Mr Salsa Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in South Carolina

As a Furman student this is a common place to eat, but I must admit there was a situation tonight that was handled horribly. With the addition of the new patio, I called a few weekends ago to see if dogs were allowed. The girl that answered the phone said "oh my gosh, yes!" I proceeded to make sure there were outdoor tables available and everything for my group. I arrived and there were no issues, and I should point out that this dog is extremely well trained. The dog sits under my seat the entire time and causes no disturbances to any guests at the restaurant. The entire wait staff came by to say hi to the dog and it was a great experience. Tonight, I showed up with my dog again and the rude wait staff came up and said I needed to get my dog out of there immediately and they were not allowed. That put me in a horribly embarrassing and logistically complicated situation that was totally uncalled for on any level. I will not be coming back and Greenville is a very dog friendly city so their loss. I get changing policies or something, but being so rude and refusing to serve us until my friend showed up to pick up the dog is beyond me. Horrible customer service and I hope everyone takes note of this event. It could have been handled in a much friendlier manner, recognizing that I literally called and verified dogs were allowed a mere 2 weekends prior. A better to handle the situation would have been to say "hey, our policy changed and dogs are not allowed anymore so you know for next time." Instead, their waitstaff continued to be rude the entire meal and make for a very unpleasant experience for our...

This would have been five stars, but for the first time ever we had to wait to get a table (there are six of us but three are small children one of whom sat in my lap almost the entire meal). My dad ordered a rum and coke with lime, and the waitress couldn't understand him I guess bc she brought a coke with lime (non alcoholic). The manager came out to ask my dad what type of drink he'd ordered too bc I guess after asking my dad again, our waitress didnt understand. To make it right, however, the manager brought my dad a frosted pint glass of rum and coke with lime. The only other snafoo was when it was time to leave I asked for a cup to put my tea in. Our waitress I thought said to go cup? So I confirmed I wanted a to go cup. She brought a to go diet coke to the table, so I couldnt take the tea bc I was given a cup full of soda that i really dont prefer to drink. Also, the toilet in the handicapped women's stall kept running and running after flushing it. It needs to have a new handle installed on the toilet to keep this from being an issue bc i tried to stop it from running with my limited knowledge having had to fix the toilet a time or two growing up in a house of all women. Other than the half hour wait, everything was superb as always. I wouldn't have been so bothered by the wait either, but at least five groups were ushered in to tables and one couple was offered seating at the bar in the back to avoid a wait. I'd have gladly split into two tables in the back if I'd known that...

So the food is always great. I am less impressed with the service. There are a few things that stand out:

1. The young ladies that run the front counter are a bit pushy and frankly obnoxious - especially on the phone. They will gladly correct you if you say the wrong thing and the way they ask clarifying questions is antagonistic. I will sometimes just avoid eating here because I don't want to have to talk to them to place an order.
2. I don't appreciate the chip situation. They reduced the chips you get to these small plates and limit it to 2. They don't really even fill that plate every time either. So for say 4 of us, we can put that plate away in about 5 minutes if we're hungry. They charge after 2 plates. I feel nickled and dimed over it.
3. Back to the front register: the tips at this location start at 20% and go up. Why are they lower at the Taylors location? I am typically tipping between 18-20 but it feels pushy to suggest higher as a starting point. There's also a charge to pay with a card (call it a non discount or whatever you want to skirt the card network rules - it's a charge). Taking cards is a cost of doing business. Yet another nickel and dime thing.

Do I still eat here? Yes. If another place came along with food almost as good but none of the other problems, would I go there...