I very specifically did a search of the Rainier Be...

I very specifically did a search of the Rainier Beach area looking for a unique breakfast spot that would meet the needs of our out of town group, specifically early to late breakfast and something a child would enjoy eating. I saw the mixed reviews and decided to take a chance anyway figuring you're going to have the A team working the weekend as that's your money maker. Our experience at the cafe really put a damper on our fun weekend gathering instead of giving us a wonderful high note to end the weekend on.
The atmosphere is wonderful with a lovely view of the lake and surrounding hillside. I was rather impressed with the Hostess's can do attitude, she did everything she could to get customers in the door and seated as quickly as possible. She was also the only person we saw smile the entire time we were there. For a late arriving party of 6 on a Sunday morning we had a table within 5 minutes of walking through the door, there were no waters or silverware but we had a table and menus. The food was quite delicious and the nice hearty homemade experience we were looking for. A word of caution, if you're going to state you use smoked salmon best make sure that's what you're serving. My Northwest Benedict came with very obviously baked salmon, not smoked as stated on the menu.
Be prepared to play the waiting game. We waited 15 minutes before we had any water delivered, and promptly made our order at that time since who knew when she would be back. The waitress was quick to squash our desire for 2 separate tickets as there were 6 of us, was borderline rude about it. Most likely she would have gotten a larger gratuity from us with 2 checks than the guaranteed 18% she was eyeballing. An hour after we were seated our food finally arrived. IF not for the fact we were all from out of town and had long drives ahead of us plus a very hungry 11 yr old boy, we probably would have paid for the coffee and tea and left. During our time waiting, we had ample opportunity to watch your staff. The Kitchen was definitely rocking and rolling, doing their best I'm sure to keep up with the busy morning. A good majority of the tables were full the entire time we were there. There was an interesting mix of waitstaff. One person did anything and everything to keep business moving. She was taking out food as soon as it was ready (for any table), clearing dishes from tables she walked past, rounded regularly with coffee and water, addressed customer needs as she went. Most just did what they needed to do for their tables and only their tables. One we don't believe ever did anything but hold up the counter between the order station and the bar area. The bartender was marking time, there was no joy or pride of job expressed.
We honestly felt that since we were a party of 6 with a guaranteed gratuity, minimal effort was made to provide customer service. Honestly, if any effort had been made we most likely would have left a larger tip. There was never any explanation as to why our order took so long, or a quick "hey thanks for being patient, it shouldn't be much longer". The only way we knew our food was coming up was the delivery of the ketchup and hot sauce and our prime view of the kitchen.
My recommendation would be to fix your dysfunctional team dynamics otherwise you're going to start losing customers and that would be a shame cause you have everything else in place for a solid business. And teach them what good/great customer service looks like.