Recently we had a lunch meeting with another rabbi at Yotveta, an Israeli dairy restaurant located in Queens, NY. We have eaten there many times and the food has always been quite good, fresh and well served.

We each ordered our lunch. The server brought my dining companion’s lunch but not mine. She informed me that she was “very sorry,” but the kitchen could not supply my requested lunch.

Apparently she did not find that out until my lunch partner’s lunch was ready to serve. So there I sat, menu in hand, pondering what I would order instead.

By the time my salad arrived, my lunch companion had almost finished his lunch, and not because he was a fast eater!

This is not the first time this has happened in an Israeli restaurant. What is with these Israelis? Do they care at all about customer care? Clearly, Israelis lack any notion of customer service as is evidenced over and over in all manner of stores in Israel.

I spoke with the owner after my meal. The owner asked if my meal was good. When I said “yes,” the response was, ‘Well, then, what’s the problem?”

Sheesh.