Hula Hut

Reviews 3

BR

Brian Nail

Ill start this by saying that Ive never written one of these reviews before. Im so disappointed by this place that it has prompted meet to write my first one. Enjoy. We (party of 5) placed reservations online (at their website), but when we got to the restaurant they said that they dont take reservations (sorry). They put us on the (45 min) waiting list for outdoor covered patio seating. Had we known that ahead of time, we wouldve left earlier for this meal. Place was packed, but there were plenty of tables in the back. I totally understand that they are short staffed, but the only place to stand was outside in the heat of the sun (bar tables) or to hover over the dining tables of other patrons. Therefore we decided to wait in the sun to respect the space of others. Eventually one of the bar tables with an umbrella became available. No one came to clean it off. So we did it ourselves so that we could sit in the shade. The outdoor seating is made of black metal. Not a wise choice for Texas. As such, in the time it took us to clean off the table the chairs had become scorching hot. After over an hour of waiting, we asked about our table. They didnt have one under the covered patio yet, but they did have an indoor table. Whatever. We were tired of waiting. So we took it. Waiter was friendly and knowledgeable, but hardly ever present (short staffed). Our food took forever to come out. When it did, it had ingredients added that we were not expecting. One plate had chicken with cheese on it (expected). On top of the whole dish was pinapple (expected) and peppers (not expected). Also the cooks failed to remove the paper from the cheese (totally unexpected). So the paper was baked into the dish. We asked for the manager. When he showed up, we asked him to send it back to the kitchen for a redo. We also asked for the peppers to not be on the next one. He was polite, but when the "fixed" plate came back, it was exactly the same sans paper. It was immediately obvious to us that it wasnt right, but he took off before we could point that out. He didnt return. The other dish we send back had an unexpected load of mayo on it. We sent it back. They forgot about returning that one to us until after we had asked for the check. Probably couldve gotten it sooner, but our waiter was no where to be found -most of the time. I found myself running for items myself (such as silverware and napkins). We had to ask for our check from a bus boy. Anyhow, we had high hopes for this place because we love Hawaii and tropical foods. The theme of the restaurant is awesome. They even have a working volcano out back. However it was WAY too over crowded to be enjoyable. The food is mediocre (at best) and is WAY over priced. The service is terrible. The are very friendly, but are hardly present to service you. The manager did take off one plate from the ticket, but that didnt change our mind about the place. We ended up taking half of the food home because it took so long to get the "fixed" food to us. We only got to eat half our food there and after spending nearly 3 hours there (mostly waiting) we were ready to get out of there ASAP. If you go, go for the volcano. Its the best thing about the place. Weve seen it now. Been there. Done that. Wont return.

KE

Kelly M

Apparently, this restaurant is owned by the same people that own Chuys. Since the food is extremely comparable, I am inclined to believe it. Do you like Chuys? Because that is what you can expect food-quality wise. Service is inept and slow by any standard however. Here was my experience: We arrived at 3:50pm on Sunday. There was a short line (two parties) to sign in. We were told the wait for a table was 40 minutes but that we could get drinks and appetizers at the bar while we waited and walk around the restaurant. We spent about five minutes looking out on the deck - which has a little volcano, a lagoon, and a decent view of Lake Lewisville. We then went inside and waited another 5-10 minutes for a bartender to take our drink and appetizer order. Little did I know, this was the last time this bartender would speak to me until I asked for our check some 35 minutes later - even though the ratio of bartenders to customers sitting at the bar was about 1:2. We ordered two drinks and the Kawakini Avocado. The drinks were delivered in a timely manner. The avocado arrived around 4:30. Id finished my drink about 10 minutes earlier but was never offered the opportunity to ask for another. We took about three bites of the avocado, decided to get the check and leave rather than wait for a table. About five minutes after the avocado arrived, I finally see "our" bartender and ask for the check. We wait about another 5-8 minutes and then I calculate the money we owe from the menu and I just leave it on the bar. Right about then the check arrives. The bartender ended up getting a nice undeserved tip just because I didnt want to wait any longer to get my change. We then drove back to our home on the east side of Frisco, about 20 minutes away. I remembered I had promised to get some stuff out of the attic for my wife, so I pulled back out of the garage and dug through that to find the fall wreath. Then I put the ladder up and pulled back in the garage and went to write this review. It is now 5:16pm - or about 1 hour and 20 minutes after we checked in at Hula Hut and were told it was a 40 minute wait. I am still waiting for the text that our table is available. The view and the OK food would make it worth the time; but the glacial and mediocre service just kills it. Some poor lady arrived there with three kids in tow. I cannot even imagine that experience.

DO

Don Petersen

Its a great concept, a nicely decorated building, and a great outdoor scene. Thats the positive portion of my review. When we got there, we were told it was a 45-minute wait for a table. At that time, there were 7 empty tables inside near the bar and a bunch more outside -- they all had menus limited to appetizers. The math doesnt work -- maybe 15 empty tables, but a 45-minute wait. Hmm . . . . We were actually seated after about 15-20 minutes. The service was horrible. It took 20-25 minutes minutes to get our order taken. I ordered a hamburger MR with crisp fries. Probably 45 minutes later (so now were at over an hour total), I got a luke-warm burger that was way overcooked (MW). I also got fries that, although not that bad, were anything but crisp. My sons quesadilla was barely luke-warm. Then, the waitress charged us for three milks even though they are included with kids meals. One of my pet peeves -- nobody, not even the waitress, ever asked us how everything was. If you dont ask, you usually dont find out. And then you cant fix anything. And people like me walk out and write a bad review. Good restaurant management is not brain surgery. My wife had the chicken enchilada, which she liked. So maybe Im dumb for ordering a hamburger in a place like that. I will only go back if my wife insists. And it probably wont be until 2016 to let my anger die down and to let them work out the kinks.