Claypit Cuisine of India — Restaurant in Mill Creek

Claypit Indian Restaurant For many years, we used to go to Claypit for dinner. It was owned by a brother and sister duo from India. We used to have many friendly conversations with the sister.

Around 7 years ago, my wife and I went in for dinner in the evening around 8 pm.. The restaurant was empty, except for a couple of tables that were occupied.

We asked the host for a booth. All the booths were empty. The host told me, the booths were only for 4 people. I informed him that the booths were available and the restaurant was going to close in an hour. The owner (brother) was on the floor. I approached him about getting a booth. He got angry, yelling at me and telling us to leave the restaurant. Wow. We were taken back by his response and started to leave.

As we were leaving, we saw another couple had the same issue and were also leaving. The owner started to run after them to plead with them to come back, but they were gone.

I recently observed a banner on the restaurant building that it was under “New Ownership”.

Yesterday, my wife and I decided to give them a try. The new owner’s wife Mrs. Rishi seated us at a small booth. We did not complain because it was early in the evening and maybe they had big parties coming later..

Halal is the method of slaughter that is part of the Muslim religious tradition, like Kosher is to Judaism. Most Indian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh owned restaurants serve Halal, which benefits them by getting the Muslim clientele that prefer Halal..

The owner Mr. Rishi came by to take our order. I asked him if the meat in the Beef Samosas was Halal.

He abruptly said, “No, No. We don't serve Halal.” I believe he assumed that we were not Muslims and he could share his true feelings about not serving halal meat.

I informed him that Restaurant Depot in Woodinville has plenty of halal beef, lamb and chicken. His reply was," Yes I know. I have visited Restaurant Depot and I know they sell lots of halal meats. I did not want halal meat for my restaurant, so I quickly got out of Restaurant Depot."

His reply stunned me. It seemed to me that there was more to his agenda then just the idea of serving halal meat in his restaurant. As a Muslim, I felt uncomfortable being in his restaurant.

I did not want to create a scene and walk out, so we decided to order some halibut, vegetable soup and naan bread.

Mrs Rishi took care of us during the meal. A very sweet lady with sincere feelings towards us. She went out of her way to make sure everything was satisfying to us.

We enjoyed her service and she set a good example of Hindu hospitality towards a Muslim family. She knows how to treat guests in her restaurant.

Due to Mrs. Rishi’s kind and genuine treatment of us, I decided to send an email message to her husband, via the “Contact Us'” page for Claypit. I wanted to find out his feelings before writing a review.

His comments did nothing to change my feelings towards his words.

I informed him that my issue was not with his decision to not provide halal meats in his restaurant. I would order something else if halal was not available.(like we did).

My issue was the way he showed contempt for halal meat, as it relates to Muslims. In my opinion, there was a religious animosity coming from him.

He tried to argue that he did not want to serve halal, which I believe is his absolute right.

I would not feel comfortable going to his eatery, knowing the prejudice behind his thinking. I politely told him, we will not be coming back.

Again, I have nothing but appreciation for Mrs. Rishi. She is an excellent human being without a strand of any prejudice against anyone. Thank you Mrs, Rishi. I am sorry we won't be able to return to get excellent service from you.

The other employees were also nice and attentive to our needs. The food was good and flavorful.

The 2 Stars here are for Mrs Rishi.

The experience I have written about here is my personal experience. I would urge others, including Muslims to do their own research into this eatery.

Look at the good and bad...

