I frankly do not see how someone charged with P&L responsibility for any hospitality enterprise can ignore social media. While the Yelps, Googles and Facebooks of this world may be flawed, when read properly they do tell you a story of how you are being perceived.
Some seem to believe that their good intentions will be miraculously and flawlessly executed by their staff and believing that is enough - even when confronted by indications otherwise. One’s belief is not necessarily reality.
And that’s just one reason why I’d rather give the better places my business! Give me Talula’s, The Buttered Biscuit, or The Grand Tavern for service, food, and attitude any time.
Hi all
It’s that I am not an online person. I just prefer to speak to people in person and try to understand both points of view.
My staffing issues are much more complicated because of various circumstances such as physical size, weather and seasonality.
If you could take the time in person like you take the time here, it would give you an opportunity to have a real understanding of me and the various aspects of my business.
I am sure you all have challenges in you lives and businesses that you wish could be worked on in a collaborative way that lifts your business and coworkers up.
We are all trying our hardest in life to work with many changing narratives and circumstances.
Reach out any time to meet and I will make the time because I truly care about what I do and all the people and their opinions.
If you want to converse about me and my staff, I think it is only fair you try and understand what you are commenting on in an authentic way.
I am open to that communication in person.
I can’t engage in the very negative, it’s hurts me and it hurts the people who care about me, my family and my business.
Have a kind and peaceful day
Mahalo
Marilyn
Not sure how I missed @VikingKaj 's post, but I did. For the record, we didn’t eat Mexican food; the meal ranged from a very tasty Thai (?) chicken/lettuce wrap to a vegetarian sushi roll to skirt steaks with chimichurri. The point about dessert was simply to say that we would have spent a lot more if we had been able to order more drinks and dessert (we WERE there to celebrate a 50th birthday). Instead, we were ‘dismissed’ after our entrees.
Thanks to @seal I did email Marilyn directly. Suffice it to say that she is well aware of the issues at Langosta (I can’t speak to her other restaurants), she acknowledged that they had an especially difficult night that night, and she’s pulling some tables out in order to help alleviate the insanity for her staff. Staffing sounds like THE biggest issue and while I’m not in the business, all I keep thinking is that there are culinary students within close range + people who are looking for work, but if you don’t have the infrastructure to hire/staff/train at that volume, the issues will remain.
That’s the problem when you go looking for love in all the wrong places…
Well actually around here it is just as often “antisocial media”.
Now watch somebody from the UK get on me about the improper use of skareqwotes again.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.
Glad to hear at least part of what you got to eat was acceptable. I agree some things can be good, but with all the different things they have going on in that menu I find execution is uneven.
In fact, with the exception of a very few places around here, I think this is a general problem at shore restaurants.
How is pulling tables out is supposed to help the issue of over booking?
Seems to me that only exacerbates the problem.
This is just so wrong, especially at the prices they charge. Unfortunately a general lack of class seems endemic to shore establishments.
For a contrast try the Pitcher or Oyster Point, they have some of the best service in our area.
In this case, I actually think it makes sense; this isn’t about overbooking–it’s about having a FOH and a BOH that can’t handle the volume during the summer months, or at least right now. If they can seat 12 fewer tables, that could be 25-50+ fewer people to wait on. It doesn’t solve the overall issue, but maybe some people will have a better experience.
The first time I was at Langosta, as I read the menu I commented that they were all over the place and questioned what it was they were trying to be…and that was without any knowledge of Marilyn or her other restaurants. I get the idea/concept, but I’m with you–execute well and consistently and then add items.
But even their drinks weren’t made/presented consistently. When I order a second cocktail and it hits the table next to the (not-yet-empty) first one and it’s in a different size/shaped glass with a different garnish, it gets added to my list of things that make you go hmmm. (You’re all welcome for the earworm!) 
As noted above, any time I see Mexican and Sushi on the same menu anywhere on the Shore my bowels send up a warning signal.
From bitter experience I can tell you that every time I take that road, I will soon need to be consulting @NotJrvedivici for his nearest gastrointestinal distress relief site. As you will recall he has these plotted for the home trip from every restaurant in our area.
What’s wrong with American fresh cuisine that is not pretending to be something else?
While I do know some “clean and decent” local spots, I’m more attuned to other area’s of the state where I know I"m not making it home to my own rest room.
