MoriMori — Restaurant in Tennessee

End of April was the last time our family & friends will visit Mori Mori. We used to be a regular as my aunt loves the bone broth soup.

However, SAMMY T., who we’ve had before as a server has been disappointing but this occasion, she was an absolute Nightmare with her service…TBC

This particular time, we ordered 3 dinners & Happy hour large sake. We arrived before 5 pm happy hour.

After our food had arrived delivered by food runners, Sammy T. (SE Asian female server for demo) didn’t come by until we had finished our meal. We had hoped to order another before HH was over but Sammy T. was nowhere near us. (It’s disappointing when you see your server being friendly with other tables & yet doesn’t ever stop by until the end.)

Even on prior visits, it was strikingly noticeable how friendly Sammy T. seemed to be with the Male guests & yet we oftentimes got coldness, attitude & derision. But since my family enjoyed one dish in particular, we would come & ignore the lack of service, hospitality & mediocre food.

(We last a week ago had Molly M., where we ordered HH sake, she hadn’t come by in awhile, so she ordered another large & charged HH price due to not having come by). = Great service & hospitality

Also note: besides the service, last time we ate, the salmon poke bowl which was almost $20, didn’t even come looking like the photo on the menu. 😅

There was no edamame, seaweed salad or the expected basic ingredients for a poke bowl. Instead there was a bed of iceberg lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes ?, red onions? No avocado, a large amount of rice & served on a med platter instead of a large bowl.

It was $17+. Where was the rest of the food? It was obvious, Mori Mori was cutting on the quality of the food yet still charging high prices, trying to HIDE it with filler produce!

Anyway, not my favorite Asian restaurant in MJ, bc the others are on such a High level for food & service …

At the end of our dinner, when we finally received the check, Sammy T. had charged us Full price for the sake.

I explained to her the details. Instead of honoring the price, Sammy T. began to Argue with me, becoming defensive saying that we arrived after 5 pm & HH was over. I had to explain that we arrived prior to, she didn’t ring up the sale until 5:01. What kind of server, who works for Tips, Argues with a regular customer, when she entered the sake after HH???

I explained again aloud & told Sammy T. Had she come by to check on us after receiving our meals, we would have ordered another large sake. But she never came by. Even went to telling her that her sales would have gone up, as would her tip.

Sammy T. preferred to continue to argue & say we had to be charged regular price. We asked to speak with the manager regarding this, as it became heated, argumentative & led to no resolution.

I saw her speak with the Mgr as it’s an open kitchen. We asked again after checking out & still waiting for the mgr. Sammy T. came back & said the Manager was too busy to stop by.

I understand not long ago it changed ownership, I saw Sammy T. Speak with the mgr. Sooo our deduction was that the Manager or owner of Mori Mori doesn’t really care about its regular customers.

I shared Sammy T. my thoughts & input regarding how hospitality should work when you’re in a tipping position. She rolled her eyes & that was the end. I told her in a louder tone that we will not be back here ever again.

TBH if you’re desiring great to tantalizing Asian food in MJ, I highly recommend Smiley Thai & Thai Samurai. Great attentive service, food & prices.

With as much to choose from, as a new patron, I do not recommend Mori Mori in the slightest & now I will tell everyone I know how me & my family were treated here. Clearly there don’t appreciate loyal business or basic restaurant hospitality.

*note my family has owned restaurants & we’ve been in the hospitality world. We’re...

My family and I eat here regularly and love the food and we previously left a 5 star review. However, be aware of two things: 1) take-out orders consistently have less than half the dine-in portion and 2) they have shady practices with payments and tips.

Today, I ordered teriyaki chicken which is usually a mountain of meat with generous portions of broccoli, onions, zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms mixed in and a side of rice - more than enough for two adults! My 14-year-old son went in to pick up with a $20 bill in hand. When I got home, there was maybe a ½ cup of meat and 3 pieces of broccoli in the box. Take-out portions are consistently smaller than the dine-in at MoriMori but this was laughable. Very disappointing and carries over to sauces too. Usually you'd get at least one side sauce but she refused saying we have to pay for any yum-yum. It’s free at the table but costs for one small take-out side?

At home, I asked my son for the change and receipt, he told me they didn’t give him either. I called, she put it in an envelope, and I drove back.

When I got there, her excuse was “he didn’t ask what the total was” and he didn’t “act like he wanted change”. She didn't tell him the total amount, didn't offer the change back, and assumed this kid was trying to tip 41% on a take-out order?! Unbelievable. She never argued the amount he handed her and when she gave me the receipt, I saw very clearly what she did:

On top of knowingly keeping the change, she took the $20 bill, rang it in as $15, put $0.80 in the till as her reported tip, and pocketed the $5 cash. I was livid! The last time I was there, a different server told me I needed to pay in cash otherwise the owner “keeps her tips”. Shady!

Do yourself a favor, only dine in and always count your change/review...

Consistent food, relaxing atmosphere! Beware of some shady practices for payments (at the end of review) Spring Rolls: These are first for a reason. A MUST have and stupid delicious! SUPER flaky and golden fried shell with incredible umami flavor inside. Excellent dipping sauce. 15/10 always get EVERY time I go.

Teriyaki Chicken: Good portion of everything. We usually start with spring rolls and if you get miso soup and the salad, this could be split between two people or stand alone as a filling meal. This plate is cooked perfectly every time! Zucchini, onions, carrots, broccoli are just beyond al dente but still have a crunch - we take out the mushrooms. I appreciate the hot plate it’s served on which keeps cooking things and adds more flavor at the bottom to the entree! White rice on the side. It’s white rice. Other than being sticky enough to use chop sticks, not much on it to write home about.

Sushi: Nicely priced “normal” (Philly, Cali) and special rolls are very good every time. Standard ginger and wasabi on the side.

Yum Yum sauce isn’t the best. It tastes too much like tarter sauce instead of yum yum even though I add it to the teriyaki chicken which tones down the taste.

Last dine in Jun '21 our server asked if we could pay with cash instead of card because the owner "keeps the tips." My girlfriend had a similar experience during a...