Parkside Cafe

I’ve always loved having a post-beach meal at the Parkside for the past 2 decades, but the last few visits have been horribly managed by the crew. The line for take-out and pick-up are the same, forcing everyone to wait for ages, while the person “in charge” disappears for 10 minutes....no communication...just MIA while we chat with each other “is this the pick up line?” Or the “place an order line?” The food that is ready sits on the shelf getting cold. Pro tip—make 2 lines! Have a dedicated staff member who doesn’t disappear! Make a separate pick up line!! Next problem—the order process and food selection. I can’t eat gluten so I asked for a lettuce wrap burger “we don’t have that kind of lettuce so we can just give you the burger without a bun”...”OK” I say knowing that they do have that kind of lettuce before they chop it so they could just easily have a couple pieces available for the growing number of gluten-free people in the world. After waiting 20 minutes, my burger is ready, on a bun. I was over the lack of service at this point. Seating—we get it. Covid. Etc. it was after sunset and cold and dark. We didn’t want to eat in our car. There are 4 large picnic tables off to the side on what appears to be a self-seat area, familiar to us after a year of covid take out procedures all over the bay. Order your own food, seat yourself, bus your own tables. No problem. But at this mess of a mismanaged place, one is not allowed to eat to-go food at the open, empty tables. After the long wait, the messed up order, and the horrible mocha made by an untrained barista, we are told by 2 different staff members (suddenly staff is available!) “no take out seating”, which, at this casual beachside setting, just seems absurd and the final piece of egregious mismanagement. The entire experience left a bad taste everywhere. Not friendly. Not helpful. Not organized. Not the kind of hospitality one expects from an expensive beachside cafe in Stinson. It doesn’t seem to matter to the owners or staff, tho. They are busy and making fat cash.