Little Griddle — Restaurant in Portland

My rating is based on their service, wait time, and customer experience, not the food

Upon arrival, we noticed the restaurant didn't seem overly busy, and were told (by the really nice staff behind the counter; she had dark hair and glasses) that it would be about a 20-25 minute wait. I thanked her and we sat in front, in full view of the bar and waiting area.

Yet over the next 45+ minutes, we saw multiple groups seated in front of us (including groups of 2 and 4) who were greeted by the owner. Even with at least 5-6 groups of people waiting (us included), we all witnessed him running outside to the front of the restaurant to greet a couple (who had just walked up) and seat them in front of all of us. Another group (who again just walked in to the restaurant, standing at the counter to converse with him) were similarly greeted and provided drinks by the staff (& were warmly informed they would be seated within 5-10 minutes; again ahead of groups of people who had been waiting before them). Because of where we were sitting, we overheard their conversations and verified that they did know each other.

I was finally able to get the attention of one of the staff (a light haired blonde woman) to ask about our possible wait time. She (without making eye contact) cut me off, saying "well, we're very busy; what were you told?" Me: "about 20 minutes," her: "and how long has it been?" Me: "about 45." She very curtly said she would have to check on what's happening, walking away. She was extremely rude, which made me think she must have been having a really bad day or brand new in the service industry. No, I don't actually think "the customer is always right," but shouldn't I as the customer be allowed to check on my wait time without getting snapped at? I was otherwise having a great morning and didn't understand (or was expecting) the hostility.

I also saw (during our long wait) multiple tables of patrons who would have to flag her down to ask for drinks, their check, or to pay. Two men who were seated (when we first arrived) still didn't have any food, but did have a few empty drinks in front of them. I can't even imagine how much longer it took before their food actually came out! (we left at this point)

As a restaurant, I wouldn't think it'd be possible to exist long-term in the service industry if you're not providing good, reliable, or positive customer experiences. Especially in PDX where we have so many other options available to us--it's not like we only have 3 brunch places to choose from! We have a plethora of highly rated chefs and restaurants in the city (and within blocks of each other). In a competitive market, customer service is your reigning differentiator.

And in today's world of online reviews (and the value of word of mouth marketing), it surprises me that places like this still think bad customer service is acceptable and doesn't impact their bottom line. Follow EaterPDX's blog and see what happens to restaurants in Portland that don't learn this. 70-100 restaurants in Portland close EVERY year for a reason, after the initial buzz/trend diminishes. Because customers need a reason to return and support you.

As a native born & bred Portlander, I won't come back to Little Griddle because I don't agree with their business model (bad service/long wait/snobbery, perpetuating the stereotype of hipster Portlandia who like waiting in lines like sheep), but I'm sure that won't hurt their revenue (so I don't think their service or owner/staff values will change). I don't even know if they think they need to improve. They might just believe it's my fault for being willing to wait so long, that I misinterpreted the interactions they had, or that everything we experienced was par for the course when it comes to dining out.

But I do hope I saved some people (who read this) from a long time-waste on their weekend, or from getting treated so badly (both to your face by the staff or when others keep cutting you) that you're embarrassed to your group of friends that it was your idea to go there in the...

My partner and I were looking for a brunch spot and excitedly stumbled across Little Griddle. Their menu looks amazing, it looks they've got lots of great veggie options, and I'm sure their food is likely tasty. We got there around 11:40ish and decided to sit outside due to the space being on the smaller side. It was a really pleasant, standard PNW mid-morning/afternoon so we were content with our seating. It was also understandably busy, but we're fairly patient people and don't mind pivoting. When the waiter brought us our waters and coffee we noticed that my partner's mug had a very obvious lipstick stain on his cup. Again, we extend a lot of grace to folks in the service industry, especially within the context of how hard restaurants have taken a hit due to Covid, and given that we both have worked in it for twenty-plus years ourselves. Luckily I had a travel-size first aid kit with some alcohol wipes, so we just wiped off the lipstick and kept looking over the menu. The waiter had come out a bit after and asked us if we were ready, to which we responded that we just needed a few more minutes. Folks slowly trickled in and were being seated as we were waiting. We set our menus aside and patiently waited for nearly fifteen or so minutes. Again, they're a brunch spot with lots of good reviews and a great menu selection so it made sense that they were busy. It became disappointing when we noticed folks who were seated after us were being brought their orders. Not one person came back to check on us despite being seated directly in front of their large front-facing window. I eventually went inside and waited for the person in front of me to be seated to ask for the bill for the two black coffees that we hardly touched (the latter being sort of besides the point, but still). The person behind the counter at the register had asked if we had any food to which I responded that we just had the coffees as we had been waiting. They didn't address that we had been patiently waiting to have our orders taken to such an excessive degree that we decided to leave. I am not one to ask for food to be re-made or comp'd. I know how much work goes into working at a restaurant; however, in this case I would've personally chosen not to charge for two simple black coffees given the circumstances. We can't control for everything. And I can't expect for them to notice an (although very bright) lipstick stain. I do believe humans are doing their very best, especially given the economy, etc., but we were continually let down by this spot. Perhaps it was an off day, totally valid... However, I'm not quite sure I'd feel compelled to return despite how good their food may be given our experience. Which stinks because we love...

REPOSTING because for some reason this post is hidden and now I'm upset. And I will keep reposting as long as my review remains hidden. Below is my edited review with a new summary because I had to delete my old review + my original review:

EDIT due to owner response: thank you for the explanation. Your staff are risking their lives, like us all. And an explanation at the time would have been a lot better than us wondering if we were being encouraged to turn away. 45 min is reasonable, but when we heard 5 min it didn't seem reasonable. I hope you understand our point of view.

Now the summary - the owner got super defensive with my original review (see below), said the staff was risking their lives, that a 45 min wait is reasonable (true, again see response below) and that they use a separate system to seat people ahead of others. I was not given this information when we asked about wait time and left the restaurant AND the owner's response with the impression that they have an elitist attitude toward their customers. Looking at the other 1 and 2 star reviews, this actually looks like a pattern. Cool, we have LOTS OF OPTIONS IN PORTLAND. And customer service is a fantastic differentiator.

Original Review:

We tried to eat here this morning for brunch. And by we, I mean me, my husband, my 9yo daughter, and our puppy. There was one other person in front of us. She said it would be 5 min for them. And when it was our turn we asked if we could order takeout.

Hostess: No, we don't do takeout. Husband: Ever? Hostess: No, we won't be doing takeout for a few hours. very weird, but okay Us: okay how long is the wait for dining here (all outdoor dining, btw) Hostess: 45 min. didn't she just tell the person in front of us 5 min? And there are multiple empty tables outside. Us: uhhhhh no thanks.

Don't know if it was our dog or our child, or something else? Maybe my purple pants offended her, but that was ridiculous and we won't be trying again. Luckily for us, there are lots of wonderful places to eat right...