Author: Jessica_Bell

I’ll preface this novel of a review with the fact that I have never written a negative review in my life. I’m pretty easy to please. But my experience at Una was inexcusable. Today I visited Una on my lunch break with my colleagues, for...a quick something-to-go. It was a zoo (understandably) and I have dietary restrictions (vegan), so I ordered a salad to keep things simple and easy. I paid ~$12 for a plain salad up front, and then had to stand by the door for >30 minutes watching everyone else walking in get served before me. The sweet lady working the till checked in on me several times (she was an absolute angel - the only thing going for this place) and went to speak with the waitress to follow up on the status of my salad. If you haven’t been to Una before, it’s important to know that it is an open kitchen and a long, narrow building…sound travels well. The nice lady who checked in on my order was told by the waitress that the chefs felt it would “take too long to make [me] a salad” and to “just pick the cheese off a prepackaged one”. That waitress then snuck a prepackaged salad from a fridge close to the till (where I was) and took it to the far end of the kitchen (away from me). She kept her back turned, but I could see her picking some of the animal product off before handing it back to the nice lady who was helping me, who looked uncertain/uncomfortable. Instead of continuing to pick everything off (unlike the waitress), she brought the salad to the till, explained the situation, and asked if it was ok if they just picked off the relevant items (which I appreciated). It ultimately wasn’t though…I have a dairy allergy. I didn’t want to make a scene (this poor woman had already been inundated with frustrated customers in a rush) or put her through the trouble of reimbursing my card, so I ran with it…and paid $12 for a plain salad that I couldn’t even eat. 45 mins after I had ordered it. The whole situation made my skin crawl. For one, if they couldn’t accommodate a simple salad, they should have suggested something else before I had been waiting there for ~30 minutes. Heck, if something is too much trouble to make it probably shouldn’t be on the menu to begin with (and man, if a simple salad is too complex what about the rest of the menu?)! Second, it was astounding to me how deceptive the waitress was willing to be - seemingly because my dietary restriction was perceived to be a “preference” (not that it should have made a difference - food is a very personal thing), and how I was treated like a complete inconvenience. It also upset me how the lady at the till was put in such an uncomfortable position by a colleague…I’m exceedingly glad she was open with me. She saved me from serious illness. Ultimately, my visit to Una was the kick in the teeth I really, really didn’t need. I will never forget my experience today, and strongly encourage anyone with allergies to avoid this place like the plague.