Frima J.
User's reviews
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The Empress Tea Room & Event Dinning
I was invited to my good friend's bridal shower at her favorite tea room. She raved about it for weeks as I had never had tea before and was extremely excited to attend this event. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a solid wall of people in the lobby area. We were to be seated by 3:30, however at 4:15 we were all still crowded into the room like cattle in a barn. We were repeatedly assured by the owners of this establishment that our delay would soon be over. However that was not to be. At approximately 4:30, Mike again came to speak to the bride and guests. Not to tell us the room was ready, but to inform us that the other party was still opening gifts, and would still be a while longer. He consoled us with the fact that 'the lingering party were going to have to pay extra'. How that helped us in our situation remains a mystery to me. He offered each of our guests a free glass of champagne, but refused any further compensation for our inconvenience and distress. Having worked in the catering industry for years, I was shocked to hear Mike come forth with such a pathetic offering. I suggested a sizeable discount on the event tab as the mistake was theirs in overbooking the room to begin with, but Mike rudely refused any discount at all and stormed away. Being familiar with unfortunate situations as these, I am well aware that should the party choose to bail completely the establishment not only must absorb the total cost of the food already purchased and prepared, but also will weather the dissatisfaction of the customers. In my experience, everything is done at that time to keep the relationship between establishment and patron a happy one, regardless of the cost to the restaurant. Again, I was shocked at the lack of compassion as well as the pointed rudeness displayed by the owners of this facility, Kim and Mike. What a real shame that my friend's special day was ruined by Kim and Mike's lack of compassion and understanding of business when all that was needed was honesty, maturity, and a willingness on their part to take responsibility for their mistakes and poor business management.