Owner of Oriental Express lashes out at negative reviews
Granted, her restaurant may not be a Michelin-starred establishment or a trendy hotspot, but when the owner gets criticism about the food at her Oriental Express restaurant in Pudsey, England, she puts pen to paper. And how!
Don’t mess with Oriental Express
She doesn’t mince her words and certainly won’t tolerate unfounded criticism. But two rings of onion in your nasi, and no meat? Then you shouldn’t order the vegetarian box, says owner Alice Cheung. Which, by the way, has absolutely nothing wrong with it, especially not for the £17 (equivalent to: €20) you pay for it. There, she’s got that off her chest.
Reading minds
Laura gave her takeaway only two stars out of six because she found breaded shrimp in her chicken dish. Open your eyes, says the owner, because Laura ordered the sweet and sour, and the menu clearly states that it also contains shrimp . ‘The food was fresh and perfectly cooked,’ according to the owner. ‘We are good, but mind reading the stupid is not one of our skills.’ Take that!
Ice cream is cold
Waiting three quarters of an hour for your order? Impossible. ‘Maybe we were ten minutes late, but certainly not longer than that.’ Food cold? Nonsense. ‘Our food is delivered hot, except for the ice creams and salads.’ If someone gives the meal only a few stars without an explanation, Alexia from Oriental Express asks them about it. ‘What’s the problem? Too much food, too hot, too tasty, delivered too quickly?’ No one has a comeback for that.
Bad publicity
Alexia’s responses to the reviews on her site have done Oriental Express no harm. They are going viral online and are also making it into the newspaper this way. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? Many hospitality entrepreneurs recognize that awful ‘the customer is always right’ mentality of today. And they think it’s an absolute disaster that people can give your restaurant a bad name online with just a few words.
Rude people
What does Alexia think herself? ‘Just Eat and those kinds of delivery services have a major impact on our business. We have to work differently, no longer taking orders by phone but through the internet. And when you read those reviews, yes, I do respond to them. The ratings are often unfair; people are simply rude.’
Alexia gives Michael, who thinks the food is too expensive and not tasty, the best advice. ‘Sorry, but next time you’ll just have to cook for yourself.’ Talk about politeness.
Read also:
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- The most bizarre restaurant review
Source: BoredPanda, image: Oriental Express
