Author: _Stiven

Earlier today, I saw from the outside that Bun Saigon was not busy, and decided to go in for some curry. I ordered curried chicken, but instead of bread, I opted for rice. The $10 dish had enough curry gravy and several pieces of marinated...chicken, but probably previously grilled or flavored with bbq sauce. The potatoes were a bit soft as if cooked for a long time. I found the curry too mild and added chili sauce to it. But perhaps the staff could have asked how spicy I wanted my food. During my time there, I did notice school-age children not having much to do at the restaurant run by their parents. But they were nice and well-behaved children. Then a teenager came in, obviously also a family member. He started slurping food loudly right behind me, but I didn't turn around to look at him. When I got up to pay, I saw that the teenager had definitely finished eating, and was staring at his phone like many in his generation would do all day. While paying my bill, I tried to ask the female proprietor, or possibly the teenager's mother, "How's business?", but I had to say it five times before she understood that I wasn't ordering another dish or complaining about the food. I also asked if she wanted me to review her restaurant for TripAdvisor, but she couldn't understand me at all. I wondered if the teenager could help to translate my message to her, but he made no effort at all. He did watch me the whole time I got ready to leave. Once more, I thought, "You could have told your mother what I was saying to her." In fact, there were other people around who could have helped, but they chose not to do so. I thought regretfully that this restaurant had just lost major marks on marketing and customer relations. My goodness, a restaurant is not only about serving food, but also about networking with customers who should want to go back and bring new customers to try it. The language barrier I observed today was a clear obstacle to these benefits. In the final analysis, I wonder how viable it is for a restaurant in the tourist district of Toronto's Chinatown to not be able to communicate in English. So, I would rate Bun Saigon 3 out of 5, and hope business will pick up again after the coronavirus crisis is over. The proprietors seem like nice people who could do much better, especially with teenagers around who can speak English. Thank you.