KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

Being that this was one of our favorite restaurants in the Largo area i co ordinated a surprise party for my husband's birthday. There were friends who were local and several that flew in from out of state for this special event. The reservations were made 2 months in advance for 10-15 people on June 22nd, 1 pm. People started arriving at 1pm and as most surprise plans go there were several no shows. Trying to get my husband there promptly at 1pm was met with a 30 min delay due to the nature of a 'surprise' party. During that time the manager had kept the guests from being seated. He later explained that the reason for that was so the waiter would be able to explain the procedure of how the dynamics of ordering worked one time and one time only. But he kept them standing...in the front of the venue...at the reception desk and had displayed a very unhappy and incredibly shitty attitude. In my experience with 'customer service', I would imagine that a restaurant would seat everyone as they arrived, provided them with drinks until the party was ready to begin and make everyone comfortable until that moment. This manager has a much different approach. Several guests who we're already there contacted me and told me that they would come back later because the managers demeanure was not hospitable. Once my husband and I arrived the manager continued to display an impatient and bothered behavior and told us that we wouldn't be seated until everyone arrived (we were 10 in attendance at that time). My husband at that moment felt very embarrassed and uncomfortable for the guests and immediately announced that he would relocate the event to Umami Sushi Hibachi (an amazing all you can eat sushi restaurant which is highly recommended and in close proximity!!!). It was at that moment the disgruntled manager offered to seat everyone (still displaying a horrible attitude). In comes Steve... let me tell your about Steve. Steve single handly saved the entire day with his incredibly congenial attitude! He is the definition of hospitality and immediately made the entire party forget about one of the most inappropriate methods of how to handle a restaurant booking. His patience, wit and understanding of the situation made this a very successful and meaningful event. He made every guest feel comfortable and appreciated. I can only imagine that he has seen this negligent behavior before and was more than likely use to doing damage control. Regardless, he was tipped very well and i would highly suggest a raise for him because Steve is the type of employee who makes customers want to come back again and again. Unlike the manager whom you have to get through first. We would Def like to see Steve again but unfortunately not at this establishment as we will not be returning due to the way ourselves and our guests were treated. This manager could and should take some lessons from Steve on how a customer service based industry is run. Food & atmosphere is great. The one star is to get your attention to this review and understand how management runs this place but is no reflection on...

I understand it is the holiday season, so I called four times a few days before and on the day of trying to make a reservation for a party of 15. I understand that some guests do not show up, but if a consumer calls four times regarding seats for 15. They have a low risk of not turning up; therefore, they should take it seriously and prepare some tables for seating. We are roughly an hour away from the location. I contacted them ahead of time to let them know we would be there with 15 people. I was then informed that I would have to wait approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Okay, perfect, I thought. We will not have to wait long once we arrive. We arrived at 7:15 and had to wait an additional hour (8:30) before being seated. Because there is no waiting room in the restaurant, you would think that if there were a lot of people standing around waiting for tables, the management, host, and waiters would ramp up the pace to get people seated. They were just taking their time and relaxing while we waited for tables. The whole restaurant has only three tables of eight. The tables of eight are line at the back of the restaurant. Instead of seating us at two tables of eight, they decided to seat us at three tables of six. I asked you, "Are three people going to sit alone in a party of 15?" As a result, three people will feel excluded. The manager needs to be retrained; the goal of being a manager and host is to provide an experience that will entice the consumer to return. On top of the seating, some of the sauce was out in the sauce area, so we asked for a refill, and one of the servers rolled her eyes and gave us an attitude over refilling a sauce. It was a failure all around, from the staff. As a newly opened restaurant, the point is to build a customer-based and accommodate everyone. The only good thing that night was our server at the table; he took care of us really well. I would highly advise you not to have this restaurant at the top of your list if you have a big gathering. I like to support new restaurants around me, but after this, I know for sure I'm not going out of my way to drive 1 hour to eat at this...

10/10 I don’t say this lightly, this place is a solid 10/10

I cannot ever recommend this place enough!!!

Our hostess Tanya, was beyond pleasant and welcoming. She didn’t just seat us, she took the time to make us feel at home. She set the bar for our expectations and I was eagerly hoping that the rest of the night would live up to it!

Our server Frankie, was exceptional! This man took care of us like family. By the end of our meal, I felt like I’ve known him for years. I cannot remember the last time a server truly cared for a guest’s experience this sincerely. I can see through people pretty well and Frankie is sincere in his care for his guests, which is refreshing. Frankie treated us like VIPs and provided a true VIP experience throughout the night!

When the team came to sing happy birthday, they were all so great and lively! Nobody looked like they were in a hostage video

The manager, Aaron, made the birthday song something special and memorable! He’s the one waving the sign in the video. I didn’t realize the extent of Aaron’s entertainment prowess, or else I wouldn’t have stopped recording, but I missed the best part so you’re just going to have to go there for your birthday and see for yourself!

This place was so amazing and outstanding that they inspired me to take the time out of my birthday week to write this long winded review!

Every member of their staff loves their job and is clearly valued because it shows in their work and it shows in their service!

This place deserves all the business! In a world of increasing costs and declining food quality and service quality, these people are a beacon of hope! This owner and his team have restored my faith in the...