Home Plate, you absolutely suck!

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!