"Duck confit was flavorless. Shrimp was horribly overcooked and rubbery." What I tend to see in grand openenings is the chef works about 100 hours per week in the week leading up to, and first week of business. They just get ground down and can let things slip, what makes it even worse is he's the only guy that knows how to cook it properly. So if he had to go home and crash at 8 after the rush then the guys who watch him make the food are now making the food. And they don't have enough to practice. I'm also a bit confused by the duck confit comment. It's duck cooked in its own rendered fat, and one of the richest/tastiest proteins out there. I don't know how it could be screwed up, unless they ran short on fat.

I hear you on the duck. I was really looking forward to it. It lacked all of the unctuous richness that it should have. It tasted like some shredded meat from a pressure cooker, at least from the tablespoon sized dollop that was on my taco. The size of the tacos are inordinately small. They look like 4-5 inch tortillas, definitely much smaller than what you would consider standard.

Actually now that mention the size I was disappointed that the $7.50 shrimp taco only came with 2 shrimp. I left about a third of the taco on the table as it has run out of shrimp after only 2 bites...

I'm here now. First, the space is fantastic and it's a place I'd stop to have a beer, which is tough to pull off for a place that is primarily a restaurant. My wife and I ordered queso and chips and I'll second Pete's recommendation. I ordered the shrimp taco and catfish taco. They were both good, but the former was really good. My wife ordered a salad and she wondered why they had only rotisserie and not fajita chicken. Also, the onions and green peppers were raw, not sautéed. She thought both of those things were decidedly not Tex-Mex. Thoughts?

I'll agree with others that the separate lines don't work. I don't mind standing in lines at all because I can converse with friends. In this case, my wife and I stood in separate lines and had to pay separate. It doesn't work and I suspect they'll change it.

Overall, I love this place and suspect they'll iron out the wrinkles.

12375

...Overall, I love this place and suspect they'll iron out the wrinkles...

Pretty much sums up my own thoughts beautifully.

You can order tacos in both lines. You do not have to seperate from your group.

Anyway. I wish I knew who the owners are. I'm inclined to think they're small. Even the moderately sized local groups like chris lower or good egg have far smoother openings. But I think they will get it ironed out. I'm way positive on this place.

Gary Goldman and investors, is what I've heard. Goldman is operating it. He's been in the industry for a long time with HSRG - Charleston's, Pearl's Lakeside/Hefner Grill, etc., but I think this is his first endeavor outside of HSRG.

There is an article at the top of the page that talks about the ownership and background.

Ok I went in yesterday. On the two line thing, Perhaps they explained it better to me or they changed the setup a bit. the guy greeted us and asked if we had been in before. when we said we had not he explained to go through the line against the glass if you want salads or burritos or bowls and if you are also ordering tacos when you get to the register at the end of the line place your order for anything on the menus on that wall. If you were only ordering from the menus on that wall you can go directly to the register and bypass the assembly line. we both went through the line and I got a salad and he got a Bowl and then we ordered a taco to try once we got to the register. The salad was huge and I did the 6 ingredient with a protein so it came to 13.00 for the salad and I took probably a 1/4 of it home for later. He really liked his bowl and the carna Asada taco was great! we will be back for sure. Also Bloody mary was fantastic.

Definitely a confusing and odd service experience. Was told after waiting several minutes that you could skip burrito line if ordering tacos. However, we were ordering a burrito and tacos, so had to wait. Since the burrito line is like a chipotle, you get your burrito at check out. So we sit down and finished the burrito before the tacos came out. I also asked about drinks at check out and was told there are servers coming around taking drink orders. They never came around so we werent able to order a drink. I wanted to get out of there because I was unhappy with the setup, the fact that no drink server came around and that they never cleaned the table from the prior party. Maybe part of this could be because they were quite busy.

Maybe its a good lunch spot but if you go with a group or want to order drinks, they need to work things out before you can enjoy it. I get restaurants are moving towards counter service, fast casual style of dining to save money, but they lost money on my party because we literally couldnt order a couple of drinks due to lack of service and weird ordering process. So we left and got a drink elsewhere.

Food was actually good. Fair price for burrito but some of the tacos are a bit pricey and small in size. The finish out looked nice, although it looked cramped around the bar area. But I cant get over the ordering process, seems like little thought went into it.

now that you mentioned the bussing. it was a bit confusing as to if you bus your own table or not. then I noticed on a different table a tent that said to please bus your table when finished, our table was missing that part of the instruction.

