Saj Lebanese (formerly Cultivar)

[2Lanez]

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.

[Pete]

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

[Bullbear]

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.

[onthestrip]

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.

[Bullbear]

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.

[Pete]

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.

[Urbanized]

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.

[BBatesokc]

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.

[jbkrems]

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?

[Pete]

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.

[BBatesokc]

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.

[OKC_Chipper]

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.

[Cowboy7]

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

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.

[2Lanez]

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.

[LakeEffect]

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.

[sooner88]

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.

[Bullbear]

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.

[BBatesokc]

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.

[onthestrip]

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.

[2Lanez]

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.

[Jersey Boss]

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.

[checkthat]

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.

[Jersey Boss]

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.

[2Lanez]

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.

[TheTravellers]

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.