Asia Kitchen 福临门 — Restaurant in Knoxville

I PUT AN UPDATE AT THE END!

I go to Asia Kitchen a lot so I am pretty disappointed I have to give 1 star. I went with friends, and my friend felt the waitress did not deserve a tip since she was really rude and took over an hour and a half to give us food even though they were not busy. We are pretty sure she is one of the owners as well. So when she rang us up, my friend payed first and did not leave a tip. She then told all of us that we better pay a tip, or she would write a large tip down herself. I was surprised by this since that is illegal, so I did not leave a tip either and marked through the tip spot on the receipt. I then called my credit card company and asked if they could tell me what they charged. I found out they charged a 50% tip!!!

I visit Asia Kitchen a lot, and regulars know that they are known for having bad service and taking forever to serve food. However, this is really unacceptable! I've also been waited by the same waitress many times in the past, and she is always very rude, so I am use to it. However, this is illegal, and I do not think she should get away with behavior like this. I understand they live off tips, but she is also one of the owners, so she definitely should not get away with this. She also should not have threatened us by saying she would write in a large tip herself. I really did not expect her to do it, but I guess I was wrong. I will talk to them next time I go, but this review will definitely not go away.

Overall, if it was not for this incident, I would probably give a 2 to 3 stars since they have really good food every time I go. However, the wait time is always horrendous and some of the staff is extremely rude. I've also seen them do some other things they should not such as drinking from my friend's bubble tea and letting another waitress sip from it too as they are bringing it to us. We usually let this go, but I figured it was time to say something for those who don't want to tolerate these types of actions.

UPDATE: So I went back today and confronted the owner about the issue. She was the person who waited us last time and charged the 50% tip. When we told her, she said that it is the United States so we are required to tip. I told her what happened, and she denied writing a tip. I then said I have the receipt and that she wrote a 50% tip and she said they don't write tips higher than 30%. So right there she admitted to writing tips on people's receipts. I told her I did not care about the money, but that I wanted her to understand that this is wrong. She said that one of the other waitresses must have accidentally put in 50% instead and that she will talk to them, but I told her it was her who did it. She said she never handles the money, but all of us said we know it was her since we were there last time, and she is always the one that handles the money. She said it is customary to do this in the US and that she did nothing wrong. Also, she said that they may have done a larger tip because my friend did not tip last time and because we had a big group even though it is not my responsibility to pay his tip. Our group was only 4 people as well which is not large considering they have groups of 8 to 12 every time I go.

I am honestly appalled with her. I can not believe she will not own up to her own actions. She just brushed it off and said it was the other staff's fault. She even complained that I did not tip enough this time when we ate even though I told her I am doing a small tip because of the 50% tip she took last time. Although I am not okay with this behavior, I do like their food. So if you are okay with this behavior, then I still suggest you order...

💥🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💥 By far the best Asian cuisine in the greater Knoxville area. I am very picky (and even prone to criticism) of the typical Chinese, Thai, Szechuan, Mongolian and Cantonese foods offered in this area. I had read a reddit post where someone had said "Asia Kitchen was a quality only found in larger metropolitan areas and was a rare treat for our medium sized city". That was an understatement. This place is a true treasure that I'm happy to have discovered.

The restaurant is located in an underwhelmingly aged strip mall in the West Knoxville area. I have to honestly say that I was slightly worried when we pulled up and saw the exterior but I'm glad this didn't deter our visit. The friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness of our dining area and the quality (and quantity) of the food was to notch.

We ordered several different dishes for variety on this visit. The general tso chicken had great flavor and wasn't overly spiced in the heat department but rather had just enough heat to give a little bite with a whole lot of flavor. The breading had a great crunch (which is usually lacking from other Asian restaurants in the area). The orange beef was perfectly seasoned as well and had a great texture. We also ordered a roast pork in honey sauce which was probably my least favorite but least favorite didn't mean it wasn't good, it only means I was too busy indulging in what was my personal favorite "The House fried rice". This flavorful entree had the perfect amount of green onions, beef, chicken and shrimp and will definitely be on every order I place here going forward.

If you're in the area and want fantastic Asian cuisine make Asia Kitchen your priority. You'll be...

Food was decent for the price. I ordered plates of shrimp w/ mixed veggies and salt & pepper chicken. The shrimp plate was bland because the veggies weren't fresh. The salt & pepper chicken tasted good. Although this place has gotten 5 stars, I am giving Asia Kitchen only 1 star because the service was nothing like I've ever experienced before.

I was served by a women wearing white thin-framed glasses who was very rude to me, a mixed Asian, and my Vietnamese boyfriend. She snickered at me when I said that we don't need forks and can eat with chopsticks. When we asked for a boba drink, she was irritated because we didn't know exactly which one since they're menu is outdated. WE WERE THE ONLY CUSTOMERS IN THE RESTAURANT on a Thursday afternoon.

Here's what really blew my mind: We tipped over 15% on our ~$18 bill. I left the cash tip on the table and paid the bill by credit card at cashier counter serviced by our waitress too. After paying and about to leave, this waitress had the audacity to call us back and request a tip. The tip was on the table and in cash so she wouldn't get taxed !!! She was probably rude to countless other customers who decided not to give her a tip. I believe tips should be earned through good service, not expected. Please don't give this restaurant any more of your business unless you want to...