Sakura Grill — Restaurant in Virginia

After exiting the restaurant, the waitress followed my family outside. She wanted to tell us that we did not tip enough. On this given night, my mother who was visiting us wanted to pay the bill, and my mother is not a big tipper. So I could understand where the waitress’ frustration was coming from. The waitress expected more tip from my mom…… and unfortunately my mom was not willing to tip more. My mom is an elderly lady with limited funds, and so I could understand her point of view, too.

The waitress went on to explain that she expected 18%, and my mom put a little less than even 10%. I could see my mom’s reaction, and I understood right away that my mom was not in a position to tip more than that.

At this point I interjected… I felt like the waitress was “demanding” that my mom voluntarily tip more than ~10%. I interjected by excusing ourselves from the whole conversation, and the waitress walked away saying, “next time, don’t pick us!”

What a terrible experience…. I’ve been to Sakura before. I have tipped their staff well during my previous visits. In this particular visit, I learned that I will never return to Sakura.

Tip is optional here. I know that the wait staff depend on tip to be able to earn a descent income, and that it is a large portion of their take home. I personally also used to work for tip at one point in my career, so I can complete empathize. But nothing changes the fact that tip is optional. You cannot “demand” for a tip. That’s against the rules of...

Exceeded expectations. Cozy, comfy booths and tables with Japanese decor and lanterns hanging. Loved the 3-course options for $18: Bowl of soup, salad with a yummy house made dressing, and a generous hibachi chicken entree with rice and grilled veggie sides. Appreciated the generous portions for our hungry crew and made us feel that we got our money’s worth! This would be the reason we would return. Service was Exceptional and made us feel like we found our hometown go-to restaurant. With choices ranging everywhere from sushi to a hot bowl of Ramen to hibachi and teriyaki entrées, there is something for everyone. Our party was a mix with dietary restrictions and this restaurant was great for gluten-free eaters. They seemed very accustomed to adapting their menu and our gluten-free friends were pleasantly surprised that they could get most anything they wanted on the menu in a gluten-free version. Will...

Went here for Lunch. The two waiting Staff were very polite and showed us to our booth. We ordered drinks and Hibachi. The Hibachi was terrible. I was extremely disappointed with the vegetables and the meat to be literally swimming in a liquid. Never seen anything like it. Didn't finish meal. Paid bill and left. Nowhere near as tasty as Fairfax Sakura. Will not return. Gordon Ramsey would give this place a scathing review for the Hibachi meal. It was floating....and for me sank just like a Titanic.

Update: I called the Manager the next day and told him about our experience. I did tip the waitresses as I thought they served us very well. I also told him, I didn't want refunded. I just wanted to give my thoughts so it could be used in a constructive way. He was extremely polite, thanked me and said he would look into it. If that meal can be improved, I would return. No doubt about that. It was such...