Space Needle Poor Quality Service, Poor Quality Food Seattle Washington

The Space Needle is a big attraction for tourists, but it really is not all it is hyped up to be. The view is great, but that is the only good thing I have to say.
Our family had dinner in the SkyCity restaurant, and the food was mediocre as well as the service. They charge an extra $16 per person if you do not meet the order minimum. There is a PER PERSON order minimum of $35. Our total bill was a little less than $300 for five people (four adults and one child), so we would have expected better than what we received.

The waiter seemed to be trying to recall from memory the specials for the evening, but he kept making mistakes and correcting himself. It is possible that he was new, but a well-established waiter would not stumble in such a way. This kind of problem is not a very big deal because the waiter was polite and proper otherwise. However, this experience seemed to represent the overall quality of service for SkyCity.

The croutons in the salad were stale. I ordered steak and lobster, which cost about $80. I understand this is a thrift store price for steak and lobster, but I did not think the food would be of such poor quality. The lobster was stringy and rubbery. The broccoli was wilted. The steak was overcooked and dry. The waiter admitted that the steak was not cooked the way I ordered it. I was able to sample the salmon, which was actually quite good, but that is the only part of the meal I enjoyed.

The valet service was awful. The person who originally took our car failed to give us a ticket for proper retrieval of our car. We explained this to the person who was supposed to get the car, but he was argumentative and domineering stating that they NEVER forget to give the customer a ticket. His name was James, and he was horribly rude. He inappropriately tried to overcharge us for the valet service, and this was after we explained we just finished dinner in their restaurant ($8 for valet service if you dine at SkyCity, otherwise the cost is $12). He demanded to see our receipt, which we showed to him. Other staff promised us that the valet service charge would be posted to our dinner bill, but they failed to add this to our bill, so this additional error caused us to have to deal with boorish valet staff.

I tried to complain about James to a manager named Jackson A. Beard (according to his business card), and his first response to me was a very smug, "I need to collect the money for the valet service." I was disgusted by the arrogance and blatant neglect of my complaint.

I called and left messages for other managers to file formal complaints, and I am waiting for return calls.

The staff named above must have forgotten that they were publicly representing the Space Needle, and they put their own overblown egos before the reputation of services surrounding the Space Needle. Service personnel should never be allowed to enforce a misplaced sense of authority over customers. I would be horribly embarrassed if I were a supervisor of the staff mentioned above.

I cannot recommend the Space Needle valet service. The arrogance and unapologetic attitudes of the staff most definitely do not represent the quality that is expected with such services. Valet personnel should NEVER argue with customers.

I cannot recommend the SkyCity restaurant for dining due to the low quality of food. Tourists would be better off going elsewhere for dining purposes if a higher level of quality is expected.

A fantastic place to get a good steak is the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle, and the expense is well worth it. The staff is much better with customers there, and the food is very good. If you enjoy garlic, then I have to recommend Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue.

Pixpro
Anonymous, Washington
U.S.A.