Do NOT visit this Briar Creek location! Go to the North Hills location, if you absolutley must. I visited Aladdin's Eatery in Brier Creek, Raleigh, NC around 7:30PM EST, Saturday night (1/22/2022). After ordering our appetizer, 2 entrees, and the dessert to go, we left our standard 18% tip. Before leaving, the manager, or whoever it was, (there was only one employee working that night) came out and said 'let me school you on the culture, the tip we left was not enough.' That is very unproffesional. You cannot demand additional money from people who are leaving already over an 18% + standard gratuity. 6.92/37.95=18.23% (the tax is not included or tipped upon, also a general, standard practice). I was so surprised, I said 'I left 18%!' He said 'no, I checked and it wasn't.' I have the receipt proof, obviously, check the math. Additionally, he was not wearing a mask the entire time and our server was a 13 year old child. Isn't that illegal? Additionally, he claimed everybody should get a 21% tip in that restaurant. The service was only standard, I therefore left the standard 18% tip, which might I reiterate, is standard protocol. We had to ask for pita for our appetizer platter, which generally comes with it. My guest had no water at all in their glass, we had to ask for water. He was vacuuming the restaurant while we were still seated. He began to shout and insist that my 18% tip was not enough. Additionally, he bussed all the table while I was still eating and was basically trying to shoo us out of there. We were so insulted that we left without even finishing the plate of food I was still eating, which I paid for. He even added, 'we're not hurting for money, I'm going to make this up to him' pulling out his cash from his pocket. Then he said, 'I'm just trying to get my 13 year old son home.' A 13 year old shouldn't even be working. His last words were, 'I'm pretty sure you're never coming back here,' as he picked up the plate of food I was finishing. My guest was shocked and somewhat fearful, as the man was shouting and flailing his hands towards me. What blatant disrespect and extreme rudeness and unproffesionalism. I'm utterly shocked by this behavior. This is a terribly poor reflection of the establishment and its staff. I would not be writing this if I weren't so flabbergasted and offended. The service, the food, the no mask, the server being a child, none of that would be an issue for me under normal circumstances, however, I am so shockingly surprised that for leaving a standard 18% tip, one would embarrass me in front of my date in such an awful, unproffesional manner. I have worked in the service industry, I know good service when I see it. I used my calculator to even verify the percentage gratuity. I have never heard the number 21% to be a standard tip. It has always been 15, 18, or 20% All over requesting an additional 3% on $37.95? .03*37.95=$1.14. Basically you are demanding from guests an additional $1.14? Wow! You cannot ask people to leave more tips in the first place. I would expect someone running a restaurant to intuitively know that. That is just plain rude. Then take my food as I am eating and say 'I don't thing you're coming back here.' It's not like I left $1, I left the 18%! This franchise should train this employee, a manager at that, to ensure something like this never happens again, to me, or anyone else!
Sincerely, a concerned, irate, and extremely disappointed customer. read more