KUSINA CAGAYANA AT TUGUEGARAO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Experience by xxxxxxxxxxx last March 2010

I am an expat who often goes home to visit my parents in Cagayan Valley. While waiting for my flight back to Manila from Tuguegarao City airport, I would usually have buffet lunch in nearby Kusina Cagayana.

Last March, I had a very unpleasant experience dining in this restaurant. I brought a cold bottle of my favorite soft drinks after shopping from Brickstone Mall. Inside the restaurant, a woman who (does not even know how to smile to the customers) introduced herself as the owner, said that she would have to charge me corkage for the bottle of soft drinks.

Corkage in most restaurants is normal, but in a friendly manner I said that, maybe she should waive the corkage for now as we are a group of three and that I regularly eat in her restaurant, and that I would usually bring a half-consumed bottle of soft drinks every time and did not have to pay corkage before. She agreed to waive the corkage.

But everything seemed unusual that day, the waiters looked stressed, rattled and as inhospitable as the supposed to be owner. Before finding a table, I asked one of the waiters whether they still charge the same fee for buffet and he said yes.

Later, when I went to the cashier to pay, the owner was there. I looked at the bill and there was an additional P100 for corkage. The owner said that after INVESTIGATING (what a word) her staff (as if I am some kind of suspected criminal or low-life who could not afford a decent meal), she learned that I was not a regular customer after all, that if I was indeed a regular customer I would know how much they would charge for buffet. Yeah, right, maybe asking whether they increased their price would justify that I do not regularly dine in their restaurant.

I have never been insulted this way in my whole life, not from a restaurant owner who probably does not have the slightest idea what CUSTOMER SERVICE meant. Maybe she was so pissed off that her staff previously did not charge corkage!

I did not want to call the attention of the other diners, not especially my husband and vet-friend who I was with, so I patiently said that an additional p100 for corkage would not hurt my wallet.... but her words and attitude just did i thought...golden rule: there is always a better way to say things that would not offend a customer...corkage is not the issue here but the manner she treats customers who patronize the restaurant... but you definitely lost a customer, I added. In her usual sarcastic manner, she replied,...Okay lang!

At that moment I felt like throwing up everything I ate...never again in Kusina Cagayana! How I regretted not following my husbandfs suggestion to dine at another nearby restaurant, Pampaguena or Leng-leng, where the owners are warm, friendly and hospitable,....the exact opposite of this one!

SHACKEY'S SHAW BLVD. KAPITOLYO

Don't ever make a lunch meeting in here.

just a month ago, we had a extended our meeting in our office and have a lunch in here. my other co-worker was late in our meeting and we all decided to discuss his report during lunch time, we use to have an informal meeting were us we just laugh to our report seriously while eating.

this resto during that time do have a birthday party on the 1/4 corner, around 5 tables occupied whereas their they have a balloon, birthday cake and a fucking PA system plus a gay shakey's crew who serve as the host. the dining place was open and their was no wall to separate the bday activity to other customer.

the party just started 5 mins after we had taken our orders and while waiting we use to have a chit chat but to our surprise when we heard a huge scream coming from the 1/4 corner of that 50sq. meter dining place. the host was shouting and cheering on a party game.

this is annoying because the PA speaker was too loud that you cannot even hear what we are discussing within our table. because were hungry on that time and annoyed on the voice of the host we just talk to the manager to just lower somehow the volume of the PA speaker, we also consider the bday celebration.

we all know that a kid bday celebration is not appropriate for a pizza party and might consider celebrating it on mcdonalds or jollibee, we just found out that it was a celebration of 29 yrs old dude and they paid for their activity that started 12 noon.

the manager have lowered the volume but the party should be loudly for them to enjoy. we thought the manager already understand what the other customer was complaining but as the sounds goes load again the dining managers disappear on the scenario and the poor simple crew was the one to be blame, we had seek from the crew to talk to the manager and complain that the party is not applicable in their place and we cannot even have our simple conversation but the manager never goes out and only the crew manage to rely our complain to there manager who was hiding inside.

the crew went out and so as our lunch, then the crew just said that they cannot do anything because the bday party was already been paid. this is bullshit....

the poor crew only listen on what we are complaining but their is no action taken. we are really piss off when their some one yelling and shouting, we all knew what a bday party should be but we are not mad on the celebrator but on the manager who cater to conduct a party on 1/4 of his place.

the manager really didn't show up, all customer was annoyed on the party, considering that we also going to pay for our food. we are really upset when the last action done by the crew was to talk to us and say sorry for the loud noise and guaranteed that the party will be finish in less than an hour.

all the other customer was also upset during that time but my worry was if the pizza that we are eating is clean after we had complained to the manager.

if ever you have a business deal or meeting, DON'T EVER TRY SHACKEY'S