Baja Beach Cafe — Restaurant in San Diego

After our visit today on June 28th, 2023 my business is considering litigation against Baja Beach Cafe for discriminatory practices, humiliation, negligence, and emotional tort damages.

Numerous google users of color have reported the same type of discriminatory treatment by the wait staff that we received. All within the last few months, each of us was made to feel what felt like some discriminatory basis for the lack of ettiquete and professionalism we witnessed being afforded to every other diner. Whether it was service issues, billing practices, or just the outright contempt shown for people of color...several of the staff at Baja Beach Cafe's San Diego location appear to make a concentrated effort to disregard & humiliate the patrons of color who visit this establishment. Including the gentleman who introduced himself as the manager.

When confronted with this issue, the management made it clear that he might be the root of the discriminatory culture at this location.

When concerns over a young woman's behavior towards my pregnant wife AND myself were raised, the manager dismissed our concerns.

Despite the behavior being a repeated cause for concern over two separate interactions, the gentleman waived away the issue defending the woman's actions saying he's "shocked to hear that as it doesnt sound like her" and "she's one of my most friendliest girls".

When we pointed out she was only friendly with the caucasion patrons & very rude with us, he called her rude sarcastic behavior a "miscommunication", and that she may have been "flustered".

We inform the gentleman that being frustrated/overwhelmed is not an excuse to be rude and disrespectful while working in the hospitality industry. The manager then began arguing that she was flustered not frustrated....despite both words being listed as syllables in the Oxford dictionary.

Manager then begins to state that this is just "one of those teachable moments". After opening the local Google review page showing other patrons reviews where they voiced the same concerns over discriminatory behavior, and demonstrating a consistent pattern that was visible for anyone with an internet connection, his only statement was "I disagree".

Furthermore, after telling him that we would not be eating the food that was just served to us (my wife took not one bite) he refused to refund our money for those two plates (we didnt mind paying for what we did eat/drink).

We took photos of the uneaten food & gladly paid everything in full with the promise that we'd be following up with the owner of the establishment to give them the chance to remedy the issue.

We don't care about any monetary compensation/refund, we just want the perpetrator's of this behavior held accountable. It shouldn't be too much to ask to be able to dine in a nice establishment by the beach without the presence of discriminatory bigots. This...

I wanted to share my recent experience at Baja Beach Cafe, which left me very disappointed.

We decided to dine at your restaurant on a beautiful day at the beach, eager to try it out after hearing good things. Unfortunately, the service did not meet expectations, and the overall experience was frustrating.

We sat down at 3:00 PM, and shortly after, we noticed a table near the walkway with a better view of the beach. Our waitress, Chelsey, was slow to take our order, and we had to flag her down to let her know we were ready to order at 3:18 PM. We spent over $100 on food for two people, but the experience didn’t reflect the quality we were expecting. They even added a chair to our table just to hold the food.

We needed a larger table to accommodate all our food, but when we requested one, we were told a table for four could only be used for at least four people. The GM, Justin, had split the table we wanted to sit at, but the waitress never informed us that this was an option. When we asked another server if we could move, we were told there was a policy against switching tables, which we had never been told about. There was also a sign we never saw.

The food delivery was disorganized. Half of our order arrived first, and some items, like nachos, took an unnecessarily long time to come out. People who had been seated 25 minutes after us received their orders before we did. When we inquired about the delay, we were given excuses, and the nachos were redone multiple times. This lack of coordination only added to our frustration.

We then asked to speak with the manager, and Justin, the GM, came over. Unfortunately, he was not helpful and did not provide the level of customer service I would expect from a restaurant manager.

At 3:57 PM, our waitress, Chelsey, asked if we wanted to move tables, but by that time, I thought the policy was no table switching. This conflicting information was confusing and left us feeling uncertain.

To say the least, I was disappointed with the service, the cold food, and the way we were treated. It felt as though we were discriminated against, and I honestly wish I could get my money back for the poor experience.

I also noticed a camera above our table and hope you can review the footage to see how we were treated during our visit. However, the camera appeared dusty and dirty, so I’m unsure if it was even functioning properly. Given everything, I would appreciate a refund for...

Update: 4.25.2024... my kid went back on 4.23.2024 late at night to get a drink after taking a solo, long walk on the beach. As we packed up to leave the next day, 4.24.2024. And we had a very packed 4.24.2024, discovered he forgot his backpack at the restaurant. Husband and kid went to get the bag, my husband reporting that an employee was acting odd, at first saying there was no backpack left and then arguing the color of the backpack. He went on to hand over an item from inside the bag and then gave the bag to my kid, who had just gotten there and "ran" back into the back of the restaurant. I called and spoke with Justin, the GM, who, reasonably denied that anything would be missing, and blamed ,indirectly, some random person took my kids joint and cannabis wax from his backpack prior to it being given to a staff member. Believe what you will, but the stupid tax for people being unethical is painful. My kid is young, doesn't earn a lot, and this was his one and only treat for our trip from Illinois. I'm crushed for my child and disappointed in this happening.

Again, on the beach! Outside seating is warm with great views. Cannot beat it.

Pros... food nice size portions, tasty, and extensive menu options. Comfortable and plenty of wait staff to take care of you. It is Mexican based food, so be in the mood.

Cons... sigh... starter is happy hour means they are happy you are there for an hour, not the other way around. Drinks are subject to what they decide. The margaritas were on special but prices not listed. Paid $21 for 36oz margarita but it had only 3 shots! That is not a "deal". The jalapeños are not fresh but from a jar. And they charge for everything. Literally everything. The jalapeños for our tacos were $1 for a small container. Come on now! It's Mexican food. Who doesn't want jalapeños?! Damn. Beers on tap 20oz. $11. Corona in a bottle $9. I mean seriously. It just breaks my...