Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojourner1]

It's quite different than any other HRC location. I seen 30 year old whisky for $1500 a glass on the menu!

I enter and request to sit at the bar and so I'm made to wait 10 minutes at the entrance while I chatted with a Korean Summer employee who attends UCLA who was quite friendly and outgoing. After 10 minutes, he's told there are no bar seats available so I said I'd sit where ever theres a seat to eat. They walk me down the stairs into the dark cubby on the left near the cashier computer. They hand me this small brown leather menu book and I was so sure it was the drink menu until I got the last page where the limited food menu is. I order and the 3 waitresses couldn't speak any English and finally the waiter did and said they're trying to tell me to prepay so I paid him.

I walked around the place for a minute taking a look and noticed only 3 people were sitting at the bar. Yes, 3, leaving many seats available. I think, "Why is there not a seat for me to sit at the bar with all these available seats?" I sat back down and get my pulled pork sandwhich meal in record breaking time. It only took them 3 minutes to prepare this meal that usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. The pulled pork and beans tasted very good like at any other HRC location, but the buns are ghost white with no browning and are nasty.

After eating, I walked back up the stairs and seen the waiter and door guys standing around chatting. I asked why I couldn't sit at the bar since there's many seats available? Why did it take 10 minutes for me to be told I couldn't sit at the bar? They said, "We're sorry, we're not allowed to let you sit at the bar." They were very sincere in their apologies and felt absolutely strange themselves. I got angry and said, "your Hard Rock Cafe is fucked up." Now, I don't believe it was the young men doing anything as they're simply instructed how to do their jobs, but was the higher ups. I'm writing corporate about this racial discrimination as that is not the values of Hard Rock Cafe. Even in tourist areas, Korea is only for the Koreans. I was looking forward to this new HRC location for over a year now and am very disappointed to say the least.

I think I can do much better than this in the back alley.

[Jeaves]

It was always a bit difficult to stay calm and take the "higher path" when told that something "was impossible and could not be done" yet the Korean in line right before you was given the exact same "impossible" service you were requesting.

[moosehead]

are you sh*ttin' me????

HRC was discriminating against foreigners??!! for real??

honestly - I'm shocked - really, I am - I lived in nyc for so many years - and the Hard Rock there - wow - such a tourist attraction for everyone, Americans and Europeans, everyone from wherever -

which one did you go to - aren't there 2 here? one in Itaewon and one in Gangnam?

please - I've very serious - whatever contact info you find - post it here so people can write in and complain - ok?

this is nonsense - absolute nonsense - am totally with you - !

[Hank the Iconoclast]

[blaseblasphemener]

You've been waiting a year for a Hard Rock Cafe to open? My god, those places blow! Your story only confirms why I would never set foot in an over-priced, suck-assed food, early-90s-coolbutnotanymore-lame fest.

[Ilsanman]

The Hard Rock Cafe chain is owned by some indian tribe in Florida, so I am sure they're playing the world's smallest violin for your racism.

[cdninkorea]

[Guri Guy]

I exercise at a Bally Fitness. I believe the attraction of Bally Fitness is that you can buy a membership anywhere in the world and they will honour it.

My co-worker had a membership like that and went to my gym. They said they couldn't honour ir. Apparently, they bought the name and can use it in South Korea but they aren't really a Bally Fitness.

Perhaps this is the same. This place bought the right to use the name but ignores the standards that they should maintain.

Sounds pretty weird,

GG

[yingwenlaoshi]

Something's kind of weird about that. I really don't think there was a racial thing there. They probably couldn't explain well enough that you couldn't sit there because of some other reason. Really now. Think about it.

Or maybe you looked lik a scumbag. Did you ever think about that?

Seriously though, I would've gotten a seat at the bar. There had to have been some other reason...

I bought a nice T-shirt there. Never ate there, though. Maybe I'll try it. I've only ever ate at one once in my life. I think it was in '94 or '95 and it was in Vancouver. I wasn't overly impressed.

[Roch]

Send a letter about your experience to the Hard Rock Cafe headquarters. A nice letter to the English language newspapers in Korea might do some good, too.

Sorry to know of your troubles. What happened to you is one of the more disturbing incidents I've learnt of in quite some time.

R&B

[OBwannabe]

"think I can do much better than this in the back alley."

You'd be playing right into their hands.

[Lost]

I've been there two times........and two times I've had shit service......but at least we didn't have to pay for it (they comp't it)........haha.

You can blame the same owners of Le Cigal, La Tavola and Bungaloo (I'm sure I spelled these all wrong) with the way things are run there. They own it.

[seoulsister]

I wouldn't assume that you were refused to sit at the bar because of racism. They're in Itaewon for Pete's sakes, they have to know some foreigners are going to come through the doors. I say there could be any number of ridiculous explanations, but I doubt racism is one of them.

You mentioned the menu, I also found it to be incredibly small. Definitely won't get my business again...

[Kimbop]

DOn't ask to sit at an empty bar, JUST DO IT!

[asylum seeker]

This may not be racism so much as just general ineptness and confusion. I've seen bar/waiting staff do silly things both in my home country and here. It's not really that surprising when it happens. Often it's just new staff who don't know what they're doing yet.