I visited El Patron on opening weekend and I will change my review once things move along. I don't understand why new restaurants open up in this town and always have a rocky opening week? It must have to do with preparation and ownership involvement. I know nothing about the restaurant business but I do know about opening successful businesses.
So walked in around 3pm on Saturday. The place didn't have a single customer but they did have the following. 1 owner on his Bluetooth ear pacing around the place like a bull in a china shop. 1 employee fixing menus and asking if she could help with anything as I read the menu, two employees sitting at the front door on their phones, one very old and dirty looking man sitting on the side toward the back and one lady behind the counter waiting for me to order. The place is what used to be half of 6 Happiness and they had 6 employees and myself standing around.
I decided to pick the easiest of menu items to try empanadas. I ordered 1 chicken and one beef. The younger woman behind the counter had to ask me three times chicken, beef or cheese. Ok so it took them 15 minutes to drop to empanadas on opening weekend. That was not the worst part of the experience. The chef took the empanadas out of the fryer, placed them in a brown paper bag and handed it to me. The bag was dripping with oil and were about to fall through. I had to walk back over to the owner who was behind me watching everything like a hawk and ask him to place them in tin foil and then a bag.
As I was leaving a family had come in and ordered some dishes. They seemed to be unhappy with the pieces of chicken that looked to be all fat and asked for new pieces. The woman/ chef doesn't speak English at all and was ignoring the family requesting other pieces.
In the end the beef empanada was delicious and I would order again but the chicken was terrible. Only an 1/8th filled with chicken and dry as can be. Probably overcooked since I did wait 15 minutes. The place was empty so that should not have happened.
I do not know if this place will make it in town but it has a long way to go. Maybe they anticipated a much larger opening and that's why they were so over staffed but the owner really shows his anxiousness to get his business going and he should have been watching the kitchen for quality control. Feels like Taco King all over again except this place looks to be authentic.
Also thanks for handing me a million menus. I am not sure if he thinks I work for him and will hand these out but I only needed one.
I visited El Patron on opening weekend and I will change my review once things move along. I don't understand why new restaurants open up in this town and always have a rocky opening week? It must have to do with preparation and ownership involvement. I know nothing about the restaurant business but I do know about opening successful businesses.
So walked in around 3pm on Saturday. The place didn't have a single customer but they did have the following. 1 owner on his Bluetooth ear pacing around the place like a bull in a china shop. 1 employee fixing menus and asking if she could help with anything as I read the menu, two employees sitting at the front door on their phones, one very old and dirty looking man sitting on the side toward the back and one lady behind the counter waiting for me to order. The place is what used to be half of 6 Happiness and they had 6 employees and myself standing around.
I decided to pick the easiest of menu items to try empanadas. I ordered 1 chicken and one beef. The younger woman behind the counter had to ask me three times chicken, beef or cheese. Ok so it took them 15 minutes to drop to empanadas on opening weekend. That was not the worst part of the experience. The chef took the empanadas out of the fryer, placed them in a brown paper bag and handed it to me. The bag was dripping with oil and were about to fall through. I had to walk back over to the owner who was behind me watching everything like a hawk and ask him to place them in tin foil and then a bag.
As I was leaving a family had come in and ordered some dishes. They seemed to be unhappy with the pieces of chicken that looked to be all fat and asked for new pieces. The woman/ chef doesn't speak English at all and was ignoring the family requesting other pieces.
In the end the beef empanada was delicious and I would order again but the chicken was terrible. Only an 1/8th filled with chicken and dry as can be. Probably overcooked since I did wait 15 minutes. The place was empty so that should not have happened.
I do not know if this place will make it in town but it has a long way to go. Maybe they anticipated a much larger opening and that's why they were so over staffed but the owner really shows his anxiousness to get his business going and he should have been watching the kitchen for quality control. Feels like Taco King all over again except this place looks to be authentic.
Also thanks for handing me a million menus. I am not sure if he thinks I work for him and will hand these out but I only needed one.
Will update after second visit.