Purple Dot Cafe — Restaurant in Seattle

"I don't want to make a big deal out of this or write a novel. I'll just say everything was annoying. Even though the food was good, not coming back. It's been a nice dozen or so years but it's over."-original post. You want a proper explanation. Fine. When we're looking at menus and actually reading them- we're not ready. Most people know to call over a team member, or to at least put the menus down. 3x we were asked if we were ready. I get the first two times. I've waited tables before. "Right Now" is your window of opportunity before someone grabs your attention. The first time is good. The second time, you're just checking. 3rd time shouldn't exist. You either swing by when they're done reading or wait for them to call you. It's called "reading the room". When you do take the order, please ignore the table trying to grab your attention. It's incredibly rude to leave a customer while they're talking to talk to a table that's pretty much done eating. Who does that?? I could clearly see all the wait staff busy cleaning tables. Yet this same group of local yocals wanted to yuck it up. Do not encourage them. If you have time to talk you've got time to check on our food. Half the table was done by the time I got my food. Yes, it was a baked item but I know how long it takes to bake it. You forgot it and remembered when I asked. So everyone was done well before I got my food. I don't even work there and I know I could enter the baked item, wait eight minutes (clean and set four tables Or just one and yack it up w/ the drunk people), and then enter the rest of the order, and guess what- like magic the whole order will come out all at once. Seriously amazing. But that didn't happen. Instead they cleaned and set all the tables and chit chatted w/ the customers about ready to leave, while my table finished their food as I sat and watched, waiting for mine. Then we get the bill. 18+% "service charge". which I think was even taxed. IDK. Maybe give you the benefit of the doubt here. But really? I tip. Sometimes I cover other people's tip when the server earned it and got stiffed. AND I've been handing out little toys, w/ tip, for nearly all of the pandemic. So I'm not a cheapskate. Why pass this on to us? it feels punitive. I get that wages increased, costs have increased, and it's hard to get employees. Better restaurants have managed their income and costs better. They've cut the least profitable items from their menu, they've negotiated better costs, some have even hired a butcher and process in bulk. They've dropped unprofitable hours. They curated specialty menu items that are customer favorites and more profitable. Can I say they managed better? I truly don't know. But I can see it doesn't look like you've made many changes other than putting a service charge on the bill. Imagine if we weren't treated like an interruption, if all of our dinners were taken as seriously as one of their own, if we were treated w/ the same respect they'd want for themselves- would I even complain about the nearly 20% increase of the bill?...

By far, the worst place I've ever had the misfortune of dining at. While I understand it was a busy night after a concert, the abysmal quality of both the food and service was beyond anything I've ever witnessed. I'm genuinely perplexed as to how this place garnered such high ratings; it boggles the mind.

The first thing that assaulted my senses upon entering this establishment was the saddest and most repulsive fish tank I've ever had the displeasure of encountering. I've never been a fan of these tanks, but I comprehend their purpose in showcasing "FRESH" fish. However, these poor creatures appeared as though they were waiting to meet their untimely demise in that filthy water tank. The crab looked like it was in the process of growing mold, and the three eels lay lifeless at the bottom. Witnessing such a pitiable sight was disheartening, and frankly, I couldn't fathom enjoying a meal in that environment. In retrospect, we should have heeded this glaring warning sign and walked out right then and there.

The servers seemed overwhelmed and stressed beyond belief. They hardly acknowledged our presence, focusing solely on taking orders and delivering food. To make matters worse, unfinished plates from other tables were carelessly tossed into carts right next to us, creating an atmosphere that felt eerily reminiscent of a prison cafeteria. Despite all these red flags, we foolishly chose to soldier on, driven by our hunger.

When our Wonton soups arrived at our table, I was left in a state of utter disbelief. The soup was nothing short of inedible – a culinary disaster that transcended imagination. It tasted as if someone had sprinkled fish flakes into a concoction of three-day-old noodles. The vile taste was so overpowering that my sense of hunger rapidly evaporated. Our profound disappointment with the overall experience reached its pinnacle as we could barely muster the courage to take more than two bites of that nightmarish meal.

In summary, do yourself a favor and steer clear of...

I will start off by saying I hate writing negative reviews and it takes quite a bit for me to write one, but I feel like some business practices need to be changed here and this is the best way to spread awareness and get the owners and managers to realize what's going on and hopefully implement some changes.

I have been going to Purple Dot since they opened many years ago. I dined last night with a friend and everything was going as expected.

When it came time to pay the bill, I went up to the counter and said I would like to pay and handed them my credit card. They printed me out a receipt and I tipped 20%. There was no information on the receipt other than the total, so I asked for another receipt.

They printed out another receipt STILL with no other information on it. So I asked again for an itemized receipt. After they printed it out and as they were handing it to me, THEN they said "oh scratch off the tip and just sign the other paper. We charge auto 18% gratuity after 10pm".

I honestly don't care what their policy and reason is for auto gratuity, but the fact that they tried to intentionally trick me into tipping 20% on top of my full bill with 18% added already is seriously messed up.

I understand that times are tough, but scamming people is not the way to go. Increase your prices and be transparent about auto gratuity from the start or at the very least, be transparent about it when you hand someone the bill.

I will know to always check for that in the future, but not everyone will know to, so that's why I wanted to write this review.

I will continue to come to this establishment because I do enjoy the food but I will be making sure to check to see if any changes are made. If not, every person I come to the restaurant with, will also write negative reviews about this business practice until something changes.

Negative reviews are horrible for a business so I'm sure this will eventually get their attention. I just hope it changes sooner than later for...