seen her help someone else. She was nice and helpful, but I definitely had to seek her out and come up with the first timer questions. During this hour I counted perhaps 3 but no more than 4 other customers/families. I was sure before arriving today, that we were going to end up wanting to follow my husband for all of his work trips to Dallas so that we could shop at AG. However, after today, I really don’t feel that going to a store is worth the long drive over just ordering online at this point. Please let me know if I am off base in thinking that part of the experience is kind and happy to chat and help employees…. A place where kids can come and feel a little magic. Perhaps that part isn’t important anymore, but I have honestly received more attention in a Build...