Gen Korean BBQ House — Restaurant in Oʻahu

This review is in regards to the customer service I received from the manager that was "supposed" to help with my issue.

Me and my family went to Gen's tonight to celebrate my dad's birthday because that's his favorite restaurant. We checked in at 6:15 and they told me it would be an hour to an hour & 15 minutes wait. Which we didn't mind since we expected it to be busy on a Friday night. They took my phone number down and told me I would get a text WHEN MY TABLE was READY. I walked away not knowing that I was SUPPOSED to get a text CONFIRMING that I checked in. The hostess never confirmed my phone number so I guess that was my fault for not double checking (sarcasm). An hour passes by and we go in to check how much longer our wait would be. They let me know we had 9 parties ahead of us so we gave them some time before checking again. We noticed that they were calling people outside so we assumed if we don't get a text they'll try to yell for us outside. They never called or texted us so we checked back in again at 7:35 for them to tell me that my name was REMOVED from the list. I let them know that I never received any texts from them from the moment I put my name down. We then come to find out that the hostess got my number WRONG when I signed in. They said they would put me on the top of the list for the mistake but made me feel like this entire situation was my fault.

They went to get a manager and I explained to him that we've been waiting for almost an hour and a half at this point and that my name was removed from the list because the host got my number wrong and I didn't receive any texts. While explaining my situation he says a table is ready and tells me "do you want to sit now or later?" AS IF THIS WAS ALL MY FAULT. He's not even listening to what I have to say anymore. It was about 7:45 at this point and he checks their iPad and tells me "no, you've only been waiting for an hour and 6 minutes" and then walks away yelling at me again "do you want to sit now or later?" From that point we were already so upset because you're telling me this is all my fault because we didn't get a text and now you're saying I'm lying about how long I've been waiting. I have time stamped calls and texts to my family after I checked in letting them know it would be an hour wait and that happened at 6:15.

Again, the host input my number WRONG, didn't re-confirm my number was correct, didn't advise me that I should get a text to confirm that I was on the list, and the manager had the nerve to blame me and ask if I rather sit down now or wait longer for a table because I was trying to explain myself. We waited an hour and a half to be seated and received no sympathy from the manager (Male manager that has a haircut with short sides and a low tied bun and doesn't wear the normal black Gen uniform). I was never mean or rude to their staff at all during this situation. I just was trying to understand why this happened and why their was no sympathy to the customer who has been patiently waiting this entire time.

I should've never received such rude customer service when all I wanted was acknowledgment that their was a problem and that they take responsibility for it but no he continued to blame the customer for explaining their side of the situation. I understand the stress they must be feeling in a very busy restaurant but you do not treat anyone in that way especially someone in a management position. Their only saving grace was the hostess that brought us to our table and our waiters. They were very sympathetic and kind about the whole situation. You can tell they're all very hard workers and they were trying their best to make our dinner much better. But their manager should not be in charge if he's going to treat...

We came to the Aiea location in Pearlridge Mall because the Ala Moana location has consistently had issues with everything from cleanliness, poor customer service, wrong orders, long wait times, bugs in food, no vegetables and frozen meat. But we soon found that the location doesn't matter.

When we walked in we weren't greeted by the 2 hostesses that were behind the counter. Instead, we were ignored until we said excuse me. They then pointed at the QR code and said we need to add our names to the wait list. We asked how long the wait was and they said when we enter our names on the waiting list it would tell us how many people were ahead of us, not how long the wait was smh.

We waited for 30 minutes until our table was ready and this was around 6 pm on a Sunday. We were then taken to the table in the back by the bathrooms. We had a toddler with us and we specifically asked for a booth when we spoke to the hostesses before putting our names on the wait list. Obviously they didn't listen or care. We told them we needed a booth and the hostess said they dont have any available, even though there were several open. We asked how much longer the wait would be and she said 20 minutes. They said they would put us back on the waiting list. Then we asked why we can't be put in one of the empty ones we saw. She said they were reserved. We then asked if it took 20 minutes for them to bus one of the empty tables for us and they looked confused and didnt know what to say. We were becoming frustrated so we asked to speak to a manager who immediately turned around and sat us at one of the empty booths.

After sitting down we noticed our "clean" grill had burnt food pieces hanging from some of the slots. Then we looked at our sauce trays and noticed a few tiny bugs floating in the oil. We looked closer and felt the salt, it was wet on both of trays. Kinda like they washed it and didn't fully dry them before putting the salt on them. We were about to ask for new sauces when a food runner brought food to the table next to us. The food runner asked the table, who ordered the premium and the table looked baffled. They said they didn't order the premium and the food runner said their table did order it. After experiencing these several issues we decided to leave to avoid any other future problems. Because it looked like we were heading in familiar direction and we were about to experience the same issues that we have had in the past with the other location in Ala Moana.

To sum it up, both locations seem to have problems with customer service, cleanliness, wrong orders, bugs in the food and long wait times. We decided it was best to avoid any more possible issues before spending a few hundred dollars, only to leave angry and upset with ourselves for settling for another poor experience. I'm very sad. We used to be regular customers of Gen as we ate there almost once a week, to now never wanting to go there again because of inconsistency and lack of customer care.

I wish we took photos to show how dirty everything on our table was. I hope they can get their sh*t together soon. I guess I'll have to wait until I travel to the mainland on vacation to enjoy what Gen used to be. Because the California locations I've been to in the past, put these Oahu...

Let me start this by simply stating the fact that me and my wife frequent this fine dining establishment at LEAST 4 times a week. During every visit the meat is on par, and is always of the utmost quality. It goes without saying however, that this is not the reason we keep coming back. There’s a server there that goes by the name of Kendall. A fine looking woman with striking looks and a personality suitable for the royal cabinet. She consistently out performs and outshines all of the other workers at Gen Korean BBQ. Not only is her knowledge of meat incredible, but her dedication to fine customer service is only outstripped by her immense attention to detail and appreciation for fine customer service. Kendall continues day in and day out to not only impress us, but empower and impress her fellow co-workers. She’s always checking in with us and the fellow diners making sure everyone’s meat is marinated, cooked, served and plated with not only a genuine smile but a gods honest care and appreciation for the provisions set forth before us at this incredible dining establishment. Being that she speaks fluent Korean, it really puts you in the mental space of being right in the center of Seoul, really driving home the Korean atmosphere. I have seen Kendall personally save a baby from getting to close to the center cooking grill, stop someone from eating under cooked chicken (and possibly contracting salmonella poisoning), and help not one, but three elderly woman cross the dangerous parking lot that separates Gen from the dangers of the concrete jungle where Gen is nestled in. She always has a smile on her face, and always takes the time to check in with us, even to go as far as to speak with my grandmother who currently has cancer and wish her a happy 97TH birthday. I honestly couldn’t see Gen operating without her. I know me and my wife have personally made the mistake of underestimating chain meat buffets like these in the past, but Kendall has completely changed our outlook on fine dining forever. I’ve stopped drinking, my wife’s completed her doctorate degree, I’ve lost 40LBS, and me and my wife have adopted our first child together. All thanks to Kendall at Gen Korean BBQ. The only downside I can see is this one manager Preston. Not only has he cut me off while I was asking a simple question with attitude and sass, but he completely brings down the entire atmosphere and anyone around him. Not only is he a terrible human being, but he makes me wish I drank a bottle of bleach. All in all, Gen COULD NOT and WILL NOT operate without the prowess, professionalism, and dedication Kendall brings...