We had brunch at Sipology in Lauren's neighborhood last week. Never been to downtown Long Beach before. It's really lovely and almost worth the hour it took to get there. Leslie and I got hopelessly lost--I think we drove on at least 5 freeways, each slowly moving us in the right direction (so, thanks, 405). Finally there at the cute brick building that holds Siplogy, things were on the up and up. We wanted coffee and food and here we were.
Leslie ordered a fancy coffee drink and a slice of banana bread. Her order and service were prompt. Mine were not. The woman behind the counter never asked to take my order. I had to interrupt her morning paper perusal to stumble over what I wanted, because she looked at me like I was disturbing her. She didn't say, "Oh, I didn't see you there" or "Sorry, what can I get you?" or even "Can I help you, because even though I'm mad that you're here, that's what I get paid to do?" Her response was more like, "Really? You've got some nerve doing this to me. You are going to pay for this."
And after Leslie moved upstairs to join the rest of the Beat, I was left at the counter waiting on a breakfast bagel. I waited probably 20 minutes. Were they busy? I was the only customer, so probably not. I was patient at first, but then I got nervous that maybe they had forgotten, since they hadn't shown they really cared to begin with, so I asked. And the girl looked at me, annoyed, and said, "Uh. We're making it now." And just what were they making? A bagel, untoasted, with cream cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil. How long does that take? When they finally dropped it on the counter, there was no, "Sorry it took so long!" just a turn on the heel and a dismissive glance. Awesome.
Everyone swears up and down that the food and drink at this place were top notch. Chau loved her mocha, Leslie thought the banana bread was divine, and Lauren recommended the place, so naturally she's a fan. I guess I just couldn't taste it through all the bitterness the insufferable people behind the counter had served me first.
They had free Wi-Fi, a great view, and comfy couches, which made it an awesome place for us to get some work done on a Sunday, but the iffy customer service trashed my experience.
Oh, and Sipology? Gallerie is a whack way to spell gallery.
-- Heather Robertson
Heather, we definitely went through growing pains as a new business trying to bring a positive element to the community. We appreciate your analysis but apologize about any mishaps in service. i urge you to try us again, we have been successful enough to open a new location on Broadway and Temple. Come check us out and give us another shot. Fyi, we were trying to be fun and different in our play with words of 'gallery' to 'gallerie'. Hope if you ever endeavor in a small business you can appreciate the efforts.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Sipology-