Austin woman goes to Halal restaurant. Then the worker only smiles when she’s looking at her phone: ‘Go look at their Google reviews’
Halal Bros is one of the most famous hotspots for Austin residents, with locations across the city in Anderson Mill, Braker Lane, and West Campus. While most people absolutely adore the food, one person had a particularly strange experience when going to a Halal Bros location on South Lamar.
TikTok content creator Gorliessss (@gorliessss) had a hostile experience while picking up an order of Halal food. She didn’t have any problems with the food, but one of the workers apparently made it the “worst experience” for her. The TikToker reflected on this experience in a video with over 1,200 views, adding, “ I will probably not go back there ever again. That was such a bad experience.”
What happened with Halal Bros?
Gorliessss was excited to get Halal food and picked a hotspot destination—Halal Bros. She ordered inside the restaurant and expected a relatively smooth experience, as she was just getting some food to go.
When she reached the service area where she could order, she immediately noticed some iPads sticking out directly in front of her. She also noticed a woman whom she could order her food from.
She opted to place her order with the woman, cheerfully asking for two falafel plates. Then she noticed that the worker had what Gorliesss described as a “tone.” She was monotone and didn’t have much of a chipper tone in her voice. She asked whether Gorliesss wanted the falafel as a side, which was both confusing and monotone. Gorliess reiterated that she wanted the plate—not a side.
That’s when the girl responded again in an off-putting manner. She said, “Which one?”
That same trend continued throughout the ordering process, which Gorliesss found to be incredibly rude. She reflected further on this in her video, saying that normally, she makes her own falafel at home or orders online when she wants food. But, she just decided to go in person today. She felt as though the worker’s behavior was not appropriate, considering she was just trying to order a falafel plate.
She reflects a bit more on the experience
After that experience, Gorliesss reflected a bit more on her encounter. She concluded that something wasn’t quite right about the South Lamar location. For one, she read multiple Google reviews, which allegedly claimed that staff had let non-staff members go to the back of the restaurant. Other negatives stuck out to her before she even took a bite.
Before eating, she did admit that the food looked “delicious.” When she finally got a chance to try the food, she had the same conclusion. But, it didn’t really change how negative her experience was in-store.
Commenters urge her to give Halal Bros a second shot
Commenters seemed a bit confused about why Gorliesss wouldn’t go back to Halal Bros after her experience. They mentioned that all the worker had really done was speak in a monotone way.
Some viewers urged Gorliesss to consider giving grace to the business, especially considering the fact that the employee might have just had a really bad day.
“Know rude customer service sucks, but I always try to assume ‘maybe they’re going through something’ and it could be anything,” one person said. “This person could be filling in for someone because of an emergency and maybe she has anxiety and was explicitly told ‘you won’t have to deal with customers, they’ll just use the iPad.’ She could be going through something mentally. She could have an absolutely insane migraine. I feel like it’s easier to ‘let it go’ with that state of mind.”
Another commenter reflected on the situation, adding, “So…she was quiet and her tone was flat? how exactly was she rude? I get the feeling, but I don’t think this really feels good on the Internet.”
Gorliesss has not made any posts indicating that her stance on Halal Bros has changed, though. So, it’s unlikely she will ever make it back to the restaurant.
@gorliessss #greenscreen ♬ original sound – :-)
The Mary Sue reached out to Gorliesss via TikTok direct comment and Halal Bros via its contact form.
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