Pickle Jar Kitchen (A Review)

Recently I ate at the Pickle Jar Kitchen knowing nothing but its name and its neat stain glass pickle window. Let me start off by saying that the food was good, drinks were over priced three dollars for a coke bottle that you can get for a dollar at the local seven-eleven, or rite aid, both are up the street.

What I didn’t like were the people working. They all walked around with grumpy looks on their faces, moving as slow as molasses. Not one staff member smiled or even looked like they even cared to be there.

While I was being seated the lady whipping my table down was in mid argument with a customer giving snippy comments and rolling her eyes something you don’t even see at McDonalds. Our waiter came but seemed reluctant to answer our questions and kept trying to walk off before we could ask another question. These weren’t annoying questions just what type of bread came with the meal and what the most popular dish is. I would only see him two more times ounce when he brought the food and the second when he brought the bill in mid meal. Other than that he was a ghost and he never brought or even asked if I wanted more water or even how the meal was.

At the end of the meal I put my credit card and waited for it to be picked up. Every staff member walked by looked at and didn’t take it. My waiter was off in back talking to someone glancing over occasionally but making no effort to come get the bill. So after ten minutes I got up and went to the hostess, she was on the phone blabbing to a friend about something she did with somebody. She looked at me as if she couldn’t be bothered reluctantly took my credit card ran it through as fast as a sloth then paused, talked some more on the phone before she gave me back my credit card and paused again, talked, before she handed me my recent. I then signed the recent leaving to tip what so ever. I promptly left.

When I got down the street a lady yelled from behind me I turned around and it was the hostess demanding to know why I didn’t leave a tip. Instead of telling her how much the service sucked, and explaining that gratuity/tips is not automatic “Extra Money” from paying Customers. I gave her an offhanded excuse; she looked baffled and sheepishly walked back towards the restaurant.  The fact that she actually took the time to leave her post and chase me showed me how unprofessional everyone in that establishment is.

I get that it sucks getting paid the two dollars and hour bit but customers are not responsible for making up the difference. According to the State of Massachusetts if you do not get an hourly wage of ten dollars an hour your employer has to make up the difference. So maybe the Pickle Jar should pay its staff more instead of relying on Customers to support the financial needs of it’s of its employees.

Remember no one owes you a gratuity/tip. And no one else in any other industry gets tips for doing there job properly, consider yourself fortunate to be in an industry that allows such a privilege  but it is a privilege not a right.

In reading other reviews of the Pickle Jar Kitchen it seems like it’s a hit or miss place as far as the staff is concerned.  If I was to recommend this place it would be for take out only because the food is rather good but who wants to deal with a moody staff? Not me.