Reminder that as of today they have been open one week.

They'll figure all this out and in the meantime, it's a gorgeous space, wonderful setting and very good food.

Gary Goldman is very respected in the local restaurant scene and has a ton of experience.

Had lunch today and tried the adobo lamb taco. Excellent, though I would have preferred the duck confit if they had not been out of it. The pork carnitas taco was great, as it has been on previous visits. My lunch was quite late - about 1 PM - but service seemed to be much more sorted than on previous business.

Went there today for lunch with a group of 4 total.

Got there just afternoon and the line wasn't bad - about 15-20 deep.

First off, I really like the location. We like to walk that area and do some browsing and the food offerings were getting a bit stale.

The interior is top notch (so much so it leads to my dislikes I'll get to in a minute). Has a great vibe that doesn't look like its copying anyone else.

The menu, while not extensive, offered enough choices we all had a hard time making our decision. That process was only acerbated by their bizarre 'two line' ordering system - which was really weird if you're in a group and only one person is paying - as it makes part of your group have to wait for the rest at the register. Not to mention it just seems unnecessarily odd and a waste of a staff members time to explain to everyone.

Our order consisted of carne asada quesadilla, carne asada tacos, shrimp tacos, cheese burger taco, chips, queso, guac and soda/tea. $82-ish total.

Our aggravation of the two line system was enhanced when we sat down and part of our party had their custom burritos from line 2 while the rest of us waited for our food, ordered from line 1. We waited so long in fact that those who already had their food finished it before the rest got theirs.

Getting the food was also an issue. We had some sort of 'table locator' that apparently didn't really know our location. The waitress was sent to the back of the restaurant were she wandered around asking people if they had order #13. We finally realized that was probably us and got her attention.

The chips? Well, I usually don't like thick chips, but I really liked these. The only down side was I'm guessing it's not a bottomless bowl and there definitely was only enough for maybe 2 people. The queso? Well, it was fine. Nothing special. Tasted like melted process cheese. A little spice or something would have been nice to dress it up. The guac was good and fresh tasting - but again, no real signature zip to it.

The carne asada burrito and quesadilla were the stars in most people's opinion. Very fresh tasting, good portion and moist with several flavors going on.

The shrimp taco was good, but a little dry. Had to add bottled sauce to moisten it up a bit.

For the atmosphere and price I think the 'bus your own table' cheapens the place. Add in the fact you're going to get people in nicer clothes coming in and one spilled plate of anything is going to ruin the experience for your customer - who already stood in line to order and paid a decent price.

I'd personally remove the staff member explaining to everyone the two line system and instead spend less on a bus boy.

Regardless, the place is new, its looks great and it tastes pretty decent to really good.

Will definitely try it again.

If they expect you to bus your own table... do they expect you to wipe it down, too, which can be a pain??? What is the point of having servers to do that kind of task then? Maybe someone who works there can get on this board and make some comments to clarify their policies?

I bet the table clearing is a short-term thing.

They have been overwhelmed with business and I just saw an ad where they are hiring at all positions.

If they expect you to bus your own table... do they expect you to wipe it down, too, which can be a pain??? What is the point of having servers to do that kind of task then? Maybe someone who works there can get on this board and make some comments to clarify their policies?

Right after we cleared our table a staff member came over and wiped it down. Two thoughts..... one, it is not obvious where you are supposed to dump your plates when the place is full. Two, if you're gonna pay someone to wipe tables, why not pay them to bus them too?

Someone earlier mentioned having to order cocktail refills themselves from the bar. We did have a staff member approach our table and ask if we wanted anything from the bar - bartender looked to be totally underwhelmed and bored out of her mind. So, maybe they've already addressed that issue.

Went for my second visit last night. Crowd wasnt nearly as big as it is for lunch. The two of us both wanted burritos so the ordering process was a non issue for us. The first time I went I had two tacos, which were both great, this time I opted for the burrito. It was one of the best, if not the best burrito I've ever had. I went for the rotisserie chicken, you also get to add in 5 additional ingredients, everything was extremely fresh and you could taste each individual component unlike a lot of other burritos. Also just a note to BBates post, we ordered chips and queso and ran out of chips before the queso was gone, if you ask they'll refill the chips complimentary. Also seems like they're working on service issues as they had two "waitresses" walking around taking drink orders for the bar. All in all another great experience, will probably be returning on a weekly basis.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Strongly agree on the Burrito being awesome. I made one with the Chorizo refried beans and rotisserie chicken. I used the yellow habanero sauce. The burritos and bowls are the best value imo.

