Boudin Bakery Cafe — Restaurant in San Francisco

I really like the food at Boudin. However, I just went to the one in the Stonestown Mall, and the service was appalling. The young man, who, after ignoring us waiting at a register for 10 + minutes, finally went to another register, where we followed him. This man was either on his very first hour of work at Boudin, had only just learned English (clearly not the case, only seemed that way), or was not his normal self for some reason. He seemed to have no clue how to take orders and enter them in the register. There were two of us, we each ordered a sandwich and drink, and one soup, and he was so confused that that alone took close to 10 minutes. He kept saying, “It’s all good,” and the like, although it wasn’t. Everything had to be repeated numerous times. I specifically asked that the bread not be left dry, but some sort of dressing, much as mayo or whatever they use…he had no idea what they use…be put on the bread. After my friend got her order, I had to keep asking about mine, as the young man was just sort of standing behind the counter, not really doing anything. I had to keep reminding him of the soup, which was right behind him, but it took half a dozen reminders before he did anything. He seemed to remember that it comes with Parmesan and croutons, and threw a few of each on the soup on my tray. Which I had had to get myself as he was busy staring into space. When I got the sandwich, the chicken salad—delicious, really—was in a scoop all in the middle of the sandwich, and the bread had only a small whisper of mayo on it; it was otherwise dry. The guy then got me two mayo packets—no utensil—that were impossible to open. I asked him to open them please, but instead, he gave the sandwich back to the sandwich maker in the kitchen. She took it, then put it back on the counter, having done NOTHING. I checked, luckily…bread still dry. The guy finally put some mayo on the bread and gave it to me. My friend asked for a bottle of water and he looked, and told her there was none left. Getting a cup filled with water took some discussion. My friend wanted a refund of the $3 she’d spent on bottled water, which she finally had to take to a worker who was now at the register. That woman looked in the fridge under the counter, and lo and behold, there was at least one bottle of water, which we finally got. There were more delays…the whole thing took about 20 minutes. As a result, we were late for the event we were trying to get to. This guy was pleasant, but it was worse than dealing with a four year old child. He absolutely did not appear to have special needs or be “on the spectrum”—I work with special needs people every day. Rather, he seemed to be incapable of doing any of the things required for the job he holds. Very cheerful, and very incompetent. Or rendered incompetent today, for...

I am deeply concerned about this establishment’s practice of storing boiling hot soup in plastic wrap-lined steel containers. This method poses significant health risks to customers, as exposing plastic to high temperatures can cause harmful chemicals to leach into food.

A study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that everyday plastic items leached hundreds to thousands of chemicals into water at 40°C (104°F), leading to measurable toxicity in vitro (Zimmermann et al., 2021).

Critically, even “BPA-free” plastics are not necessarily safe. Studies have shown that many BPA-free alternatives still release endocrine-disrupting chemicals under heat and stress, sometimes at levels comparable to or even greater than BPA-containing plastics (Bittner et al., 2014). The assumption that BPA-free plastics are harmless has been increasingly challenged by toxicological research.

Moreover, a review by the National Center for Health Research warns that heating food in plastic containers can cause chemical migration into food, increasing potential health risks (National Center for Health Research, 2021).

Additionally, recent studies indicate that chemicals leaching from plastic takeout containers into food can contribute to heart damage and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Yang et al., 2023).

Given the well-documented dangers associated with plastic and heat, it is alarming that this establishment would prioritize convenience over customer safety. Such practices not only endanger health but also undermine trust in food safety standards. This blatant disregard for well-established health risks necessitates immediate corrective action to ensure the...

Yesterday around 5 pm was enjoying my Bruschetta pizza, my friend and I were sharing, until I felt a sharp pain on the right side of my throat. Tried ignoring it, until i realized the pain would persist, it has gotten worse. I still feel throat pain 12+ hours later. My friend brought this up to a supervisor, the supervisor said "what do you want me to do about it", she refused a refund initially because we "finished most except for a little piece" YEAH BECAUSE THATS WHEN THE PAIN STARTED! She said she couldnt do anything about it, because she was just a supervisor, and her manager had rejected the idea of the refund, especially since i "had just ordered on a kiosk." Um hello, cant or wont? It wasn't till i went up to the counter and loudly cried in the store about the pain, I just felt so dismissed. You care more about it when your reputation is at risk. she went back to the manager to approve a cash refund. Completely careless management, acting as if I just selfishly wanted a refund.. my LIFE is at risk here and your management team was worried about $11 dollars? Is that how little a customers health is worth to you? Israel Storm you are a selfish person, caring more about having to process a refund than my pain from YOUR pizza because of careless food handling. I tried asking her to ask her staff about wheather they might have broken something to cause a mini sharp shard to land in my food, she said she would check in with her staff "later" so i waited. She went back to the back, for around 20+ more minutes i waited, still nothing so I left. This should immediately be investigated. My throat hurts each second i...