Home Plate is terrible. I used to go quite regularly because the atmosphere and food are unique and not bad for Beijing. Unfortunately, the service is so, so frustrating. Bad service is to be expected China, but this place is on a whole new level of bad. Literally every time I went, something would go wrong. For example:
- A small group of us went for a friend’s birthday. We each ordered something, and someone ordered an appetizer for the whole table. Everything arrived except the appetizer. When asked about it, the server said that we hadn’t ordered it.
- A server once threw a dirty napkin into a basket of fried okra that I was still eating and tried to clear the table. She didn’t apologize, let alone offer another order or take it off my bill. She just said she thought I was done and asked if I still wanted it.
- My friend ordered a coffee with his meal, but it never arrived. He asked the server about it while we were eating and was asked to wait. After we had finished eating, we asked the server about it again. He says to wait again. A few minutes later, another server comes to tell us that the coffee machine was broken. Then of course they tried to charge us for the coffee.
There are more examples, both before and after the change in management. The worst part is that no one ever apologizes, which is such an easy and simple gesture that actually goes a long way in diffusing bad feelings. I understand mistakes and bad service happen, but in an establishment such as Home Plate that is charging Western prices and trying to create a Western atmosphere, they cannot be the norm. This place may seem like it will be an enjoyable place to eat and hang out, but odds are you’ll end up annoyed, and then angry, at their incompetence.
Home Plate, as Chael Sonnen once said to Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck!
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Comments
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
Anonymoose, let me ask you a question (and I presume you are a native English speaker here)
Read this sign and choose its meaning below:
a. Venue owner has replaced the previous manager with a new manager.
b. Venue has changed ownership.
For correct answer, see here
I believe the original poster's statement ("There are more examples, both before and after the change in management") was vague enough to warrant inquire as to whether there really has been a change in management, a colloquial phrase that, like the sign above, suggests changes far greater than the replacement of an individual manager.
The correct and unambiguous statement would have been "There are more examples, both before and after the floor manager was changed."
Home Plate may be having hiccups in service but the people who founded it are still in control of it, as far as we at The Beijinger know.
I will now step down from my pedantic grammar horse and await further verbal thrashing in below comments.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
^ no, in fact they didn't. The statement was ambiguous and misinterpreted by others i talked to in addition to me.
You may have guessed correctly what the OP's meaning was because you may have been a regular customer of home plate for enough time to realize that there have been different floor managers in the place. The vast majority of visitors to our site likely have not.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
I wouldn't normally mention what degree I have, but as a Business major from a decent university, I would understand 'the management' to mean those in charge of organising and setting the strategy for employees, one of whom would be the front-of-house manager in this case.
Although there can be a separation between ownership (the shareholders, who might include people like you and me) and management/control (the CEO, etc) in a large publicly-traded company, it is unlikely in the case of a small restaurant chain.
Admin is right, and my immediate thought was also that the ownership rather than a single manager had changed.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
I have never met Admin, I just happen to agree with him that 'management' does not mean senior front-of-house staff. As anyone who has picked up a management textbook in their life would. Just to be clear.
I also agree with you, though, that Home Place has gone right down the pan.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
I haven't seen any major changes in the quality of service (PS i only go the the SLT location these days). It's never been Michelin Star service to begin with, but it hasn't been shabby service for me either. I like the place for the food.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
Admin so bloody argumentative. Its a weird way to treat your customers. So unnecessary, pedantic and ridiculous. We all know change of management can mean the managers. Calm down.
Yeah, managers have changed. Dave Bob left then Justin left. Also owners have left too, or have we already forgotten about Seth? The other owner Adam is never there and doesn't seem to care what happens day to day.
The place has gone WAY downhill. Service is shocking in English or in Chinese. Their delivery is the worst. Never have I had things so disgustingly destroyed on arrival from Sherpas as I have every time with Home Plate. How you gonna package a wet, sloppy burger tightly smashed, wrapped all together like that then send it on a 45 minute journey to its new owner? That ish arrives as soup. Other places manage to find delivery packaging solutions for burgers.
Home Plate stopped trying to do anything well about a year ago.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
I don't think it is pedantic. Some people on here are mistaken in what they think 'management' is.
Just like when non-Economics majors toss around the term "well, it's supply and demand!" without actually knowing how supply and demand work in most markets.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
http://www.thebeijinger.com/events/2016/sep/home-plate-sucks-drink-deal
Check this out!!
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
Why don't you sort out your service issues, which loads of people have been complaining about on here, instead of doing stupid self-deprecating promotions Brian?
You may think you have little or no competition, but it smacks of complacency to me.
Re: Home Plate, you absolutely suck!
We know service is an issue. It is something we've been working on for quite some time now. We do feel it has improved from where it was but admittedly not yet to the level we want it to be.
Concerning the drink deal promo, we are just trying to take these lemons and make some lemonade. We apologize if we offended you.
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