Thursday, July 9, 2009

Crappy Crappy!

1) NOW I have a bone to pick with the restaurant that gave my family and I such a lousy service the other day. This is one fight I did not pick; it was shoved under my nose.

As you know, I don't suffer fools gladly; so Anon, thanks for the opportunity to pull you folks down a notch or two from your perch. All I can say is that you have brought this unto yourself.

Always remember, in the restaurant business, you are as good as your food AND your service. Good food count for nuts if your service isn't up to par.

Staff who pull a long muncung (snout) at customers are absolute no-nos. We don't pay good money to be served by an irritable pout (we can get that at home for free).

I don't know who this Anon responding sourly to my negative comments is, but my best bet is that Anon is someone associated either with the shop (owner/friend/staff/whoever) or with the food critic site (which did an excellent write-up of the place, by the way). Anon sounds like a her; not that I care for the gender.

Instead of picking a fight with me, they should concentrate their efforts in improving their service. Unfortunately, they lacked the grace to admit their service wasn't so chummy.

Wake up lah, please. I am not your competitor; I don't own a makan joint neither do I know anyone who does. I'm just someone who, once upon a time, had wanted to become your regular patron/customer and spread the word around that you had a good thing going. It was you who deprived me of the privilege.

The one thing that I can be certain of is this; d'Cengkih of Taman Tun Dr Ismail has earned a black mark in my list of restaurants of disrepute and I shall avoid it at all cost, no matter how good they proclaim their menu to be.

You may ask why am I so harsh in my judgement. I have a ready answer for this. It is neatly packaged under the words "Attitude" and "Humility".

A restaurant that simply cannot bear criticisms (even if they are true) and comes out with guns blazing at anyone criticising it (even if the criticisms are constructive), is not worth the hassle. This is one restaurant with a massive attitude problem.

Worse, they lack the humility to admit their own shortcomings. Instead they keep hitting back at the critique (and that's me). Let it be known that my family wasn't the only dissatisfied patrons the other day. A few others also walked out.

I have nothing to fear as I spoke the truth and as can be seen, truth hurts. I had the grace of not naming the shop in my article then. Now I'm throwing caution to the winds; I don't really care anymore.

Neither do I care if their spread is the best in this whole wide world (anyway, I can't vouch for it for I didn't get my order), because their attitude still stinks.

You would have earned merit points in my book had you responded with: "Yes we were shorthanded the other day, but we shall buck up. We are sorry to have let you and your family down, but we welcome you to visit us again."

And you know what? I would have given the restaurant both a second chance and a second mention, which may even be highly favourable to you. It's a bit too late now.

2) Years ago, there was a Chinese-Muslim lady selling one of the best chicken rice (if not the best) I had ever tasted in Subang Jaya. In fact, if you mentioned Subang Jaya and Nasi Ayam in the same breath, it was her name that came to mind. Unfortunately enough, whilst her chicken rice was superb, her mouth wasn't. You winced at her choice of words for her workers.

Her off-putting, public maki hamun and carut marut for her hapless staff were so commonplace and well-known to Subang Jaya residents that many patrons simply stopped going, my family included. We would rather buy 'run-of-the-mill' chicken rice from other traders, who treated their workers with dignity.

I heard she has since passed away. May Allah swt be kind to her soul.

30 comments:

Naz in Norway said...

True...in the restaurant business ni bukan setakat perut je nak kenyang. Mata pun nak juga, telinga pun nak juga. Especially in Msia where there are so many alternatives around, I don't think restaurant owners can afford to be sloppy.
I was at Indochina (Penang) once. Dah order baru the waiter said that they were closing in 30 min. We wanted to leave but he said that the food is ready in 5 minutes and we could stay on for as long as we need because they need to do more work in the kitchen. We ate and as soon as we're done with the food, he sent us free desserts and a cup of coffee each. How's that for service?
:)

لف توف™ said...

Hehehe. Lama tak nampak "gaduh kat cyber space". Dulu time kat MBSC, kerap berlaku. Ini baru meriah.

jitraman said...

Tudia,

Orang meniaga kalau pandai, mulut nak kena manih dengan pelanggan.

Senyum pun satu sedekah, tapi kalau masih nak pertahan benang basah macam mana. Lepaih tu, orang lain pun avoid tempat macam tu. saper yang rogi.

Just my 2 cts.

luah fikiran said...

Salam.
Am with u -- "truth hurts". Not to worry, many more restaurants around. If u look for nice food and harga ok, go to Restoren Saba' Cyberjaya, but sorry to say bad service. Try chicken kabsa with rice (RM 8/plate), kambing pun ada tapi mahal sikit - makanan arab dari Yemen.

mamasita said...

