WAFU STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI BAR — Restaurant in Goldsboro

Food: My party ordered the samurai dinner, seafood combo, s*x on the beach sushi, shrimp sashimi, and kids' chicken nuggets and fries. When the food came, I was confused by the shrimp sashimi since I DO NOT order something I can buy from a Walmart freezer. However, my mind was elsewhere, and this time, I did. I politely confirmed my order, stating the mistake was probably mine since I knew I was distracted. The server made me feel like I was trying to get one over on him. Remember, I did not tell him it was his fault, I did not raise my voice or even speak curtly. But at the mere mention that I thought my meal might have been made incorrectly, the server got instant defensive and doubled down. There was nothing to double down on as I had already told him it was my fault. The way he made me feel, though,, left a very distasteful experience for a meal that was $140.

Also, hibachi sauce/glaze has a citrus fruit flavor that I cannot put my finger on. The flavor itself is not bad per se, as my husband absolutely loved it, but it is different from any other hibachi I've ever had. And I've had them from Michigan to Florida along the entire East Coast.

Service: Our chef saved the service. He overheard the conversation between the server and me and was perturbed by the server not trying to work with me. It was a birthday dinner for my 13-year-old and my 7-year-old, so the server understood that it was important for them to have good experiences. As such, the server made sure to get my 7-year-old a birthday crown and ice cream. He single-handedly changed my experience to where I would bring my family back because he cared.

Atmosphere: It's the same as every hibachi. The grill where we were seated needed replacing, but not all did. I only mentioned this because the grill we were seated at had a fine layer of rust before he cleaned it for dinner. The cleaning process took longer than average, and he had to work harder to clean it. And as we all know, when our pots and pans make us stay longer in the kitchen, it's time to replace them. As a side note that may not be relevant, We were going to eat here last year during the Renaissance fair, and the restaurant was too busy to eat at. This year, the restaurant looked like it was a Thursday at 3:00 p.m. instead of a Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

If you like hibachi, this is as good as any place you'll get around here. However, don't expect this place to be like any place in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington, or even Cary. It's a place to eat hibachi, not to make memories that...

So this evening, I received a call from my daughter who is 16, she was attending another 16 year-old birthday party with a parent chaperone in charge. There were about 20 people in the party. After the food was cooked and served to all the individuals my daughter expressed that her shrimp dinner taste funny and she was not going to pay for it since she did not eat any of it other than the soup that comes with the meal. The waitress handling the ticket did not speak clear English so she got the manager. The manager was very rude and disrespectful to my daughter so she called me. Once upon arrival and speaking with the manager, he was very aggressive and rude, and informed me that he had already called the police. I could not understand why if the meal had not been eaten And she had complained about it what was the problem? I asked my daughter to record the conversation because the manager was speaking in a very loud tone, and his main concern was that they had been open for two years, and their quality of food was good and no one could order and tell them that the food did not taste good. I informed him That I have eaten there before and have been to more than one party at their restaurant, and that at this point The food was not the issue. It was the poor customer service and the way that he spoke to a minor and called the police for no apparent logical reason. Once the police was there, I explained to them that a $39 bill was not worth calling the Police department out with all the other important issues that Goldsboro has going on. Of course, they agreed that this was a ridiculous call, especially when the adult chaperone could not understand what the issue was either. Please do not patronize this restaurant. When you have a business, especially a restaurant it’s not only about your food, but truly the hospitality and customer service Environment, etc.. I was very offended that a $39 dinner plate caused such a scene that three Goldsboro police department officers were called out to the scene. SMH this manager needs to be fired or definitely reprimanded and given a true lesson in...

Table for 3. Food ordered, hibachi steak, hibachi chicken, hibachi steak and shrimp. Overall, the food was good. But no better than an express takeout Japanese. It was, however, more expensive. The food was plated well and was visually pleasing. The atmosphere was nice, but we felt rushed as soon as we got the menus. The waitress just stood there awkwardly while we tried to figure out the menu. I asked the waitress if just the steak hibachi plate with rice was available. I didn't care to get the soup or salad. I just wanted the entree, the same as the other two people with me. That's not what we ended up getting or paying for. I had 2 other people with me. Neither ate the soup (chicken broth with a couple of mushrooms and green onions floating around) or the salad that was dressed with what tasted like the yum yum sauce you get with hibachi mixed with thousand island or something. The waitress didn't check on the table as expected. Especially since this is a more expensive restaurant. The service didn't match the price. We had to flag her down for refills and anything else we needed. There was a male employee I saw checking on tables periodically, and he did come over to ours and refill my husband's tea without us having to find the waitress again. When we left, I noticed our waitress outside taking a break. I get it. Everyone needs a break. But there was only one other table with 2 people and a baby there when we were. So they weren't busy. I'm guessing she was just in a hurry to take her break, which is why the service was lacking. She sat us right up against this other family in the boothed table section. All other seating was available. Overall, I'd say we won't go back to this particular restaurant. The service or food is definitely not...