Today, I visited this café, as I have done for many years. I ordered, as usual, one order of spring…read morerolls with extra vinegar as an appetizer and pad thai to share with my friend. I am always asked if I want one or two spring rolls with the order and I usually split one order with my friend. The waiter, however, brought us two orders of spring rolls. I was about to let him know that this was not what I had requested, but he quickly turned away before I could speak.
Although I considered keeping the extra order, I found it unusual since no other waiter had ever misunderstood me before. He had even placed two vinegar containers with each order, which he promised he would charge extra, even though I had clarified that we were splitting the dish, which should have required only one order of two spring rolls.
When I finally called him back, I began politely: "There must have been a misunderstanding. I only ordered two spring rolls, not two orders." His response was, in a rude tone, "Fine, I'll take it back." He then raised his voice and scolded me in front of others. As a senior, I felt intimidated and embarrassed. My friend stepped in to ask him to stop, as his manner was unnecessarily harsh given that he had already agreed to take the dish back.
Had he explained calmly that the mistake would cost him personally, I would have accepted the extra order out of consideration. Instead, he chose to escalate the situation by threatening to remove both plates--and then did so.
My friend followed him to clarify matters with another waiter, who kindly offered to return the correct order to us. However, the original waiter brusquely snatched it from my friend's hands. We asked several times to speak with the manager or owner, but we were told the manager was also the cook and "too busy" to come out and hear our concern.
The rudeness and intimidation I experienced during this visit were unacceptable, and I hope steps will be taken to ensure other customers are treated with courtesy and respect.
