elé Cake Co Bistro & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Miami Township

Attended for the first time on 9/17/2021 @7:30pm for birthday celebration.

Waited 10 minutes after food runner brought waters to have our drink order taken by the Bistro Manager, Sonya. We then waited 15 more minutes to have Sonya take our food order and provide our drinks. Manager did not return to ask if we wanted refills on water or additional drinks. It seemed like everyone for themselves.

The food was great and tasted wonderful, but the culture and atmosphere emitted by staff seemed uninterested, miserable, and exhausted. (To be expected when every business is short staffed.) Throughout our entire meal, a food runner brought everything to the table while the manager casually walked by as asked how everything was without stopping. Food runner was told "Thank you" by the table multiple times where we received no acknowledgement. Not even a "You're welcome" or "Not a problem."

The issues were brought to the other male manager's attention with explicit detail as to the intention on bringing our commentary to their attention. Sonya was no where around so we had to ask a busser to grab someone for us. It was expressed that we wanted nothing removed from the bill, we wanted our bill switched over to the food runner to tip her, were not trying to demean anyone, and wanted the insight taken to heart. We also stated that the food and drinks were great. That ultimately management sets the precedent and pace for the team. That management should exemplify the behaviors and skills they expect from their staff. Finally, that if we are perceiving the staff as miserable, uninterested, and exhausted - there is a problem that needs addressed.

This manager expressed that they had a "$5,000" party that everyone was taking care of and that his staff makes plenty of money. They wouldn't complain. He also stated that he would grab "any one of them," and they would tell us that. He even went as far as to bring over an iPad with a picture of 6 staff making faces together as the background to validate his viewpoint. It was expressed to him that his opinion of lots of money is relative to him alone and does not speak for the actual viewpoints his staff may have nor does that translate in the culture/atmosphere we experienced for the first time.

The manager continued to be dismissive and wave his hand as the table stating that we were wrong. It was stated that we were recommended to the restaurant by a guest currently in the restaurant and he told us to "point them out." When we refused - he stated "you're scared" and told me that I had "met my match." We stated that this was unprofessional and that he clearly lacked skill in conflict resolution and in having culpability for the experience. That it starts from the top and translates down to what we were experiencing. That pointing out another guest over our complaint was unacceptable and unnecessary.

The male manager left after we stated we were done with the conversation and Sonya came back over to us. We expressed that we wanted the bill and expected to have a professional conversation without the drama. She went on to state that the girl we wanted to switch the bill over to was a food runner that was __ years old, looked miserable because she was new, and that she was busy because of a $5,000 party. I expressly let her know that revealing personal details about staff/staff who are minors is illegal as it violates an employee's rights to privacy. She chuckled and gaffed off the statement.

I have never seen such unprofessional behavior from management and this clearly speaks for what our table felt from the staff. The GM or owner of the company should take control over these individuals and explain to them what the mission statement of the company is and re-set expectation as to how that mission is delivered to, not only staff, but guests as well. I also suggest that HR...

Soooo, for my 15 year work anniversary, we went to Ele Bistro and Wine Bar at Austin Landing for lunch. I had been there once before for Sunday brunch and was very pleased with my dish so I wanted to go back, this time to review. I highly recommend giving this place a try. Because it had been a while since the last time I was there, I decided to stick with the same meal I found to be quite tasty…the shrimp and grits. The shrimp was breaded and fried with a drizzle of buffalo sauce on them. They sat atop fried green tomatoes ]and creamy grits. The dish also had crumbled bacon (optional) and a red pepper puree. Everything worked well together. My only issue was that this time around, the temperature of the dish could have been hotter. Perhaps because of waiting to bring all the dishes out at once, it may have sat a little too long. Companion one had a veggie burger that was proportionate to the size of the brioche bun. The burger consisted of grilled veggies, black beans, and corn. It was topped with kale, caramelized onions, swiss cheese, and a curry mayo that had a nice flavor to it. Although the burger was good, it was felt that a little acid was needed, perhaps a pickled onion to brighten up the dish. Companion two had the braised shortrib sandwich. The sandwich consisted of rootbeer BBQ, fried jalapeno, pickles, onion, and cheese on a toasted baguette. The sandwich came out very hot, which is probably why my shrimp and grits suffered. It looked like the bread was hollowed out to make room for the meat. It reminded me of a hot pocket. This delivery method however, made the sandwich difficult to eat, albeit a good sandwich. Companion three had the tuna melt. It was served open face which surprised me. The melt included a curry aioli that gave it a nice flavor and it sat atop multigrain bread w/ swiss and parmesan cheese, along with fried capers for an extra pop of flavor. The sandwich was good. Companion three also had a side of sweet potato fries that were seasoned and good. Companion four had the beet and fried goat cheese salad. There were also mandarin orange segments and an orange poppy seed dressing. It was felt that the salad was pretty darn good, but perhaps a naval orange would have been better than the mandarin. Companion four also had sweet potato fries and enjoyed them as well. A couple of people had unsweetened tea and felt the flavor of it was really good for an unsweetened tea, which is something you don’t normally find. All in all everyone enjoyed their food and said they would come back again. Unfortunately the dessert menu was a little lacking because for the second time there were items that were currently not available, so I opted out of the dessert. Ele at Austin Landing is not just for cakes. I suggest stopping by for lunch or dinner. I don’t think you will be...

Absolutely the worst service I have ever encountered at a restaurant. We made reservations 4 days ago for a party of 10. Arrived on time were seated 10 minutes after our reservations. The waitress seemed confused and definitely not prepared for a large table. After waiting for ten more minutes we were asked about drinks. One person in our party asked if we could order our meals after waiting for drinks for another 15 minutes. Our waitress rarely stopped by the table we even asked for water 2 times before receiving.

At 70 minutes after arriving I asked a manager when our food would arrive. We had a small child in our party that ordered kids PB&J. Really?? Her mother even requested at the time we placed our meal order to bring the child meal out as soon as possible.

The manager arrived another 5-7 minutes later with the child’s PB&J and informed us that the kitchen was behind due to a party of 50. Any well managed restaurant that had advanced reservations and a party of 50 around the same time would be better staffed up and prepared accordingly?

Why weren’t we informed when being seated that the kitchen was running over one hour behind due to a large party? Another table of two near us left aggravated by the slow service.

Our table received our food 90 minutes after arriving one hour after food order placed and again that was because we asked to order NOT because our waitress was doing her job.

The manager offered us a 25% discount for the long wait which was appreciated. Reason for 2 stars instead of one. Consensus from our party of 9 adults, 1 child the food was ok definitely not worth an over 2 hour brunch experience. Would not venture there again and owners need to evaluate the staff...