A little too self-congratulatory . . .
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 7/24/07
For a business success story that, as its centerpiece, focuses on the two founders' frustrations with the Maui meal/value/experience equation (the founders bemoan the high-priced seafood meals dominant at the time of their arrival), I was very surprised at how poor the value of both the food and the experience actually turned out to be. Burgers were very ordinary and the cheesey fries were luke warm, at best, opon delivery. Our server, Chad, went way out of his way to pump us up on $12 drinks upon seating us but did little to stay on top of our needs throughout the meal, including a 20 minute stretch where he appeared to be looking directly 'through' us as he rendered service to other diners, ignoring our requests for condiments and refreshed water. Normally I am a 20-25% tipper and can think of only two other occasions in my entire life when I withheld a tip completely. This was the third. On a $70 lunch tab for 2 adults and a child, I just couldn't stomach the fifteen or so bucks for such a miserable overall experience. I think these folks have the right idea, but seem a bit too self-congratulatory and I think they'd be better off focusing on a best-of-class burger (even In & Out's is better -- at $3!) and reinforce legitimate service if they're going to expect tourists to give up their cash and not feel violated afterwards. The view? -- you can get that ten feet from the entrance at no cost whatsoever.