True Food Kitchen — Restaurant in Gaithersburg

I am writing to express my disappointment during my dining experience on June 28. I had been eagerly anticipating my visit, but unfortunately, several issues arose that made me not want to return to this establishment.

When I went to the website to view the menu beforehand, I was prompted to sign up for the Inkind app to receive a promotional offer for first-time visitors. I followed through with creating an account and was looking forward to utilizing the promo during my visit.

Upon receiving the bill, I attempted to pay using the app as instructed. Regrettably, the app was malfunctioning, and despite multiple attempts, I was unable to complete the transaction.I asked the server for assistance, and he mentioned that the manager Kayla, would be able to address the issue.

I subsequently explained the situation to Kayla, providing proof of the promo offer. To my dismay, instead of offering a solution or showing empathy, Kayla responded rudely, stating that the restaurant bore no responsibility for the app's malfunction. When I suggested the possibility of manually applying the promo so that I could pay directly, she outright declined.

At this point, it was no longer a matter of the promo not being applied, but the principle of honoring what was advertised and the lack of customer service that I received due to Kayla's combative and negative attitude.

This response was deeply disappointing from a customer service standpoint, particularly coming from a manager. The attitude displayed was dismissive and did not align with the positive reviews I had heard about the establishment.

In addition to management training on how to treat customers, I urge True Food Kitchen to consider the implications of partnering with apps like Inkind if it’s going to inconvenience customers when technical issues arise. Additionally, I signed up through your website directly, not through Inkind, which I believe should have been taken into consideration before dismissing my concerns outright.

I hope this incident serves as constructive feedback to help improve the customer experience at your...

I want to tell you about the uncomfortable and terrible bad experience we had at this restaurant. I went with a group of friends to celebrate our birthday today, and the waitress was very nice at first, very attentive as we ordered. When we were still eating the food, she brought us the check without asking for it. We also ordered a drink and she left the check on the table. After a while, she arrived and said, “Here I left the check.” We also told her that we wanted to order dessert, and she said we hadn’t paid yet while she took the check back and brought us the menu. She also kept coming around asking us if we were ready to order dessert while we were still eating. Logically, if you see someone who hasn’t finished their meal, how are you going to pester and insist, that they order dessert? We ended up ordering it so she would leave us alone. After a while she came back and told us that she had to go on break and glances at the check as if to say, ‘pay now,’ but we hadn't even finished yet. We told her, sure. Then another person arrived and tells us, “My partner, she had to go because she had an emergency with her mother. I will assist you…” I asked her to change the coffee we had ordered to have with dessert. By the way, let me tell you how horrible the coffee they serve is. It has an old, acidic taste and disgusting flavor. I have never tried coffee as horrid this bad in my life. Later on, the girl who initially served us comes back and asks us if we are going to order something else? We told her no, that we were eating dessert. She stands there for a couple seconds and looks at us and looks at check again, as if to say, pay us and leave! I have never been this uncomfortable in a restaurant EVER. I do NOT recommend this restaurant. It left us with a bad taste in our mouths after that terrible experience. Are you going to leave your money in place to eat to be treated this way? No! The food was not that great, the service was mid, the atmosphere horrible! Don’t go to this horrible place to spend your money. Now I understand why it’s always empty because the service...

Mixed Experience - Wonderful Servers Overshadowed by Poor Management

My boyfriend and I were looking forward to dining at True Food Kitchen in Gaithersburg on April 26th and requested an outdoor table to enjoy the lovely weather. However, our initial experience was quite disappointing due to the dismissive attitude of the manager on duty, Christina. Upon arrival, we were told the patio was closed, despite us clearly seeing a family with children seated and being served outside. When we pointed this out, we were given a vague explanation about the table being cleared and prepared for dinner, but were told we could wait a couple of minutes. While we waited by the entrance, three Caucasian women entered and were immediately seated outside by a different server. When we inquired with this new server about the discrepancy and the name of the first person (who we learned was Christina, a manager), he was apologetic and seated us outside, where several other tables were already occupied. Our servers for the evening were fantastic and attentive. Our server, Christian and the other girl who sat us (unfortunately didn't get her name) were incredibly kind and efficient. They truly made an effort to ensure we had a good experience despite the initial issue. Unfortunately, the initial interaction with Christina left a sour taste. Her explanation of a "miscommunication" during a brief and awkward apology felt insincere and didn't address the fact that we were clearly given incorrect information while others were being seated. First impressions matter, and the lack of hospitality from the management in this instance was quite off-putting. While we appreciated the efforts of our servers, the poor handling of the situation by the manager, Christina, significantly detracted from our dining experience. It's a shame, as the food and service from our assigned team were otherwise enjoyable. Hopefully, management will address this lack of consistent and transparent service...