California Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Whittier

Horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE management and customer service! We have given this restaurant to much business and too many chances over the years and they treat us like crud!

Tonight we decided to order two Fettuccini Alfredo's and a order of Chicken Fingers. The order got here and the chicken was fine but the pasta was gummy and the sauce was completely bland. We called and spoke to Francisco (the manager) to have the pasta replaced and they reluctantly sent over two more bowls of pasta. I will give them credit they did gave us a free slice of cheesecake when we asked what they could do for the inconvenience... (Probably cost them 2.00, but whatever).

When the delivery guy arrived he told us he had instructions to take back the bad plates of pasta. Weird and kind of disgusting request but gladly obliged since it was horrendous tasting anyway. They are lucky we had not thrown them away, Francisco failed to tell us on the phone he would want them back. This made me feel like they didn't trust us. Almost holding our new plates hostage unless we produced the tainted food.

Moving on we get the next two pasta bowls. One tasted like it was supposed to and the other one was gummy pasta again. I mean so bad that I spit the pasta back into the bowl!

So here we go calling back to let them know. This time we call Francisco and ask him to replace it. At this point it's been over a hour and although my husband has dinner, I do not. So my husband asks Francisco if he can replace my order AGAIN and asks if we can have another piece of cheesecake for the hassle. Francisco proceeds to tell my husband he "can't be wasting all this food" and that he has "already GIVEN us four pasta meals" and having to send a fifth. He acted like we had kept all that food and that he was doing us a favor. Sir come on your are a restaurant it is YOUR job to cook it right, it is not my fault your food tasted horrible! Again we let him know we were more than willing to send back the wretched pasta.

Francisco says he has to call Nick (who is apparently the general manager) for approval on a piece of cheesecake (rolls eyes). What kind of manager doesn't have this authorization? I am not asking for a WHOLE cheesecake. He actually said "we would be losing $7.00" if I authorized this free item. Ok they charge $7.00 but I am absolutely sure they don't pay that much for it. If they do I will gladly direct them to the next Costco (whose cheesecake is just as good) but much less expensive. In fact His whole excuse makes no sense because he said he couldn't give us a cheesecake today, but he could give us one on our next order??? Ok I don't know about you but when someone tells me something like this it will make me NEVER want to order from there again.

Francisco calls Nick, and you ask yourself what would a good manager do? Make the customer happy right? We have already made their night bad enough. NOPE, Nick says we are no longer allowed delivery!! Insult to injury, apparently if we want to eat at their restaurant we have to be there to inspect our food before we leave the premises.

No thanks Nick, I can see when my patronage is not wanted. I can take my business to any of the other local businesses around that appreciate me. Like, "Off the Hook" where they have the best fried shrimp tacos, "The Rusty Monk" which would put many burgers to shame or La Casa Del Cocinero come on these people have been in the papers and all over the internet for their spectacular food for a reason!

California Grill has three and a half stars for a reason, inconsistency with food and bad management! This is not our first experience with Francisco. I have worked in the customer service field my entire career and let me do you a favor based on my decades of being a people pleaser. My one recommendation is DO NOT visit...

Hate to leave a bad review when restaurants are already struggling during covid, but wow, two days in a row we had a bad experience.

Overall service was terribly slow both days (yesterday and today). Yesterday, we're a group of 4, asked for a high chair and it never came. Would have asked again but our waitress was hard to find. Drinks left empty for 10-15 minutes. Food arrived 30+ minutes with one order wrong. I eventually got up holding my toddler and walked into the place to get my own high chair. Funny enough, a server walked in behind (I held the door for him), didn't ask if I needed anything nor did anyone else in the restaurant building. So I proceeded to carry my own high chair I found all the way to the table, of course no one working there offered to help. The waitress didn't even acknowledge that I got it myself when she eventually showed up.

Today, we're there again (grandparents like this place, and like to eat out). Busy day, I'll give them that, waited 30 minutes for a table. We were seated WITH a high chair this time. I asked for paper menus which they are clearly stingy on giving out (our grandparents don't order by phone). Asked for 4, they brought 3. Sat for 30+ minutes before even approached by our waitress for drink orders. Like no joke, the tables around us got their food, ate it, and we're swiping credit cards by the time we got drink orders in. The waitress, on her first contact with us at this point, asked if we had ordered on the app yet. No introduction or anything, and guys c'mon, we're not a group of college kids eating lunch we're with an older generation who expects you to come take the order.

Food came 60-75 minutes from the time we sat down. My food (chicken club w/fries), came to the table totally cold. When you've been there over an hour and your food comes cold that is just totally unacceptable. I gave it back and asked for another. No apologies from anyone no less our waitress. Waited another 7-10 minutes and it came back luke warm. I have a strong suspicion they just put it under a heat lamp and gave it back to me because the sprouts I asked for had wilted a little. I should have just said forget it but we're trying to have a nice lunch with grandparents and great-grandparents so I just gave up and ate it

All in all we arrived at 12pm sharp and left at 2:20pm. Definitely not going back. You guys need to do better.

Your service was very very bad, two days in a row. You need to get orders right, delivered to the table on time, and when you mess up, you need to apologize and do something to make it right. Both days you missed the mark and no one...

Short version: don’t order the kids pancake meal. It’s terrible and they don’t know how to cook scrambled eggs. Hopefully service hasn’t changed over the years.

Long version: I’ve been coming here forever, I grew up in Whittier. I moved over an hour away and I wanted to enjoy lunch with my dad at a familiar place. I was actually having a great morning. I was happy to be seated outside with my pup, everything was going well. When we were served, I ordered a kids pancake meal. Everything comes with a juice or milk and I think a cookie. I had to ask for the milk, I was never offered, then when my daughter got her food the pancakes were paper thin, about a small circle size of a coffee cup and the eggs were scrambled but looked more like a burnt omelette cut in pieces, my daughter loves eggs and didn’t want to eat them that day. They probably tasted the way they looked. I ordered the newporter. I use to love that sandwich and I love how they make the bread it kinda makes the sandwhich in my opinion. The first time they brought it out they were missing the avocado. Second time out the bread was cooked completely different, I was over it at that point. When I asked the server how come it was different, she said they do what they want in the kitchen. Um, ok.. I used to manage a restaurant and you shouldn’t ever change what is listed unless mentioned by the server while ordering. Could be bad management because these things should get caught by food runners or waitresses before brought to the table. I wanted to enjoy my meal with my dad. Maybe it bothers me so much because I’ve been in the business for so long and hold a high standard of places I eat. I feel kinda bad leaving a bad review but our server never really smiled and didn’t check up on us, I probably tipped her more than she earned tbh. I had to walk inside eventually to get anyone’s attention even though we were the only open table outside. I used to serve and manage so I’m not being a complainer. I’ve never complained about this place once actually. Overall it’s clean and the food is usually great. I wish I would have taken a picture of my daughters food and if the bread being so different from the first time out, super disappointing I would imagine staff should be some of your best workers on a Friday. The man who sat us down was smiling, friendly, attentive and the host was nice as well. Well, I’m sure I’ll go back one day but not in a rush to return after...