I live a stone’s throw away from Aromas of China, and go there almost every weekend. The food’s usually decent, the prices are reasonable and the interiors are beautiful. The staff is courteous and well dressed. Seating arrangements - perfect. This week, we were given seats in a section separated from the rest of the restaurant by glass walls. Tall, antique-looking chairs, a clean, well-laid table and glistening water in sparklingly clean glasses welcomed us. Just the place to entertain guests - I told my husband. Little did I know what awaited us - Murphy’s Law(If something can go wrong, it will.)
We had to wait unusually long for our meal to arrive. by the time the starters arrived, they were soggy and inedible. "What a shame! These are lousy!", I turned to my husband again and said. And the saint that he is, he forgave. My guests ordered a three course non-vegetarian meal and we stuck to the basic noodles and curry. The first course(soup) was served imediately, and I felt a lot better. "See, I told you", said my husband. The second course was served. It was apparently the best our guests had ever tried. A life well spent, I told hubby dear.
We waited for about 15 minutes after the second course was over, and the third course wasn’t served at all. Suddenly, we were given the royal ignore. All this while, my husband and I had been eagerly awaiting our meal. A waiter passed by, and we took this opportunity to inquire about the blessed food. To our surprise -
The waiter had forgotten about the rest of the order.
He insisted that we had been served the entire duck meal. We asked him to get the menu, pointed out that it was a "Three Course Meal", and we were expecting a litlle more jazz for an item worth about Rs. 1000.
Eventually they realized their mistake, and tried to make up for it, but it had already had a dulling effect on our senses. So we finished the meal, filled a feedback form and walked out, swearing never to go back. After I had apologized profusely to my guests and had seen them off, my phone rang. It was the manager, who had just read my feedback form.
He apologized and promised it wouldn’t happen again. Now there’s a surprise! I have, in my 25 odd years, never seen anyone treat me that well. Really, the manager was doing just what a manager should - he took ownership without offering excuses, offered me extra attention the next time I go. And guess what! I’m going there on Saturday:)