2009-02-02 22:30:37 I was sitting on the Cloud Forest patio today for a late lunch when the owners of Mustard Seed pulled up. They spent the next ten minutes screaming at each other over the poorly swept front porch. She was screaming about how she tells 'them' all the time to keep the front well swept because it gives off a bad impression. I think her screaming for 10 minutes out front gives off a bad impression. Awkward. —CharlieMurphy
2009-03-03 20:38:12 I have to agree with many other reviewers. The lady at the front is incredibly rude. I was applying to be a busser or server, and as I was turning in my application she belittles me and starts to interigate me about my application without looking at it. Honestly she doesn't know how to run a restaurant or how to behave in the romantic atmosphere they are trying to create. Please don't waste your money here and go to Cafe Italia, or Pasta? instead. If felt i would have someday eaten there if she hadn't been so inappropriate with her behavior. —Marina
2009-03-10 12:49:10 I had dinner here last week, and had an absolutely delightful experience! Not only was the food excellent (I had the tomato bisque and a Caesar salad), but the service was exemplary. The gentleman who served me was a middle-aged man (who may well have been the owner, I don't know), who was extremely conversational and friendly. I have eaten here before, and will definitely again. I highly recommend The Mustard See —NaBarry
2009-03-30 14:09:04 This is by far the best restaurant in town. They deserve all the great press thre receiving. That said, I cant believe most of the stuff Im reading here! These are not reviews, but personal attacks. Ive been aregular for over 10 years and have never witnessed anything remotely close. The staff loves Robyn and Paul, they treat them like there own kids. If you must criticise please keep it constructve. I just cant imagine what promted any of this except maybe the competition is trying to ruin thier businees. Dont believe most of what you read here. Its exageration way beyond bellief! —janetpeabody
- You know, the contributions to this wiki are openly tracked (i.e., any editor can see them). That's part of how fake reviews are monitored.... for instance, when somebody signs up from the same computer Paul used just to reiterate what he said, it looks somewhat questionable. When you use fake accounts like that, it is called a sockpuppet. It rapidly becomes pretty obvious. It prevents the kind of "competition bashing us" that you imply — it also prevents whitewashing the entry from the business itself. In fact, of the five negative reviews here, two are from active wiki editors who have posted many different things around the wiki, making it pretty clear they are individuals. Three are from lesser used accounts, although they each used different wording and computers to post. There are real people who are writing about their family adopting cats and writing positive reviews of several other restaurants (some of whom would also be "competition" if they were owners as you imply)... and they also are writing about their negative experiences with the owners of the Mustard Seed. Even some of the positive reviews praise the food and still criticize the owner's behavior... which is an odd tactic if they were (as you imply) competition. You can track all this as well: the wiki has open records as to who contributes what. In this case, it is pretty clear it is not just a case of the "competition is trying to ruin thier businees[sic]", but rather many people simply reporting what they have seen. —Evan 'JabberWokky' Edwards
2009-05-28 21:04:52 MUSTARD SEED HAS THE WORST SERVICE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. you will get treated better if you go to McDonald's. It doesn't matter how good the food is, if the waitress is rude and doesn't even bring you water for the first 30 minutes. Even on an anniversary, they were so rude. This restaurant is a joke and I hope they get a new staff and management immediately if they want to stay in business. —plackbenis
2009-07-09 16:01:54 anyone who regularly reads comments on daviswiki can tell when the owner or some other worker is posting positive or defensive reviews of the business/restaurant. the food is very good though. but the clientele is generally older crowd. —boing3887
- I don't go to the restaurant, so I can't comment on the food or service or any of that. However, just as a tip, it will generally hurt your credibility if you avoid actual facts and instead use insults and personal remarks. Just sayin'...—JoePomidor
* I have to wonder about the age of the folks commenting on this page and the broad range of reviews. As mentioned by boing3887, the Mustard Seed crowd is mostly older. In my experiences at this establishment, besides the servers being treated badly, I felt I was also looked down upon. As a specific example, I walked in just after 5pm on a weeknight without a reservation and the restaurant was nearly empty. The owner flat out ignored my husband and I for a few minutes and then was uphauled to hear we didn't have a reservation. She made us feel like she did us a huge favor by "squeezing us in". Needless to say, when we were done with dinner, the restuarant was still empty, so I think there was plenty of room and no need for her attitude. Multiple times I 've felt very looked down upon (only by the woman) I have to assume because I am young and may look like a college student. This is unfortunate for a few reasons. First, I was a college student in Davis, love the town, and decided to settle down in the area and start my career. Now that I can afford nice dinners more often, The Mustard Seed is no longer on my list of places to go for a nice evening. Second, there are plenty of college students in town who will go to a nice restaurant for a date or a special occasion, so don't ostricize half the town! —AmLin
2009-07-09 16:20:08 I think I'd like to add my two cents to the conversation. I've discussed this restaurant with many of my clients over the years, and we all agree. The food and ambiance of the Mustard Seed is awesome. This place will never receive our business, however, until the female owner stops yelling at her staff. I've been here several times, and EVERY time we leave thinking she must go through new servers constantly. We listen to her yell, and leave unhappy. That should be taken as "advice" from a business owner, not "complaints". —Davidlm
2009-08-12 16:56:52 We have worked with Paul and Robyn on different occasions and have found them to be committed and hard-working. For two years, we have hosted a party for colleagues in our home for over 100 people, catered by the Mustard Seed. Both Paul and Robyn showed up early in the morning, set up the dining area, provided some upbeat morning humor, and came back later only to wow the crowd with their delicious cuisine. Paul manages to keep a sense of humor all the while tending to the oven, the stove, his employees, the party guests, the dog in his way, informing us when said dog has escaped, and keeping the serving dishes flowing. When the party is over, Paul and his staff wrap the leftovers, place them in the fridge, CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES, and give a cheery "Goodnight." He has even received an ovation from the crowd. We have also taken a group of 14 to the restaurant and each guest raved about their food. I especially appreciate working with Robyn because I appreciate her work ethic and her passion for her business. We've also enjoyed delicious lunches and dinners in the restaurant with our good friends and family. We find it the perfect atmosphere for celebrating with those most important to us. —MrsC
2009-11-30 18:53:32 Sadly, I must echo other reviewers who have mentioned that the owners here, especially the woman, are abusive to their staff and SCARY. (words that come to mind: bile, vitriol, etc) You see, I had the misfortune of living directly behind The Mustard Seed at one point. As in, I walked out my front door and had to walk by their back seating area to go to my car. On numerous occasions I ambled out of my apartment to hear the owners screaming at staff members about all sort of ridiculous things such as setting tables 5 minutes late or forgetting to place a napkin at a table. I even once heard a staff member apologizing and saying it would not happen again and BOTH owners continued to berate him for about 10 minutes over something SO trivial that he apologized for! I honestly had to stay around and listen because I was so floored by what I was hearing — I certainly have never been treated this way by even my worst boss, and could not believe this employee didn't walk off the job. Their food is tasty but it is nothing special, and I feel compelled to boycott simply because I have such negative associations based on what I have witnessed as their neighbor. —soledad101