I had read reviews here and thought maybe the service issues were overstated. Then I went this evening, and wow. What were they thinking? There is no way two ordering lines can work long term. Then, why do you order/pay for food up front, but have to wait for a server to greet you and take your drink order? Then, you have to pay a second time for your drinks.

Our food arrived right as our server was greeting us for the first time, so the food was gone before the drinks showed up. The restaurant was about 3/4s full, so it was busy, but not that busy.

Chips and salsa were very good. Tacos were just okay.

It is a beautiful space. And I want them to succeed very much. But that was one of the weirder dining experiences I've ever had.

Agree on all counts - I was actually a table over from Mr. Bates and his party as we finished our meal. Food is great, but the service system needs work.

The little signs on the table directly asking me to buss my own table really cheapened the effect, and, in the moment, actually felt insulting. The main reason I had added a tip when I paid was because I assumed someone would be cleaning tables and taking the tip... had I known I had to do it myself, I would have re-thought.

Agree on all counts - I was actually a table over from Mr. Bates and his party as we finished our meal. Food is great, but the service system needs work.

The little signs on the table directly asking me to buss my own table really cheapened the effect, and, in the moment, actually felt insulting. The main reason I had added a tip when I paid was because I assumed someone would be cleaning tables and taking the tip... had I known I had to do it myself, I would have re-thought.

You've got to think the bussing system will change once they make more hires. The Garage (which has a pretty similar system to this) busses the tables for you, and Cultivar has a much nicer feel then that.

I had read reviews here and thought maybe the service issues were overstated. Then I went this evening, and wow. What were they thinking? There is no way two ordering lines can work long term. Then, why do you order/pay for food up front, but have to wait for a server to greet you and take your drink order? Then, you have to pay a second time for your drinks.

.

The Garage also takes bar drink orders separately with separate ticket and it works fine. It just seems Cultivar is slow at getting to you for cocktails. but I am sure that will change as time goes on. especially considering they are less than two weeks old.

You've got to think the bussing system will change once they make more hires. The Garage (which has a pretty similar system to this) busses the tables for you, and Cultivar has a much nicer feel then that.

The bussing system really needs to change. As for the line.... I have zero issue standing in line and ordering - I actually prefer it at lunch. But the whole Two Line thing has to be rethought. Or, put up a divider and some signs so each group doesn't get a 45 second intro to the two line concept and still stand there bewildered. Even once everyone figures it out - it still makes for people getting food to far out of order - both at the register and at the table.

The Garage also takes bar drink orders separately with separate ticket and it works fine. It just seems Cultivar is slow at getting to you for cocktails. but I am sure that will change as time goes on. especially considering they are less than two weeks old.

And thats why I rarely go to The Garage, maybe just for lunch. Or really any counter service restaurant, its usually just for lunch. I dont want to have to order, pay, sit down and then have to do that all over again for a beer. Why would a restaurant want to complicate or slow down the process of taking customers money? Shouldnt they try to streamline that? At the very least Cultivar could have drink menus in the line and take drink orders at the same time as food orders.

I never saw a sign about bussing your own table so I left our stuff. This is really a head scratcher, to ask customers to do this. Even Panera has employees to do the bussing.

This makes you really appreciate those who do their research and training, complete with an extended soft opening process, to make sure they are ready to roll when open to the public.

The main reason I had added a tip when I paid was because I assumed someone would be cleaning tables and taking the tip... had I known I had to do it myself, I would have re-thought.

Yes, I had the exact same thought.

It makes one wonder what the concept of tipping is all about. I always thought a tip was for service and consequently was extended after the meal. I don't get why a tip would be either expected or paid prior to eating. Old school way of thinking, I guess.

It makes one wonder what the concept of tipping is all about. I always thought a tip was for service and consequently was extended after the meal. I don't get why a tip would be either expected or paid prior to eating. Old school way of thinking, I guess.

Correct on the old school way of thinking. TIPS = To Insure Proper Service. Originally, tips were given up front to make sure you got taken care of.

