To Whom it may concern,
My name is Daichi Ishikawa and I have been a fan of the Mongolian grill-style restaurants for many years. There are several locations in and around Vancouver that provide the Mongolian-grill experience, and although they are each unique in their own ways, I find that each one is an enjoyable experience regardless of how many times I visit.
This was not the case however, when I visited the Mongolie Grill in Whistler village on May 8th, 2010 at approximately 6:00 PM. I was utterly dismayed at the treatment I received by a man claiming to be the general manager; not only was I subject to stereotyping, but I was unnecessarily asked to leave the premises in an extremely insulting and degrading manner.
The initial conflict was started due to a mistake I had made in the quantity of food I ordered. Although the manager had come around to our table and explained the system ($3.95/100g I believe), because I have frequented other Mongolian Grill restaurants in Vancouver that use a system that puts the price on the size of the bowl ($5 for a small, $10 for a large etc.), I had assumed due to my fatigue that the Whistler location used the same system.
In the end, my bowl came to a total of $44.95. Now because I had expected the dinner to be about $15-20 at most, I only had $20 in cash with me at the time. I realized the mistake I had made, and immediately asked the cook to put aside the food until the issue was resolved. I was then introduced to the general manager, at which point I promptly explained the situation. I apologized, and explained to him that I alone was unable to pay, and therefore was willing to work with him to find a solution that would be fair to both of us. I had known that our group was expecting two more to join us later, so I suggested that I would split the food and cost with them when they arrived. He then told me to either “go find your friends or get outside and never come back”, in a tone that could not be taken as positive in any way.
The manager then came by our table multiple times until I confronted him to tell him that I had notified my friends, that they were on their way to the restaurant, and that he was being extremely aggressive and uncooperative in settling this conflict. He then claimed that I was “trying to be cool by insulting me in front of your friends” and that I was to leave “his” restaurant immediately or he would call the police.
Let me tell you, that at this point I was absolutely astonished at how unprofessionally he had handled this conflict. From the beginning his tone had been accusing and very demeaning, treating me as if I was there to cause him trouble because of my age group. To the contrary, although I was at fault for the initial error, I had made every effort to correct it; not only did I come up with a solution, I had already resolved the issue and communicated the fact to him at the time of my expulsion from the restaurant.
This particular manager’s immaturity and incompetence in handling conflicts with patrons of the restaurant, whatever their age may be, is very unfortunate for this establishment; one that has built an amazing reputation on superior service and a friendly environment. In this age of increased social networking and emphasis on business reputation, I do believe that a single person’s negative actions can be very detrimental to an establishment such as the Mongolie Grill. My ordeal has been anything but fun, friendly, or “a world famous dining experience”, and I sincerely hope that my next experience, should there be one, is an improvement to the last.
Best Regards,
Daichi Ishikawa
