For You Ex Northern CA Residents

I would guess that some of you have dined at Sam Wo Restaurant, home of the "world's rudest waiters"?

"San Francisco's 'world rudest waiter' restaurant Sam Wo shuts after 100 years"

"SAN FRANCISCO -- Heartbroken customers lined up for meal at a closing San Francisco institution — a 100-year-old Chinese restaurant once known for having "the world's rudest waiter." Diners of decades past say he would verbally abuse patrons, slam down dishes, and chastise complainers.

Sam Wo, a Chinatown hole-in-the-wall that typified the kind of ethnic eateries for which the city's culinary scene was lauded before it became a trendy haven for foodies, planned to serve its last customers late Friday and into early Saturday.
David Ho, a descendent of one of the restaurant's original owners, decided to shut down after officials demanded extensive health and safety upgrades.......

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/21/11321018-san-franciscos-world-rudest-waiter-restaurant-sam-wo-shuts-after-100-years?lite

He could move on down here, rude waiter and all, and we'd receive him with open arms and no huge regulatory hassles.

I ate there once in the early 80s,Edsel Ford Fung was definetly a character.

gringal wrote:He could move on down here, rude waiter and all, and we'd receive him with open arms and no huge regulatory hassles.

Doubt it. That would happen once to his patrons and the forums would kill his business.

It would be nice to have a good Chinese restaurant here, but there are none. Only imitation Chinese food.

Well, okay, hold the rude waiter.

Yes, would love some good Chinese food. When you find yourself actually looking at the Chinese offerings up at Soriana as I did yesterday and wondering "hmmmmm. Doesn't look too bad" You KNOW you're Chinese food deprived.

John:

There was a quite well known Boston restaurant who was not only known for pretty darned good food but also a rude wait staff. Only had dinner there once and cannot remember the name but it was a total kick being abused by a burly mostly female wait staff and being encouraged to give it right back at them. Seems to me that it had an Irish name with big tables covered in red and white tablecloths. Any ideas?

Durgin Park.
Here's an oxy-moron:"good chinese food in Mexico",nothing but cantonese chow mein crap made with spagetti noodles,I miss my dim sum and spicy schezuan or hunan dishes.

Thanks Chris!

Just went to their website and you hit the nail on the head. As I remember, their prime rib was famous and great!

CheenaGringo wrote:Thanks Chris!

Just went to their website and you hit the nail on the head. As I remember, their prime rib was famous and great!

I would not have thought of the name. It is well known for their Prime Rib and other offerings. I have not eaten there.

Did you ever eat at Ye Olde Union Oyster House or the No Name restaurant on the fish pier or Pizzeria Regina on Thatcher St in the North End? Best pizza in the North End or anywhere. Been there 50 years +. You'll find a line of 12 or more people outside in 20 degree winter weather. We get one of their pizzas at one of the Malls every time we return. Mmmmm........deeelish.

Most of my trips to Boston have been business trips of one or two nights duration and therefore, my experiences have been very limited. I just happened to remember the experience at Durgin Park from one of those visits after reading about the rudeness of the wait staff at the Chinatown restaurant.

The nasty waiter actually died in the 80's if I remember. He only did it to
the tourists and not the locals.

Z

CheenaGringo wrote:I would guess that some of you have dined at Sam Wo Restaurant, home of the "world's rudest waiters"?

"San Francisco's 'world rudest waiter' restaurant Sam Wo shuts after 100 years"

"SAN FRANCISCO -- Heartbroken customers lined up for meal at a closing San Francisco institution — a 100-year-old Chinese restaurant once known for having "the world's rudest waiter." Diners of decades past say he would verbally abuse patrons, slam down dishes, and chastise complainers.

Sam Wo, a Chinatown hole-in-the-wall that typified the kind of ethnic eateries for which the city's culinary scene was lauded before it became a trendy haven for foodies, planned to serve its last customers late Friday and into early Saturday.
David Ho, a descendent of one of the restaurant's original owners, decided to shut down after officials demanded extensive health and safety upgrades.......

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/21/11321018-san-franciscos-world-rudest-waiter-restaurant-sam-wo-shuts-after-100-years?lite

Dawg lived in and around San Francisco for some 30 years and never met any local who ever ate there. I am reminded of the old movie, If It´s Tuesday This Must be Belgium.
Pure tourist hype sharing the headlines with eateries at Fisherman´s Wharf. This was the kind of place the Grey Line Bus unloaded tourists for an "exotic" meal of chop suey and fried rice. For about ten years, I lived on Russian Hill overlooking Chinatown and used to walk from my home to the Financial District through the back alleys of Chiatown in the early mornngs when crews were cleaning utterly filthy tourist dives. You woujld not believe the huge rats running about even in daylight after being disturbed by cleaning crews and garbage collectors.
Actualy, the best Chinese food in San Francisco was served far from Chnantown in an area called The Avenues but I preferred, in general, the Chinese food in Oakland´s Chinatown which was almost unknown by tourists. It didn´t hurt that many of my banking colleagues were Chinese and some even kin to the restaurant owners. We got some special treament there.

It seems to me that, on any day in those old Chinatown hash houses with the exceedingly bland food, there were more Iowans eating there than lived in Des Moines.

Did you set me up for this, CG?

Actually, what I would call perfunctory servce is pretty common in Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area.

Actually the guy who took me to Sam Wo's was my grandfather who was a cable car conducter on the California St line from 1929 to 1942 after which he joined the CHP and worked out of the substation located at the Golden Gate Bridge for 25 years,he also took me Sinbads every time I visited,when my uncles who were both SFPD detectives took my grandfather and I to Fior d Italia for dinner my gramps got really pissed when he found out there were no spagetti and meat balls on the menu,he was no gourmet but quite a character.