Correct on the old school way of thinking. TIPS = To Insure Proper Service. Originally, tips were given up front to make sure you got taken care of.

And in the case of tipping a server, to insure that proper service the next time one frequents the establishment. I'm just not going to play that game with any establishment.

I think its disingenuous for counter-service restaurants to even include a tip line on checks. A pet peeve of mine. If there is table service involved, I know the server is making $2.13/hr and I am going to tip 20%+.

But if it's counter service, where does that money go, and for what? In my experience, it's used as justification for the restaurant owner to pay bussers/counter staff/kitchen workers less than minimum wage on the premise of "they receive tips." But of course, in those cases, most people aren't tipping because it's such a gray area.

I think its disingenuous for counter-service restaurants to even include a tip line on checks. A pet peeve of mine. If there is table service involved, I know the server is making $2.13/hr and I am going to tip 20%+.

But if it's counter service, where does that money go, and for what? In my experience, it's used as justification for the restaurant owner to pay bussers/counter staff/kitchen workers less than minimum wage on the premise of "they receive tips." But of course, in those cases, most people aren't tipping because it's such a gray area.

Tipped employees receive the balance between $2.13/hour and $7.25/hour from the employer if the balance isn't made up by tips, they do not make just $2.13/hour if they suck and don't get any tips.

And in the case of tipping a server, to insure that proper service the next time one frequents the establishment. I'm just not going to play that game with any establishment.

And that's kinda BS, because odds are you will not have the same server, nor will they remember you (if you do happen to get the same one) the next time you go in to a restaurant, unless you're a regular customer.

nm

Do you know of any tipped employees that have had the balance made up by their employer? While this is the way it is supposed to be I doubt the reality is such.

I don't know anybody that works for tips, so can't answer this, but I'd be surprised if people went home after work and only got paid $2.13/hour, it's against the law (and yes, I know wage theft violations happen all the time, everywhere, but do you think anybody would work for someone for long if all they got was $2.13/hour?).


Any servers here to comment? How do you differentiate the good servers from bad if you are expected to tip before service is rendered?

You really can't differentiate between good and bad before, so ......


Do you endorse the concept of tipping for counter service? What is the justification?

I believe tipping for counter service is silly and generally don't do it (like at Freebird's - I order myself, get my own drink, take my food to my table, and bus my own table - why would I tip?).

Went last night to check out the evening service - with a party of 13.

Got there around 7pm. Pretty much all the tables in the front were taken (the side area down the hall was empty), but there was no line. We lucked out and one of the long taller tables near the street was available so we pulled up another table and it accommodated us well.

The two line theme definitely continues into the evening and once again was unnecessarily confusing. Adding to that the waitress who gave me my drink cup for tea (at the table) charged me for the drink and so did the cashier when I placed my order and she saw me holding a cup (luckily I questioned the total and she changed it).

Again, those who ordered from the make-your-own line got there food well ahead of those who ordered from the off-the-menu line.

That said, the place has even better atmosphere in the evening and everyone loved the layout and the decor.

We had a cocktail waitress who took our initial orders, but we only saw her one or two other times and several people commented that she missed out on several drink orders because she simply never came by.

Speaking of cocktails - we had their margarita and it was excellent. Tasted fresh squeezed with none of that cheap bar sour mix. Keep in mind, the 'pitcher' is really more like a small glass thermos. But excellent nonetheless.

Once again the burritos, quesadilla and bowls were the hit of the night. Tacos looked amazing and fresh, but you had to once again add sauce to moisten them up. My wife tried the shrimp and the veggie tacos. She commented they were okay, but she wouldn't order them again. She much preferred the bowls (when comparing price, size and taste).

While the 'bus your own tables' signs were out, a really nice man kept coming around and taking out empty plates and glasses off the table for us.

Also, there are 5-7 TV's in the place but every single one was on the OU game. We asked to have at least one on the Thunder game, but they wouldn't do it until after the OU game ended - and the owner was there and aware of the request. This, even though one TV was only pointing at our big table.

Most of our group decided to head next door to Red Prime after dinner.

My review may sound negative, but in all fairness they still have some kinks to work out. That said, I like the place and will probably go on my own and would definitely go if others requested.