Hai Puteri,
I nak pergi kat D'Cengkih and suruh they all give you a public apology.

Bodoh betul they tak thank you for your very constructive criticisms..I tahu you..even though you marah sangat you are actually a very kindhearted and forgiving person.

I nak find out siapa tokay restaurant tu..of course I tahu kickboxing and karate sikit2..don't you worry!!hehe

Pak Idrus said...

Wow! this lady is really hot. What can I say.

Anyway as a person who was raised in a Restaurant, my dad been the owner. He always say be nice and always smile to your customer for we live became of them. If the customer does not walk into the restaurant then there would not be any business. What's use is a restaurant without business.

Kama cool down and do not let them get to you. Take care.

Kak Teh said...

Puteri, nampaknya satu restaurant will be off my list when i go back. Thanks for the review.

CN said...

Oooiitt Lap.. besttt ada "gaduh kat cyber space" hehehehehe.. ala-ala MBSC gitewww..

IMHO..they should change the restaurant's name from D'Cengkih ----> D'Cengei. Baru kena.
They should learn from MAKBUL, cara-cara nak layan pelanggan...hehehehe.

Anonymous said...

Jom,jom.

Next time I catch you and Pak Abu at the poolside or the buttery, I will belanja you. Service very fast one. Sedap pulak tu.

Derebar
(my tyre almost pumcit hearing you)

Anonymous said...

ni nak bagi tahu kat tauke d'cengkih, kalau hang tak tau nak business and manage restoran, jangan hang nak berlagak terror!!! kalau tak tahu manage restoran, baik hang bukak warong kat bawah pokok jambu je....atau lebih baik hang duduk rumah je... kesian hang.....org niaga bukak restoran..hang pun nak bukak restoran jugak.. tapi perangai hang & staff hang ni specially cashier tu hampeh...sombong, berlagak...muka x pernak nak senyum bila take order...atau ucap terima kasih bila orang bayar...lebih baik hang antar cashier tu gi gromming muka dia yg masam mcm cuka...ataupun krusus kawin....settle....

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Folks, I am so sorry for my posting. 'Angin' ada sikit naik.. hehehe.. but all is not lost. I hope the kedai will buck up and prosper.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

CN - cikgu, I agree. Mamak joints usually pandai melayan pelanggan.. that Makbul in Tmn Tun is a case in point.

Typhoon Sue said...

hahahaha
makcik marah sungguh no? :-)

once, i had to wait for 45 minutes at secret recipe (the weld). My order: a simple garden salad. WTF? Pi tanam lettuce dulu ka?

The good thing was, the Manager did apologise profusely and sent the salad to me himself. The bad news? He also gave me a slice of cheesecake, on the house. Abihlah diet I.... Cisss!!!

:-)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Naz, Sue - I salute the people who run those places. they know how to make a customer feel good. and a happy customer will return, time and again.

Jitraman, LF, Pak Idrus - it takes so little to please a customer, kan? satu senyuman and a few words of apology pun cukup. sejuk hati orang yang menunggu makanan.

Lap - mana ada gaduh.. hehehe

mamasita, anon - let's just hope they will ambik iktibar dari komen saya selepas ni. kita nak hanya yg baik..

Kak Teh - you come to Tmn Tun, I bawak you pi all the special places to makan.. Can't wait to see you again..

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Derebar - I agree. the best food and service are still kat the poolside and the buttery. Hahaha, dun pancit yet..you still 'got saham' in the market... :)

amish said...

Xpe..d'cengkih mmg dah xde dlm my list and my friens' friends list. Buruk perangai kena kritik sikit terus melenting.

Besok Makbul kita. I belanja teh o kurang manis.



ihatemystupidneighbour.blogspot.com

mekyam said...

puteri,

not only will i give d'Cengkih of Taman Tun Dr Ismail a miss, i too have spread the word abt yr sorry experience with them to family & friends.

if that anon's response is their idea of pr and damage-control, tersangatlah kampungan and takde kelas! :D

MrsNordin said...

That's the problem with some our local restaurants, their attitude sucks. Now they are going to lose business and all I can say is, you asked for it!

Pi Bani said...

Waaah.... don't make Kak Puteri naik angin, huh? Dah nak jadi incredible hulkess tu!

But it's true lah, food macam mana punya sedap pun, kalau service sucks, sorrylah I nak gi lagi. Whatever happened to "customer is always right"?

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Tommy take note; Remind yourself never ever to ruffle the Puteri’s feather….heheh!

