Stormy-leigh Smulders
Rated 1.0/5.0 4 months ago
I’ve always been a big fan of El Jannah and regularly visit other locations, especially Earlwood, where I’ve consistently received great service and quality food. Unfortunately, my experience at the Lakemba store on Sunday at around 6:08pm was very disappointing.
I chose to dine in as I was on my way home and wanted to sit down and enjoy my meal. The staff member at the counter who took my order was friendly and polite, which I appreciated. However, the dine-in area was extremely messy, with food and rubbish left on multiple tables. Before eating, I went to wash my hands and found the bathrooms were also unclean and, more concerning, there was no soap available at all.
I then waited over 20 minutes for my order. When my food was finally brought out, it was simply placed on the table without any acknowledgment of the wait, apology, or even a quick check that I had received everything I ordered.While waiting, I witnessed another customer complain about a long wait. He had arrived after me, yet he was given a complimentary medium garlic sauce as compensation. Despite waiting longer, I received no apology, explanation, or gesture of goodwill.
To make matters worse, although I was dining in, I was only provided with a paper fork and knife instead of proper cutlery. It defeats the purpose of dining in when customers are expected to eat this way. I ended up eating with my hands, which was even more frustrating given there was no soap available in the bathrooms to wash up properly afterward. After waiting more than 20 minutes, I also expected my meal to arrive fresh and hot. Instead, the food was only warm, which made the long wait even more disappointing.
I’ve always enjoyed El Jannah and have had many positive experiences at other locations, which is why this visit stood out for the wrong reasons. The cleanliness, customer service, and overall dine-in experience at the Lakemba store were well below the standard I’ve come to expect from the brand.