Keep the counter service (just streamline it better), take away the tip jar at the counter register, stop making customers bus their own tables and train the cocktail waitresses to be more attentive ($$$). Oh, and don't have all the TV's on only one local sporting event when two are playing. As for the tacos, that may just be our personal taste - but there are plenty of other options we liked.

*One other note - the setting sun is a killer coming in the West garage door windows. Literally blinding.

^^^^^^^
There are plans for an adjustable sunshade for the evening glare.

Their A/V system might not be able to accommodate multiple channels at one time, which is perhaps why they couldn't just switch one TV over.


And in addition to the sun shades, they will have a mister for hot days.

Went for lunch yesterday...
Why can't there just be one line? I ordered a bowl and my friend ordered tacos in a separate line. We ended up reaching the register simultaneously, except my food was finished and hers had just been sent to the kitchen. If everyone was in one line, they could get taco orders in much earlier. Sure you then have to stay in the build line, but an entire party's food would be ready in time to eat together. Does this make sense??

Another small complaint--I was a little overwhelmed in the burrito/bowl/salad build line. A LOT of ingredients (which is fine), but they weren't well labeled. I'm short, so even seeing some of them was tough. I wish they had some suggested combinations, like the well built tacos. Or perhaps, "With Adobo Lamb, we suggest...."

I know I'll get flack from some, but food is political and not everyone loves these whitewashed fast casual ethnic "concepts". Food for thought from this 15 minute radio story.
Can Food Be Racist? - The Brian Lehrer Show - WNYC (http://www.wnyc.org/story/can-food-be-racist/)

The reason for the two lines is that everything other than bowls, burritos and salads are made back in the kitchen; for the other items, they want you to see the options for building your meal.

It's also faster because you basically have people preparing food in the service line and then the kitchen staff working separately.

They have a lot more offerings than Chipotle or another burrito place and that's why the ordering is more complicated.


There is certainly room for improvement and they know that better than anyone. I'm very sure they'll work things out. They've only been open less than 2 weeks.

Their A/V system might not be able to accommodate multiple channels at one time, which is perhaps why they couldn't just switch one TV over.


And in addition to the sun shades, they will have a mister for hot days.

That was not the issue. Each TV can be changed independently. Once the OU game ended they changed some of the TV's over to the Thunder game. There was ZERO reason not to change the TV that only faced our table (literally almost directly above our table and facing West).

Even if they choose to stick with the basic ordering concept, it would be far more easy to understand if they put a stanchion divider (or a rail, or whatever) between the tho lines and hung a sign over each, one saying "orders with burritos" and the other saying "orders without burritos." Agree about labeling the burrito ingredients too. Not everyone can name those ingredients by just looking at them, and nobody wants to feel like an idiot and blurt out the wrong thing. While I agree that the timing thing is also an issue, the main issue is that the lines are not intuitive. If you have to put a person out there explaining how to do it, you still have design work to do.

Well so my wife and I finally made it here for lunch recently - and I hate to say it but we were seriously underwhelmed, if not flat out disappointed - in every aspect of our experience. First - the ordering: we'll let it slide. The two-line concept is confusing and unnecessary IMO. If you go to the burrito/bowl line you then have to get back in line behind all the taco/quesadilla people to pay? Weird, but at least there was someone directing us, so we'll let that go. Menu seemed to be decent enough with lots of options that at least sounded delicious. Credit where it's due - pretty impressed to see a vegan option which actually contained protein - way to go! Very please to see such an option - really truly revolutionary for Oklahoma! That's about where the positives end though. While we're ordering we ask if we can get some jalapenos on the side (not knowing if the tacos would have any flavor or spice and also not having tried the hot sauces). No jalapenos - I'm sorry but what kind of "Mexican Kitchen" doesn't have fresh jalapenos? This is truly a first. We place our food order and try to find a table. It's a beautiful day so we find one of the patio tables, well try to find one which has been cleaned - none of them have been cleaned off. There were at least two empty tables (empty of people at least), but everyone had left their bowls/trays/cups, and there was no sign of anyone who even gave half a behind about cleaning them up. I never saw a single "bus your own table" sign anywhere. Fine, no big deal, we'll move the bowls to the edge of the table. Maybe someone will pick them up while we're eating? Nope. So apparently you're supposed to bus not just your own table, but someone else's too? Bizarre.

