Update: Dish has gone out of business, to be replaced with “Good Eats”
Dish (a Food Experience) is a restaurant that opened about a year ago at the southeast corner of Scottsdale and Doubletree. The citizens of Gainey Ranch (myself included) eagerly awaited the opening of this restaurant because there is a lack of good food options in the immediate area. The concept seemed wonderful - a huge restaurant with a healthy theme and a gourmet carry out section. The building, which is divided into a carryout section and a restaurant/bar, is beautifully built and designed. Sadly, the restaurant seems doomed to fail. I walk in about once/month, and each time I enter there seems to be fewer customers than the last. When they first opened, at lunch time business was booming and people were everywhere. Now, there are usually more staffers than customers. I used to stop in on my way to work, but for one reason or another (slow business, I imagine), they delayed their opening until 9 am.
Most experiences I have had at Dish are negative. Although the restaurant is usually empty, there still tends to be a line to actually get food. My experience yesterday was typical: I wanted to order an omlet, but I wasn’t excited about the spinach and mushroom omlet that they offer. I asked the guy at the counter what else I could get on the omlet. He seemed confused, so I specified “can I get tomatos, turkey, chicken, or anything else?” He walked away, asked a couple of the cooks, and then came back to me to report “they won’t tell me what you can get on the omlet, sorry.” Basically, *every* time I have ever ordered from Dish, there has been a similar problem. The staff isn’t outright rude, and in fact sometimes they try hard to be helpful. But they often seem a bit clueless, and they almost always mess up the order. Most people I’ve spoken to about Dish say the same thing. Lots of bad experiences. On top of that, despite the huge carryout section, there just isn’t that much appealing food. I rarely can find something that I’m really craving. They don’t even have chocolate chip cookies!.
In general, I have felt that the food is mediocre. Sometimes its OK, sometimes its bad, but its never great. Still, I’m hopeful the restaurant will succeed. It’s in a great location, and the building is gorgeous. People want to eat there. They just need to make some good food. Good luck!
