Skip to main content

Where Customers Aren't Wanted

So I've been writing reviews and blogs for a long time now. And never have I ever written a negative review for anyone because I firmly believe I don't have the right to hurt anyone's business. I have been so firm in this practice that I have often been labeled as a 'bought blogger', someone who is paid to write positive reviews (I wish! I wouldn't have to work 2 jobs then). This recent experience however, takes the cake. Literally!
I have waited a week to write this review just so that I could recall it objectively and without that hot flush of anger that comes when a paying customer is disrespected by a home-based caterer. Now I'll be honest with you, there have of course been situations where the food is so unpalatable that I haven't been able to consume it, but I have spoken directly to the owners of the establishments and left it up to them to decide how to proceed further. There has even been a situation where a home-based baker actually forgot I had placed an order with her for my father's birthday cake, and I refused to write about that as well because it was an honest mistake on her part, even though my friends told me I should. When she sent the cake and a handwritten note free of cost the very next day without any prompt from me or my family, I might add, she completely won me over with her customer service. Had she only sent me that handwritten note of apology, I would have written about her kindness then as well.
This situation however, was completely unwarranted and could have been avoided if said person had used a more civil tone to explain her 'rules'. This lady is Reema, who operates from her home on Khayaban-e-Rahat and is known for the Chocolate Gateau she makes and sends in the pretty plates. My father and one of his friends were amongst her first customers over a decade ago, and over the years, my father has ordered the cake many a times from her.
In this particular scenario, my father had been traveling and asked my sister to order a cake from Reema for a family friend who had sent a beautiful and quite delicious fruit pavlova. Abu wanted Reema to send the cake in the platter the pavlova had come in, because we didn't want to send the plate back empty. Everything was fine when my sister placed the order for the cake. Shit hit the fan when she asked Reema if our own plate could be used for the cake, and if she could do us this favor because Abu has been such a longtime customer. The answer was immediate and quite rude. 'No! You can't use your own plates for my cakes and you have to give a Rs. 500 deposit for MY plate before I give the cake to you and I WON'T be taking orders from your father if my plate isn't returned!' My sister was quite shocked by this virulent response and politely said okay thank you, and hung up the phone. My sister then made shahi tukray herself with help from my aunt and the matter of the plate was done and dusted.
By the way, the same friend who started promoting Reema in her initial days never got his deposit back when he ordered the cake from her a while ago. He's clearly said that's the last time he's ordering anything from her, even though he's friends with her husband and had in fact, returned the plate.
As someone who loves food and eating in general, I can forgive when my order is messed up, brought to the table stone cold, delivered late or not delivered at all. What I can't forgive is bad service to a paying customer, especially when they have been nothing but nice to you and your business.
All business owners in the restaurant industry need to realize that customer service and quality of the goods you provide are the only two major things your businesses need to thrive. Reema's behavior was angering, shocking and depressing all at the same time. Angering because my sister didn't say anything that warranted such a reaction, shocking because one doesn't expect such rudeness from an 'educated' woman, and depressing because if this is how our so-called educated well to-do citizens behave, then one can't expect much from the people who live here. My dad didn't experience all the emotions I did, he was just pissed and he like his friend, won't ever be ordering from Reema or promoting her business again and in fact regrets having ever promoted it to begin with.
With social media being how it is, I sincerely advise Reema to be the way she was a decade ago. Humble and polite. Let's not fly too close to the sun, then crash and burn (Reference: Icarus and the Sun)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mandi House, Grand Launch

I'll be real with you. I have actually never really been fond of mandi. Pulao with tender meat pieces is something I was born eating. I didn't understand the fuss about it. You know how different food fads have trended wherever you live? Chinese, Pan Asian, burgers, Continental cuisines area all different from the local palate. Pulao aur boti toh mai ghar pe bhi kha sakti hun. So I never got on to the mandi house fad. And the servings at these places are huge, bordering on wasteful. I wasn't going to go there with just one or two friends to eat mandi. No Sirree Bob. Mandis are meant for at least 3-5 people to enjoy, depending on hunger levels. Recently I was invited to the grand launch of the new Mandi House on main Shaheed-e-Millat's now populated restaurant strip. The place was easy to find since it's so prominently visible from the main road. The restaurant itself is made really well, with a waiting area and seating space on both floors. Options for dining in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Golden Dragonization

I’ve always loved desi Chinese food. I’ve been raised on desi Chinese food. The more sweetish side of things, with so many spices that one’s left wondering whether to eat or wipe one’s nose or eat one’s food. But oh, so good.  Thus, I convinced the family to order Golden Dragon tonight, even though they were most reluctant to order from a new place. Since my father and I are both allergic to ajino moto, we requested that no ajino moto be added in our food. Stuck to the basics, since it was my first time ordering. We ordered the hot and sour soup, hot and spicy wontons, crispy beef, hot and spicy chicken, chicken in oyster sauce, and vegetable fried rice. The first thing we got to open was the wontons. All the food was steaming, amazingly hot. Since Abu was in the kitchen with me, the first thing he did was make a face and say, ‘Aye hai! Steamed wontons hamaray matlab k thori hain.’ I took a bite, then forced him to take a bite. When I raised my eyebrows at him in quest...
Post a Comment
Read more

Almost a Year Later at RAK's Table

 Hello darkness, my old friend! While I know that blogposts aren't exactly the preferred social media communication method nowadays, something keeps pulling me back to this baby of mine that I can't seem to let go of, even though last I posted was September 4, 2024.  I also feel like this particular culinary experience of mind deserved a blogpost of its own, it was THAT good! It wasn't just the food, but the company with which I enjoyed each morsel, which came about thanks to my foodie friend Sadia Safdar, who kindly thought of me when Rida Alam Khan, head chef at Yazu and RAK's Table requested a taste-testing of some choice dishes from her yet-to-be-opened restaurant. The panel consisted of OG food lovers, not just bloggers, but people who genuinely have a passion for food and can taste the nuanced notes and secret ingredients in perfectly crafted recipes.  Considering I had never been to Yazu, I was quite impressed by the entrance, very tasteful, just like the food as...
Post a Comment
Read more