That was prob my favorite thread on the old chow hound. I feel like we need a new one soon to document for our community
Ok so call me negligent in my reading/inquiring duties but my attention was recently called back to this thread and realized I didn’t ask one major question. (major for my feelings of what took place). What time was your reservation for? If you had 6pm reservations for 6/8 people and you planned on occupying the table all night, I can “understand” their position. If your reservations were for say 8pm or later they really have no reason to believe they can flip that table again and have no right to tell you to get up. (unless they have another area for you to move to which is sufficient for watching the band, drinking, but not for dining)
It was a 7:30 reservation, made intentionally at that time because the band was scheduled to go on around 9.
Marilyn I do give you credit for at least trying to address these issues, and coming here trying to address some of the issues, however in my opinion you are just digging yourself a deeper hole.
While your staffing issues are complicated by the location of your restaurants, your circumstances are no different than any of the other 100’s of seasonally located restaurants up and down the east coast. There is nothing unique to your restaurants over any of the others who find a way to provide adequate to good service. I ate at Russel and Bette’s where staff outnumbered patrons 2-1 and there were still service issues. I’m sorry but that “excuse” just doesn’t hold water. [quote=“Oshingurl, post:83, topic:7010”]
I am sure you all have challenges in you lives and businesses that you wish could be worked on in a collaborative way that lifts your business and coworkers up.
[/quote]
As a business owner I couldn’t agree more.
We all are, again there is nothing unique to your circumstances here. You don’t have to own restaurants, you can easily get a job managing or being a Chef and leave the burdens and responsibilities of ownership to someone else. You have chosen this.
Again as a life long business owner myself I can appreciate your approach, but how can you put the onus of the burden on your clients to come to you? If this is our chosen venue, how can you summon us to only meet with you in person? In any of my business’s I would NEVER place demands on my clients on how I will listen to their concerns. Realizing you took the initial effort to reach out to our community, you can’t now tell us, “You can only come to me for further communication”. From what I have read others say, this just furthers the impression or view of yourself above your customers. They must come to you when summoned to voice their opinions on your business? I’m sorry but that makes you sound so beyond reproach.
See last comment[quote=“Oshingurl, post:83, topic:7010”]
I can’t engage in the very negative, it’s hurts me and it hurts the people who care about me, my family and my business.
[/quote]
Speechless.
Have a kind and peaceful day too.
I think we could summarize this as “Looking for love in all the wrong places.” 
http://www.fios1news.com/newjersey/restaurant-hunter-langosta-lounge-asbury-park#.WU-zkHopDqA
So there you have Lobster Khao, which appears to be a mish mash of Thai inspired ingredients with lobster in a bowl. (For the life of me I can’t understand why they would use Indian yellow curry rather than Thai red curry paste in this dish, but then there you have it.) Ms. Schlossbach is featured in the video putting this together. She makes a comment at 5:50 into the video that I have a hard time understanding “We’ll see if I like it.” ???
Btw, Khao Lak is a place in Thailand, not a style of curry, but it is on the beach so maybe that is the connection?
Also it seems the operational issues are long standing. Apparently Ms. Schlossbach met her husband 15 years ago because he couldn’t get a clean glass at the bar and so barged into the kitchen offering to wash dishes !
The video was very instructional for me in that it appears Mr. & Ms. Schlossbach are surfers who kind of cook that way, ie. throw stuff in a pan that is inspired by something we ate on a surf trip. This helps to explain the ad hoc nature of the menu. BTW, after two hours in a shorty in the cold ocean, almost anything will taste good.
It also explains the indifference to discipline that results in random acts of cruelty by the staff. Surfers are notorious for not responding well to discipline unless it involves someone cutting in on their break, which can have deadly consequences.
Mahalo & Enjoy!
Also did not understand the use of black garlic, which is basically a Korean ingredient, in the lobster Khao.
Since this thread kind of turned into “everything” Marilyn based I figured I would share this article here:
Specifically:
Prodcers also wanted to shoot inside the Langosta Lounge restaurant on the Asbury Park boardwalk but were denied permission by management there.
I will always be the first to give credit when and where it’s due: Kudos to you for not being a complete sell out and allowing them to shoot at your location!! Kudos indeed!!
(you’re still a partial sell out for everything else noted in this thread, but not a total!!! lol )
I don’t think Watermark is a Schlossbach restaurant…
Hey what is an “oshin” ?
