My blogpost today is my way of saying a big THANKS to the amazing people at Yolks Commissionary. Because I was so blown away at the world class customer service, I decided to put a post immediately for today and bump whatever post I had planned for another day. There are two times my mouth can't shut, firstly when its full of good food and secondly when the service has been extraordinary. And at Yolks Commissionary at 1298 East Hastings, I ended up with both.
The day began like any other day, with me waking up early to explore some of Vancouver's hidden gems. Hole in the wall places with glorious food tucked far away from the touristy downtown core. For months and months I had been hearing about Yolks Commissionary out on east hastings. I had already tried some of their food from their food truck and was completely sold. Now it was time to visit the mothership.
On a Sunday morning the restaurant opens at 9am. I arrived around 8:55 and within 3 mins a good sized crowd had already built up. When the doors open the restaurant was flooded and at 9:15 a waiting line had formed of eager beavers who had arrived 2-3 mins later than the others. The scenery at East Hastings may not be as romantic as the touristy restaurants downtown but when you see lineups like this at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere you know that you're in the right place.
Yolks has many fabulous food finds on their menu but their claim to fame is Chicken and Waffles. This is one people come from miles around and stand in line for. So for my first visit there I decided to go for it and see what the craze is all about. Things didn't go as expected, they went BETTER and as a result I got a sneak peak into the first class service that makes Yolks one of a kind when it comes to customer service.
My delicious plate of chicken and waffles arrived promptly. In the meantime my server Mim took time to strike up friendly conversation with me even as the restaurant was filling up. When my food arrived they showed me some hot sauce I could use with it. However when I tried to top the dish with hot sauce a little too much came out on the top waffle.
Soon my server saw that and she felt it wouldn't be a good experience for me to be having too much hot sauce. I said it was fine, I didn't want to bother the restaurant over something that isn't their fault at all. But she insisted that I give back the top waffle and they said they would make another waffle for me. So while waiting I bit into chunks of glorious juicy crispy chicken combined with the sweet flavor of the bottom waffle and the savory sensation of hot sauce.
Half way through the server checked on me and since I was half way through she said the other waffle would be made into my dessert for me. At this point the only thing that went through my mind is that her tip was gonna go to 20% up from the original 15% that I had planned. In addition to that I would be writing a blog immediately to let people know that this place is worth spending a whole packet of bus tickets to come to.
As you've already guessed the pic above is the original dish that came and the pic below is the replacement waffle they gave me when i put too much hot sauce on the first. I still cannot believe how incredibly attentive they are and their willingness to do this for me even though they had a full restaurant and a waiting line outside.
I'll be back soon with another round of chicken and waffles and this time I'll remember to remove the top waffle before dumping delicious hot sauce on it....
