Really off lately

Reviewed by TProphet on Sat, 09/10/2011 - 20:12
TProphet's picture TProphet
TProphet
Joined: Jun 24, 2010
Posts: 27
Review of Lush
2

I lived and worked in the Zhichunlu area for much of last year and frequented Lush. It's expensive but the food was consistent and the service was good (for China). Then I moved, our office moved, and I haven't been back very often since.

The last two times I've been, it's really been off. The waitstaff barely speak English now; today it was a comedy of my terrible Chinese and the waitstaff's terrible English. Even the manager barely spoke enough English to understand the problem.

My problem? I ordered a hot sandwich, and the chicken was cold. I wasn't sure whether it'd been cooked through and it didn't taste right anyway, so I wanted to send it back. The first waiter just tried to get me to accept the problem ("keyi ma?") and only after I was fairly insistent (bu keyi!) was any effort made to correct the issue.

My friend ordered a wrap, and wanted to order an extra side of soup. Usually this is an extra 10 RMB for a cup of soup, but instead of charging him 10 RMB for his drink and an extra 10 RMB for a cup of soup, the waiter made him order an entire bowl of soup. You can apparently order a cup of soup with a wrap for 10 RMB more if you don't order a drink, but if you order a drink, you can only order a bowl of soup. This left me thinking "only in China..."

At any Chinese restaurant, I can experience obtuse policies and language barriers for 1/4 the price. Given the high premium that Lush charges, I expect better.

Comments

davient's picture davient Submitted by Guest on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 13:17

Sorry to hear you had a bad meal recently. Myself, I'm also a Zhichunlu resident, and on and off I use Lush as my office whilst editing papers. I can say that from my experience the service and food are generally at pretty good levels. On the few occasions I've complained, I've had problems rectified with little fuss.

I really do enjoy Lush, and though I've never had the same problem, a cold chicken sandwich incident clearly needs addressing.

I can see the problem with the side order thing, and its pretty bad that you had to pay for a whole bowl of soup. However, when I've tried to make similar side orders myself, I usually have no problem with getting a free/premium(10RMB) side of my choice and paying for the alternative item separately (usually the drink as its a cheaper separate item).

I guess its no excuse, but I think you may have been served by a very new member of staff.

I must admit, though, I enjoy practicing my Chinese here. So maybe that is where the crux of the matter lies. I don't see the deficiencies in English, because I'm having fun with them correcting my appalling, but understandable Chinese.

Knowing the guys at Lush, my bet is they've seen this review and are already kicking into gear with plans to improve the English and knowledge of the staff. Saying "TProphet thanks for the heads up!"

geedo's picture geedo Submitted by Guest on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 12:14

Aier2, I'm afraid things have changed! 25 yuan for a plain bagel. 45 yuan for a burger without sides. That ain't cheap in my book. Especially given that you can get a burger WITH sides for cheaper in most places. And even a full bagel sandwich in other places for around the price of a plain one here. The glory days are over my friend.

geedo's picture geedo Submitted by Guest on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 12:15

Aier2, I'm afraid things have changed! 25 yuan for a plain bagel. 45 yuan for a burger without sides. That ain't cheap in my book. Especially given that you can get a burger WITH sides for cheaper in most places. And even a full bagel sandwich in other places for around the price of a plain one here. The glory days are over my friend.

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