Ok then the food. Everything - I'm sorry to say this - was unbelievably bland. The guac looked great but had zero flavor and was way undersalted and underlimed. The thick chips had a nice texture but were also undersalted. The tacos - everything we had (we tried four - two veggie, one shrimp, one duck confit) - incredibly flavorless with absolutely zero spice. I was so looking forward to the hot sauces - unfortunately they seemed more consistent with colored water rather than actual sauce. For every 15-20 drops of habanero "sauce" we got one with any actual kick. Multiple employees came by - a few actually asked if we wanted anything from the bar - which we didn't - but what we were actually interested to see was if they would bus the tables - nope. We ended up dousing our tacos in sriracha to give them at least some flavor - but that sort of defeats the purpose of going to a "Mexican Kitchen," doesn't it?

It really pains me to say this as Mexican food is pretty much my next favorite after Indian/Thai/Asian - and it would've been oh-so-amazing to have a walkable version of BTT right in our backyard. But this place isn't gonna cut it. I'm glad though that many of you like it though. Clearly their food and taste is catered to the market they're serving - nothing wrong with that! And the patio seems pleasant enough - definitely would stop by for a drink at some point. But we won't be back here to eat anytime soon. Not when BTT, chipotle, and qdoba are 100 times as flavorful and half the price, not to mention all the truly authentic taquerias dotted all over the city. And I'll be the first to say that I absolutely cannot stand it when people come downtown and complain about $6 beers or $5 tacos, but the complaints about the prices here are somewhat justified - just my 2 cents though.

Really they need to figure out an identity though - do they want to be truly fast casual like BTT and chipotle? Or do they want to be truly sit-down? Right now they're neither, and it leads to an overall very confusing experience for the customer.

I hope that everyone who is posting negative reviews about Cultivar and other new, local restaurants online were courteous enough to share their complaints (in person or via e-mail) with the manager also. Everyone knows that most new restaurants have to iron out the wrinkles over the first few months. It happens so regularly that people generally anticipate it even before new restaurants open. Sharing your complaints with a manager helps a new, local concept like Cultivar improve. Just posting negative reviews online hurts their reputation, and if the no one checks OKCTalk for restaurant reviews (which seems likely), then it does so without providing the feedback needed to improve. Constructive feedback is only constructive if it gets back to the right people. And I think it's important and beneficial for OKC when customers provide such feedback to the local businesses that are so important to the community.

I'm not trying to take a shot at anyone who has posted negative content online because I had never really thought about the effects of a negative review before Urbanized posted something similar on a previous thread.

I went friday and really enjoyed the food. My only complaint would be the drink service. Never had anyone come to our table so we had to go to the bar and order. I mostly think that is due to waitresses figuring out sections and things like that. Expect that to be fine in the next couple of weeks. I'll be back for sure.

My wife and I spent Saturday afternoon kayaking the Oklahoma River, and then headed over to Auto Alley to try Cultivar. It was 3:30 in the afternoon, but our experience was perfect. The owners mom spent about 10 minutes talking to us about the concept, truly a labor of love for their whole family. Nothing was confusing to us, and the setup was out of this world. I felt like the team was very strong on customer service, and everyone asked us how it was going.

We had chips/salsa (phenomenal), a couple $5.00 salads that were fresh and very tasty (agave lime dressing... mmm), catfish taco, and a chicken quesadilla. The sign for bussing our own table was very clear and didn't cause a huge hassle for us.

Consistency customer to customer, and time frame to time frame is vital in any service industry. That will iron itself out as time goes on I believe. However the atmosphere, design, freshness of the menu items, house made salsas and dressings, interaction with Broadway, and the passion of the ownership will take Cultivar to the top of many OKC locals' lists. I will post a few pics next!

1242012421124221242312424124251242612427

^

Nice of you to take the time to write all that up, as it's human nature to only post comments when there is something less than positive to talk about.

Also... *drool*... Their food really is great and there are still lots of things I want to try.

Their ingredients really are top notch. It's a great concept. Hope they iron out the service issues.

I hope that everyone who is posting negative reviews about Cultivar and other new, local restaurants online were courteous enough to share their complaints (in person or via e-mail) with the manager also. Everyone knows that most new restaurants have to iron out the wrinkles over the first few months. It happens so regularly that people generally anticipate it even before new restaurants open. Sharing your complaints with a manager helps a new, local concept like Cultivar improve. Just posting negative reviews online hurts their reputation, and if the no one checks OKCTalk for restaurant reviews (which seems likely), then it does so without providing the feedback needed to improve. Constructive feedback is only constructive if it gets back to the right people. And I think it's important and beneficial for OKC when customers provide such feedback to the local businesses that are so important to the community.

