Mis-selling - Set meal deal not honoured and rude waiter
My family of four ate at Spice Inn on Thursday at 7.15pm. This was a special treat to celebrate my two sons’ achievements at school. My sons chose the venue – even though we had...already had a takeaway from Spice Inn six days previously!
As regular, local takeaway users of Spice Inn, we have also enjoyed meals at the restaurant. We know the food is delicious and high quality.
I pre-booked a table by telephone and double checked the Sunday to Thursday meal deal – a set banquet meal of starter, main, accompaniment and vegetable side dish for £10.95, was available.
When we arrived at 7.10pm, there was one other couple dining. The waiter took our four adult meal orders. He asked what our starters, mains and accompaniments would be. We explained we all wanted the meal deal and, as the vegetable side dish is just one set dish and we were not asked for this at the time, we assumed this was because that meal is the same for everyone, regardless.
After we finished our main meal, I enquired about our side dishes for all four of us, which I assumed would be coming next. I asked if the restaurant could box this up if possible (a service the curry houses in Boldmere have happily done for us).
However, the reaction of the waiter was not positive and he seemed agitated and defensive, about our request. He said: You want another dish? No. You should have asked for this at the time of ordering’ He acted as though we were ordering new, separate dishes. I explained we would like the complementary side dish boxed up if possible. Again, his response was reactive and he was shaking his head. He seemed to think we wanted additional, new meals, which seems odd given the set meal deal, which we have previously enjoyed in its entirety as had my father the previous week – complete with the one set vegetable side dish.
To clarify, I requested a copy of the menu which clearly shows the simple meal deal. Eventually, the waiter reluctantly passed the menu to me and I pointed to the deal which clearly showed ALL courses. He continued to scowl and said that he couldn’t possibly do this now and that we should have asked at the time (even though he never asked us what we wanted at the time, yet had asked us what we wanted for every other course). I explained that he did not ask us at the time, so we naturally assumed the same dish would appear for all of us. He said the chef could not cook this now, which was surprising given a) it is part of the set deal and b) the restaurant was empty apart from two other people. We offered to eat the meals at the table if they were unable to box this up, but still we were met with an air of inconvenience.
In the middle of the fuss, my sons looked uncomfortable. It was embarrassing and upsetting – this implication that we were asking for a ‘freebie’ when it was actually the other way around – the restaurant was not honouring a set course that we were paying for and making us feel like scroungers. This was meant to be a celebratory meal to remember, a chance to relax outside of work, not to face conflict for just asking for an included course!
Wanting to go home to avoid a scene we told the waiter to leave it. Had my children not been present I would have expected to receive the dish or a reduction in cost – along with an apology.
Ironically, my food – vegetable samosa, Vegetable Balti and garlic naan came to £10.95. This was actually MORE expensive than had I ordered the items individually! Had the side dish been honoured, then my ‘deal’ would have been worthwhile. Even when we called the waiter out, we were charged the full price of four set meal deals, £43.80, despite not receiving four side dishes.
I am writing to highlight this poor practice and treatment so that other patrons are not deceived by this blantant mis-selling or treated so poorly. I cannot wonder if this deception was intended as we were never given the opportunity to order those dishes and then treated badly/inappropriately, accusatory and unprofessionally when doing so.
In the past week, we have spent £75 at Spice Inn. This is very short sighted of the business. Not only has it now lost a regular, local customer, but this will extend to friends and family. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth and this feels deceitful and confrontational on a night that was meant to be a family celebration.More