My Zhiweiguan (Hangzhou) RANT: Service is a Dumpster Fire!
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As a Hangzhou local, let me tell you, Zhiweiguan basically has no service. Ever since I was a kid, you'd order, pick up your food yourself, eat, and leave. Zhiweiguan is indeed pricey. Hangzhou locals used to eat there because many had cards – I think it was company subsidies or something, can't recall, it was so long ago. For breakfast, I'd still recommend Xinfeng.
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If she goes to Xinfeng, she'll probably find the service even worse. When I was a kid, Xinfeng's 'specialty' service was an auntie sweeping the floor and wiping tables right next to you while you were eating your xiaolongbao.
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What service are you expecting at Zhiweiguan? Would you demand table service at McDonald's? It's a fast-food type place where you carry your own tray, you know.
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? It's just plain bad attitude, can't you understand? I bought a big bag of 20 tiaotou gao. Then I asked for dingsheng gao, and she said they didn't have any. I then asked about fang gao, and she just gave me a sidelong glance without saying a word (implying they didn't have those either). The bag she gave me didn't even have proper handles to grip. She rolled her eyes, snapped 'That's it,' and kept a stony face. The young lady behind me was a tourist. Whatever she asked, the staff member just stared at her fiercely with a stony, impatient face, saying nothing. I even tried to smooth things over with the tourist for the staff member's sake, just so Hangzhou wouldn't get a bad reputation. Seriously, did I come here to spend money just to put up with her sour face?!?
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I prefer Xinfeng, mainly for their big baozi (steamed buns).
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Shrimp wontons. Shrimp xiaolongbao.
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Did you perhaps go to a branch? Many Zhiweiguan branches are franchises. Their snacks are often frozen, semi-finished products, not freshly made, and the service quality varies wildly. A directly-operated store would be a bit better. It's best to go to the main store.
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This should be the main store.
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What service at Zhiweiguan? The staff are basically just there to clear away the rubbish; you have to get everything else yourself.
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Zhiweiguan has really gone downhill. Not only is the service terrible, but the food isn't as good as it used to be. Many of us locals stopped going there a long time ago...
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They make customers pack their own leftovers?!?
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Both Zhiweiguan and Xinfeng have bad attitudes. I've been eating at Xinfeng since I was a kid, and I've argued with them several times. Maybe I'm just too fierce, hahaha. So if their attitude is bad, mine is too.