I can understand why u felt ‘so terrible’ (now that u had the time to reflect), for posting this matter in the heat of the moment. In the goodness of your heart, U realised this action of yours could ruin that poor fella’s livelihood (his dream & aspiration of owning a restaurant) just by the stroke of your pen. Yes, that’s the nature of life, ‘u can do 1000’s of good deed but do one fatal wrong error & you’ll be cast in stone. {I’m referring to the restaurant owner here, not u lah mem; see my opening line.}

My simple advice to the owner, if u r reading this; own up to your error, apologise & invite Puteri & her family to your restaurant for a complimentary ‘making up’ dinner. And I’m sure Puteri will be gracious enough to accept your offer, & even offer to pay for the meal too as a goodwill gesture.

There u go; Tommy Conflict Resolution 101, ‘All Well End Well’. Sometime in life u can turn a problem into an opportunity if u do the right thing by yourself & to others. And we shall all live happily ever after!

Salam,
Tommy.

P/S – Mamasita, u got the potential to be Tommy Ah Long Financial Services Sdn Bhd Vice President of Debt Recovery Division…muahaha.

Cik_kembang said...

Salam ma..

U should come over to Pendangshire and try Nasi kandar Hj. Ramli coz their service is superb especially to ladies..hehehe

-leen-

Kama At-Tarawis said...

amish - young man, makcik is all for for bfast at makbul.. boleh ogle dekat mamat2 bangla yang hensem2..LOL

Mekyam, Mrs N, Pi - takpa takpa. Let's hope they hear us loud and clear.

Tommy - hahahaha...yo and your Conflict Resolution 101! I'm like this la Tommy..my angin sometimes rise very fast, but turun also just as fast.

Leen - the next time we go Penang, pak abu and in nak cross over pi Kedahville.. bertandang ke Pendangshire.. you blanja nasi ayam HJ Ramli tau!

kay_leeda said...

Kak Puteri,

Ada lagi cerita about D'Cengkih (yg cengei) nih!! Is it so difficult to accept the truth? Orang suruh senyum je, buat muka manis skit. Pembuka pintu rezeki tu!!! Ceh..no need to bukak kedai lah like that.

That's it for me, D'Cengkih out of my list. Not that I have been there, but I do definitely do not want to land myself at a joint with such an ATTITUDE!!

Jom pekena Lontong Kelang in Sek 7, Shah Alah. Pak cik yang serve lontong tu, muka..alahai..senyum je. Apa tak nyer...masyukkkkk :D

ann said...

Takpelah, Ma. Ignore je Anon tu. He/she is too immature for your standards lah. No doubt a kid (in mental capacity, at least), as I don't think he/she fully understood what you were trying to imply. Plus, the thoughts opined by him/her spells ego, so go figure. Not worthy of acknowledgment, much less a reply.

Fadhil said...

Salam Kak Kama,

I've visited the Fried Chillies link and note that D'Cengkih serves Johor malay cuisine. Perhaps when I'm in TTDI next time, I'll just give this place a try to see if I agree with the critic's review. Only a Johorean like me can confirm if what she wrote is valid (about the taste, that is). As for the poor service, it's up to the restaurant to buck up if they want to survive.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

kay, oldstock - begitulah adanya.. sekian terima kasih..LOL.. ponat den menuleh, puro2 tak faham..

ann - i agree.. baik kita pi sedekah lunch money kat restoran puteri..hehehe..

Visitor said...

I was at the restaurant a few months ago because I heard that it serves Johorean food. It was on Sunday morning and the service was excellent - maybe it's because the owners were there. I haven't been there since but was thinking of going again since they had nasi ambang and ubi rebus with sambal tumis- my favorites! I know the owners and will tell them about your forgettable experience at their place. I hope they will get the staff to buck up. It's a pity if they let the service slack. I'm shocked with the cashier's reply - she deserves the sack if she's still there !

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Tq so much for your input, visitor; I really appreciate it. Please let the owners know that my only wish is for the shop to prosper, but the owners hv to be hands-on with the staff.

Capt's Longhouse said...

wrote something about 'service' in my blog and indeed you should try Capt's Longhouse !!,,,our customers don't want to leave-lah, dah lepas makan mereke kena basoh pinggan sendiri pula pon tak apa!!
we make them feel sooooo at home at our rumah panjang kapten restaurant too yaa!!
Perhaps I should open one in K.L. ??
Nak jadi partner ?. You jaga staff..hehehe!!.

Capt

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Capt - like this one day must go try your place lah... basuh pinggan pun ok! Partner? Bangrap you nanti, we are all big eaters..hehehe