I'm not trying to take a shot at anyone who has posted negative content online because I had never really thought about the effects of a negative review before Urbanized posted something similar on a previous thread.

If the owner of any local restaurant isn't checking for reviews themselves and specifically reading this website, then they are out of touch IMO.

Their food really is great and there are still lots of things I want to try.

Pete, can you recommend something for next time I go? I really want to like it - as much as I love mexican food and drinking, doesn't make sense that I didn't like this place, so I'll give them a few more chances at least!

Moved a ton of posts here:

http://www.okctalk.com/general-food-drink-topics/42036-tipping.html

Pete, can you recommend something for next time I go? I really want to like it - as much as I love mexican food and drinking, doesn't make sense that I didn't like this place, so I'll give them a few more chances at least!

There is much I have left to try but so far I really like:

- chips and queso
- chips and salsa
- catfish tacos
- Mexican street corn
- house margarita
- habanero sauce on the table

I loved the chorizo and potatoes burrito bowl. It was so delicious and great now I'm really craving it.

Don't know if it's on the menu but at the soft opening they served this desert quesadilla that was chocolate and banana and it was absolutely delicious.

If the owner of any local restaurant isn't checking for reviews themselves and specifically reading this website, then they are out of touch IMO.

Yes, a thousand times, this! Or any local business, not just a restaurant, actually. It's the 21st century, has been for a while, get up to speed on this new-fangled interwebs thingimajig - constantly amazed at how many places have websites that suck, are nonexistent, don't answer emails, etc. etc. etc. Tokyo says to make reservations for weekends and groups > 6, yet they give *no* link to do that, nor an email address, and not even a freaking phone number on their website.

And how hard would it be for someone who knows the owner of Cultivar to say "Hey, check out okctalk.com, your restaurant is getting bashed all over the place for the bizarre way your ordering system is set up, might want to address that"? It's just part of running a restaurant nowadays, it's not the 70s any longer, we have technology...

The owner and operator of Cultivar is very aware of the issues being made public here and on social media in general.

The owner and operator of Cultivar is very aware of the issues being made public here and on social media in general.

Good to know, thanks for clearing that up. Now if they'd just fix them. :) Sounds like a cool place with good food, but we won't be going until they get it figured out, life's too short to get frustrated when eating out, too many other places that have it already figured out.

I am curious, though - anybody know why they decided to do ordering this way?

Did they test it somehow and everybody liked the way it went (as opposed to the general public hating it)?

Did they come up with it out of nowhere (I can't think of another restaurant off the top of my head that does it this way, but there might be some) and if so, why (why did they not go with what works at pretty much every restaurant around - one order line)?

I never get frustrated at Cultivar. I just skip the line entirely and order from the bar. :)

Good to know, thanks for clearing that up. Now if they'd just fix them. :) Sounds like a cool place with good food, but we won't be going until they get it figured out, life's too short to get frustrated when eating out, too many other places that have it already figured out.

I am curious, though - anybody know why they decided to do ordering this way?

Did they test it somehow and everybody liked the way it went (as opposed to the general public hating it)?

Did they come up with it out of nowhere (I can't think of another restaurant off the top of my head that does it this way, but there might be some) and if so, why (why did they not go with what works at pretty much every restaurant around - one order line)?

I wouldn't let any of the things mentioned keep you away. I would say these are minor issues and in no way has it kept me from visiting multiple times since they opened.

Too easily lost in all this discussion is the fact they have some some great food and a very, very cool place.

The service issues to me have been minor and thus I've already been four times and enjoyed it immensely each time.

I wouldn't let any of the things mentioned keep you away. I would say these are minor issues and in no way has it kept me from visiting multiple times since they opened.

Eh, we've got literally 50+ restaurants on our list that we haven't visited yet, and we just generally don't go to restaurants here in OKC within 3-4 months of opening, so we'll hit some of our other places until then... So it's nothing specifically against Cultivar, but a general policy - been burned too many times by shoddiness, just don't want to even think about the possibility of dealing with it. :)