In thirty years of writing about restaurants I’ve had plenty to say about servers, both good and bad. The good ones give you invaluable advice as you order, suggesting combinations, describing specials, and sometimes even negotiating with the kitchen about what can be done to customize a particular dish. The bad ones either promise what the kitchen can’t deliver or give such impersonal service that at times I’ve compared them to a robot or computer.
When I heard about a restaurant in the Del Amo Fashion Center that actually does expect customers to order using a computer at their table, I brushed it off as a novelty. I could envision only a limited market: technophiles who like anything involving a screen and misanthropes who just don’t like dealing with people, and that didn’t seem like a foundation for a business.
Stacked has now been open for over four years, so whatever the market was, it was bigger than I had expected. I decided it was time to try the experience, and visited twice with different people so I could see how quickly each caught on to the ordering system.
You wouldn’t know there was anything different about Stacked as you enter – a live human greets you, seats you, and hands you a laminated menu before starting to explain the computer terminal in the center of your table. It’s easy to comprehend – there are categories of food and drink, and when you touch the screen it displays pictures and descriptions of each item. Ordering is easy – just hit the plus sign – and then you can customize each item by dragging pictures around the screen. Want romaine lettuce on that burger instead of iceberg? Don’t want tomatoes? Drag the romaine on top of the burger and one replaces the other. Drag the tomato off to the side. Want mushrooms, roasted garlic, or bacon? Drag and drop to your heart’s content, but notice that the price in the corner of the screen goes up or down as you do.
On both occasions we found that consulting the old-fashioned menu is much better during the decision process, because even with only two people at the table it takes a while to scroll through all the choices. As far as I can tell this system doesn’t really save time, especially on the first visit. It took four minutes for our server to explain the ordering system and I watched a table of four take at least fifteen minutes to place their order, which could have been done in less than half the time with a live human. The plus side is that everyone at that table had exactly the version of each item that they wanted, and there was no question about there being a misunderstanding since it was all there on the screen.
The menu items here are principally sandwiches, salads, pizza, and pasta all customized with the same items. There are a few signature items, and on one visit we ordered the “flying pigs,” pork riblets cut so the bone is a convenient handle. These were tender but served with a sauce that tasted mainly of sugar, chili pepper, and sesame. It was hotter than I expected from a mainstream restaurant, but it was a one-dimensional heat – some ginger or allspice would have made it more interesting.
Those ribs weren’t customizable but the cranberry-walnut salad was – it usually comes with chicken, but we deleted that and the price on the screen fall by a few dollars. It was a fine starter without the protein – there was already bacon in the mix of spinach, avocado, red onion, berries, walnuts, and Point Reyes blue cheese. (We could have added any number of other vegetables, but didn’t see any reason to.) The dressing was a touch sweeter than I prefer, but was balanced by the generous portion of quality blue cheese.
It occurred to me as we ate that with a live server you can ask for a short portion of something, or that one item be left off and another be doubled. I wondered about how that might be done and asked our server, who explained that in that case diners can order with him. There are live humans around for those who get frustrated with the machine, have special needs, forgot to order ketchup, or just prefer to order that way. The same people refill water and check in on diners, so the human element is still here.
Stacked has a full bar, and you can customize cocktails too. After playing with the computer a while to see what could be done, we ordered signature drinks – a “California Manhattan” that used St. Germain instead of vermouth and a blend of Coldcock whiskey with pear cider. Coldcock is a young bourbon infused with herbs, and plays well with pear cider for a light, sweet drink. I liked the “Manhattan” slightly more, though it was somewhat sweeter than the traditional version. Whiskey drinks are trending this year with a young crowd, and easy sippers like these are a big reason.
I have tried four entrees here, the lobster mac and cheese, a Hawaiian burger, a “build your own” pizza, and a weekly special chicken sandwich with garlic, parmesan, and bacon. All were decent, none exceptional, and most of the failings weren’t in the ingredient selection. The mac and cheese had a nice aroma thanks to the addition of fresh basil, but the pasta was slightly overdone, the breadcrumbs on top not crisped because the plate had spent too little time under the broiler. The pizza had a rather bland tomato sauce and the crust hadn’t risen much – it wasn’t wasn’t up to the standards of any modest Italian restaurant.
The flaw in the burger might have been with our choices – the grilled pineapple needs to be matched with some meatiness and smoke flavor, but my health-conscious friend had gotten it with a turkey burger instead. Turkey is bland by nature, a fact we hadn’t considered – it probably would have worked better with the traditional beef or with salmon. As for the garlic parmesan sandwich, it touched all the bases but wasn’t a standout. Nothing was missing, but it didn’t have a lot of character. The French fries and house-made potato chips we had with the sandwich arrived hot and crisp, and we ate those enthusiastically.
My experience was mixed, but I now understand the appeal here somewhat better. Picky eaters and those with food allergies will appreciate the complete understanding of what they’re eating, and those who enjoy mixing and matching will find it amusing to try different combinations. Once you’ve dined here a few times the ordering experience probably takes little time, useful for those who want a fast fresh meal before going back to work, out shopping, or catching a movie. There’s a niche in the market for Stacked, and the business people we saw at lunch and young families at dinner are part of it. I’m probably not, but I’m glad I tried it.
Stacked is at 3525 West Carson #172, on the east side of the Del Amo center. Open 11 a.m. daily, close 10 p.m. Sun-Thu, midnight Fri-Sa. Price: moderate. Parking lot, wheelchair access good, vegetarian/vegan items, full bar. Menu at stacked.com, phone 310-52-5068.
