
Brian W.
North Hollywood, CA
Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain
I stopped by recently on a Sunday afternoon to have a phosphate (something I'd enjoyed there before). They were busy, but there was a vacant seat at the counter. I sat there... and sat there... and sat there. I looked around for a menu -- nothing posted on the wall and only one on the counter, beneath the elbow of the man sitting next to me.About ten minutes went by, and none of the four workers behind the counter (who were busy preparing food) even acknowledged my presence.Then I heard a young man of about 19 or 20 sitting a couple stools away ask if he could get a soda. The guy behind the counter told him he was too busy at the moment. The young man erupted, "Dude, I've been sitting here HALF AN HOUR! Half an hour to get a soda?! That's ridiculous!" One of the four young men behind the counter told him haughtily, "Sir, we have several other tables that ordered before you. That's just the way it is." So the young man and his friend walked out.I sat there another five minutes, trying several times to flag down one of the counter workers. I was ignored or not seen. Finally, I asked the man making a sundae right in front of me, "Are we supposed to get our own menus?" He gave me a deer-in-the-headlights look, shrugged and said, "Uh..." The man next to me offered me his. "Oh," I said, "I didn't know we were sharing." So I took the menu, perused it for a couple minutes, then set it down and sat there for another three minutes or so. No one acknowledged my presence. Finally, I decided the young men who had walked out were right, and I stood up and exited the restaurant.I must say, this is a pretty poor way to run an establishment. Waiting half an hour (in their case) or 15 minutes (in mine) and not even having your presence acknowledged at the counter of a soda fountain is inexcusable, I don't care how busy you are. Fair Oaks Pharmacy needs to eject these young clowns running the fountain and replace them with competent workers. Until they do, I will not return.