Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant in Catonsville

My parents frequent this establishment, and today they asked me to pick up an order for them. The restaurant closes at 8:30 p.m., and the order was called in shortly before or shortly after 8:00 p.m.—still ample time, one would reasonably assume, to prepare an order before closing. Upon arrival, I was told that only one of the meals/entrées was available, despite two entrées having been called in and confirmed. When I asked about the missing item, the cashier explained that because of the time the order was placed, they would only prepare one. My issue is not necessarily that the kitchen has a cutoff time; it is that **this was never communicated when the order was placed**. Had we been told that certain items would not be prepared because of the time, we simply would not have placed the order. What made the experience particularly disappointing was the cashier's response. She told me that I was “lucky” they even accepted the order given the time. I responded, “I’m lucky, yet I’m spending money with you?” Rather than recognizing how inappropriate that comment was, she doubled down on it. I was then told that their kitchen closes ten minutes before 8:00 p.m., which raises an obvious operational issue: if the restaurant advertises that it is open until 8:30 p.m., guests should reasonably expect to be able to place and receive orders within a clearly communicated timeframe before closing. If there is a kitchen cutoff, that policy should be clearly communicated to customers/guests when orders are placed—not after they arrive to pick them up. Because the food was being purchased for my parents, I chose to proceed with the sale. Had I been ordering for myself, I would have declined the order altogether based on the way the situation was handled. Every establishment has the right to operate its business as it sees fit, including setting kitchen hours and order cutoffs. However, basic communication and hospitality should not be optional—especially in an industry centered around service. Unfortunately, the customer service was extremely poor, and the food is not exceptional enough to justify the level of audacity I experienced. Needless to say, neither my parents nor I will be patronizing this establishment again. A business can have policies, but how those policies are communicated—and how customers are treated when questions arise, matters just as much as the product being sold.

My go to place. Love it