Gen Korean BBQ House — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

I was buzzing with excitement to try GEN, since my family and I are die-hard fans of Korean BBQ.

When we first walked in the place smelled of marinated meats (yum!) albeit a little smokey. We were seated by one of the managers who sat us down and asked us if it was our first time here which it was and he proceeded to tell us that it’s all you can eat and gave us a drink and menu. He mentions that each person could only order one premium ribeye per person and then left.

Great right? Except the ribeye was on a “Premium Menu” and was +$20 more per person. I then thought okay, maybe the server will explain to us how the different price tiers work when he comes over but ofcourse when he comes over he’s ready to just take our orders and asks us if we’re all getting the premium ribeye. I state no, we’re just getting the regular dinner option.

Being in the service industry; I understand the importance of upselling items and premium options but the lack of transparency really rubbed me the wrong way. I’m not sure if their staff were taught to upsell this way but it seemed like it went up to the management level at the very least.

Now for the food itself, I would say it was… not bad! We had a lot of the KBBQ staples like Galbi, Brisket and Pork Belly. You can usually have a good read of how a KBBQ place is by trying these 3 and I think they passed the test.

Our server during the meal was also great. He didn’t have a great understanding of what each item was on the menu but as a server he was very attentive and definitely made my group feel very welcome.

Remember the delicious smell that we smelled when we first walked in? Our clothes, hair was absolutely permeated by the smell. I don’t think their exhaust systems worked at all as the smoke was going everywhere when we cooked. They had this cylindrical systems in the ceiling above every table and I observed the smoke going in every which way. I smelled delicious after we left but I wouldn’t suggest going out after a meal here. I had to take a super long shower to get rid of the smell and the clothes went straight into the wash.

Would I come back? Well if I really really hungry and was in the area, maybe. It’s definitely not a place I would travel just...

Gen Korean BBQ: A Family-Friendly Haven with Delicious Meats and Room for Improvement

Recently, I visited Gen Korean BBQ, a restaurant that recently opened its doors on Las Olas Boulevard. I decided to visit with my wife and 6-month-old daughter, and the place is family-friendly and suitable for children. The menu offers over 40 different types of meats that you cook yourself on the grill in the center of the table. Like most Korean BBQ places, it includes kimchi, spicy radish, rice, and a few other items. The cost of dining here is a fixed price, and you can have as many servings as you want within a maximum 2-hour period. The lunch price is slightly cheaper, but the difference isn't significant if you decide to go for dinner.

It's important to mention that everyone at the table must order and pay the fee individually; sharing is not allowed, which I think is fair. For the same price, they include 6 different appetizers and a dessert, although the dessert selection is quite limited. I currently believe the restaurant deserves 4 stars because they don't have cocktails or any alcoholic beverages, which I would have liked to pair with their delicious food (by the way, the beef bulgogi is my favorite). However, since it's a new business and I want to support it, I'm giving it five stars, but I will visit the place again in the future to ensure it meets my expectations. If it doesn't, I'll adjust the star rating accordingly.

The service was good, but as with any new restaurant, they are still adjusting to ensure everything runs smoothly. One thing I liked is that they constantly change the grill so you don't have to cook on burnt food. Another good detail is that they have a good ventilation system. Typically, these Korean BBQ places don't always have proper exhaust systems, and smoke can accumulate inside the restaurant, leaving your clothes smelling like food. This is not the case with this restaurant, as they have a good...

We have been waiting to take our family here for a while and was excited when I was being built. We went at 2:30pm on a Sunday. Pretty open seating but could tell they were a little short staffed. Tried to call and see if we needed reservations but no one answered the phone. Went it and waited at the host/hostess stand for a solid 10 minutes before even being recognized by anyone. Someone finally came and took our name. They said 20-30 minutes. We were fine with that. While we waited we saw several groups come in, stand at the same counter waiting for someone to help them and leave. Money out the door. The frustrating part is that no one would even say anything to us or other people that came in to wait. No communication from anyone in the restaurant. After 40 minutes we saw a group come in and get seated. Didn’t even look at the waitlist. The same guy sat another 3 groups before we finally went to find a manager. The manager asked the host to seat us finally. Another group that had been waiting was also seated. We counted 6 stand alone tables that had not been cleared so they sat us all at a communal table with no space between us. Did I mention the restaurant was pretty empty? We he host acted annoyed but we stayed and ordered. We were given plastic coated menus that were slimy and sticky. After another 10 minutes, we finally got a server named John, who was very helpful, explain the menu, but you could tell he was being very overworked. Too many tables. Had one beer and ordered a second that never came. I saw it sitting at the bar for a solid 10 minutes and no one brought it over. The meal was good, but we were so annoyed by the time that started. I hope this place makes it because it’s a fun things to do but they need to reorganize. If they would’ve just communicated and possibly apologize for the short staffing, we would’ve had no issue. It was being ignored and not even looked at that...