I've never in my life been treated so disrespectfully by a restaurant staff person or owner than I was treated today (10/7/2018) at Clay Pit. Myself and my two sons went there to eat after church, and after we were seated, I received a call from a social worker about 2 children who needed placement. (I volunteer for a short-term placement facility, and I must answer the phone when they call, it's very important.) The man who I assume was the owner (because we've been to this restaurant many times, and he's always there) stood by the table staring at me while I was on the phone, and then proceeded to talk to me while I was trying to talk to the social worker. As politely as I could, I ignored him so I could finish speaking with the social worker, but he literally kept speaking to me and glaring at me, asking if we wanted a menu or if we were going to do the buffet. I answered him and went back to my conversation. I was fairly ruffled by what I consider pretty rude behavior, but I just ignored it and we proceeded through the buffet line. Then, halfway through our meal, my son spilled his glass of water on the table. I looked around kind of waiting for someone to help, but no one did and so, being the proactive person I am, I got up and started looking for extra napkins or something to clean it up. I found a stack of clothes, so I grabbed one and cleaned up the mess. I was then confronted by another owner/manager? (he's also always there) who rudely lectured me on how I absolutely should not have used that cloth for cleaning up the water, how dare I get it myself instead of letting one of the staff clean it up. I was so shocked and speechless that I literally couldn't say anything at that moment. I gathered my thoughts and went pay, and began speaking to one of the owners, (the one who talked to me while I was on the phone) trying to explain that it was a social worker I was talking to, to which he abruptly stopped me by waving his hand in my face and saying "I don't care! I really don't care! Be quite!" He was telling me over and over again that he didn't care at all why I was upset, he didn't let me finish a singe sentence. I told him that I was definitely never coming back, to which he replied "No, you're not welcome here anymore, I would never allow you to come back." I can honestly say that I never even raised my voice through any of this. I was completely calm and was just trying to have a conversation. At that point, the other owner/manager came over and tried to intervene and calm the first one down, but he also waived his hand in my face and told me he didn't care at all about what I was saying. He again yelled at me for getting a cloth without permission, that I absolutely shouldn't have done that. As this all was happening, I set my credit card down on the counter to pay, which somehow offended him even more and he directed words at me that were in a different language, but which were obviously very rude. My response was to pick up my card and say, "ok, well I'll just leave then", to which his response was TO GRAB MY HAND VERY HARD AND GRAB THE CARD OUT OF IT. I'm not going to be dramatic and say that he almost broke my hand, but to be totally honest, it did hurt and just totally freaked me out, that he would actually grab me. I've never been the brunt of so much aggression in that type of setting, I can honestly say that I did NOTHING to deserve it. My family and I have been there multiple times and have never had a problem. I have no idea why I was treated this way, my boys and I walked out just completely shell-shocked. Hands down, worst restaurant...

I had just finished with an appointment and was in the mood for Indian. I decided to go to the Claypit since it was close by. For it being lunchtime, the restaurant was rather slow. There was a 7 top table and another table of 2 gentlemen who were leaving. There was a man with double leg braces on who came to took my order. As I was ordering, he commented on the entrée I ordered was sweet. I am a connoisseur of Indian/Pakistani cuisine and was aware of the flavor profile. I finished placing my order. I watched the same server go to a larger table and offer niceties to them. I watched him go to another table on the other side of the restaurant and check in with them. Which was fine.

When he came back to deliver my food, his back was partially facing me as he 'slid' my food across the table, not repeating back the food I ordered. I ate in silence as I watched him walk around checking in with some other diners. Not once was I asked if my food was okay. An older gentleman, who I suspect was limited in his speaking came and stared at me, making some hand gestures of some sorts. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. This is when things got interesting.

As I got up to pay, there was a wait to pay as there wasn't anyone at the front of the house and the older gentleman, with his limited communication attempted to ask me if I wanted to take the remains of my meal with me. I shook my head no. When the man with the double leg braces came to take my payment, still never asking me how was my experience, I asked, "Is this the normal service given to customers? Not once was I checked upon nor asked how my meal was." He told me that this was not a 5-star restaurant and 'you people' expect the world. I asked by what did he mean by you people? Mind you, I am a Black woman who is a hijab wearing Muslim. He never responded or offered a favorable response for his lack of professionalism or customer service. I walked away informing him I would never return to that establishment.

As I departed, I gave the older gentleman a gratuity. There was another Black lady entering and I informed her of my experience. She let me know she was from Senegal. She's witnessed and filmed the same man making a white female customer almost cry as he yelled at her. The Senegalese sister told me that the restaurant has blocked her number so she uses somebody's phone to call and place her order. I then asked her why does she continue supporting a restaurant who is not vested in giving positive customer experiences. She said she did not know of any other Indian restaurants in the area. Before we said out goodbyes, I gave her a highly recommended restaurant she would enjoy.

I've eaten at Indian food restaurants all over the area. The food is okay. The customer service and their inability to create a decent customer experience earns this restaurant a negative rating from me. Times are challenging for many. Do not spend your hard earned money with establishments who feel entitled and offer poor service and experiences to customers. No wonder why they are continuously looking for help. I hope they go out of business or sell to people who are willing to do right by...