Happy Teriyaki #3 — Restaurant in Lacey

I won't be going here again. I've been here several times before to order takeout, occasionally we've gotten the frozen yogurt. Yesterday, however, was honestly disappointing. We get to the location initially ordering 7 froyos to take for our fam. The Asian cashier, I'm assuming she's new because she wasn't sure of what to do or say and kept asking one of her coworkers whether to accept the order or not. Her coworker kept ignoring her and pushing her question to the side while we waited. Only after the cashier asked her again did she (dirty blonde with tattoos) go check the froyo machine. My cousin and I were told the machine had been fixed and needed 10 mins to prepare. We walk back to our car. Waited 10+ minutes until we saw an Asian gentleman walk out of the establishment with a froyo in his hand. We walked back in assuming the machine was ready so we could get our froyo and leave. As soon as we walk inside to the counter we're told " Oh sorry the machine doesn't work" to which I respond how can that be if someone just walked out with a yogurt? To which the Asian cashier ignored and responded again with "it's not working sorry about that".All in all this Asian establishment preferred to sell their Asian customer some frozen yogurt and not my cousin and I who are of indigenous descent. Food is food people. It's a stupidity to deny someone who is going to PAY for the food. I understand if we came in being rude and obnoxious but that wasn't the case. I hope the people that work here stay blessed cause ugly attitudes like that will be...

The parking lot is tiny and hard to access. They are usually nice but not the most attentive or helpful when you are not dining in. I have noticed if you put some money into the tip jar they will be much nicer, offer you things like more napkins and generally be more customer oriented. The most recent experience we had was not a good one. We ordered just meat they told me 1$ less for just meat no rice or vegetables and 3$ more for extra meat. We had our own rice and vegeatables and just wanted some precooked teriyaki chicken and orange chicken. We talked to them about it and the girl reassured me that it would be worth the extra money to do it this way. We got our order quickly as usual with this place. We got home and the container had an orange slice in one part and a sauce container in the other and the normal amount of meat in it in both containers. My wife called and the girl said come back and we will fix it. So my wife drives back to the store and they "fix" it. She gets home and has one tiny container of teriyaki and says that the girl told her that we got enough orange chicken and that we only were supposed to get more teriyaki. She gave us a couple spoonfulls of teriyaki. It was a huge waste of our time and money. This place is run like a fast food restaurant they don't care about the customer only profits. There are better teriyaki places at the same price in the area and...

I've been coming here consistently since the 1990s, and my most recent visit was yesterday. This has always been a wonderful restaurant which nails the holy trinity of casual dining -- high quality, large portion size, and reasonable prices. They have an extensive menu, great lunch specials, and a friendly staff. Teriyaki restaurants are a dime a dozen in western Washington, but this one is literally the best one for dozens of miles around, by a long shot in my opinion. And it's definitely my favorite restaurant in Lacey.

It should be noted that recently (spring 2023), the local newspaper, The Olympian, published an article saying that a local Happy Teriyaki "near Lacey" was cited for several food safety violations. Let it be known that there are several Happy Teriyakis in the area, even outside of the county, and they all operate independently. The article in The Olympian was NOT referring to this location, which is family-owned and retains complete autonomy over their operations. They use the freshest ingredients possible. The owner cares about making her customers happy and can be frequently seen in the service area of the restaurant.

I'm so glad this restaurant exists, and I will continue to come here as long as it is...