I want to start by saying we are not first-time customers here. My family has been coming to this…read morelocation for years. We have ordered from them countless times, and we have used them for catering on multiple occasions. The woman who usually helps us has always been genuinely kind and helpful. That is exactly why what happened today was so shocking, and why I felt I had to write this.
First, the hygiene. The woman at the register was taking orders and handling payment, and then went straight over to the chaat station to make food without changing her gloves or washing her hands. My mother had to ask her directly to please change her gloves. That should not be something a customer has to point out.
Then the food. We ordered a dosa. When it arrived, the middle was not cooked -- it was still raw batter inside. We did not make a scene. We simply asked, politely, if they could remake it and cook it through this time. That is a reasonable request at any restaurant.
The remake came out worse. It arrived almost completely bare -- barely any filling, essentially just a shell. So we said something, again politely, because the same dish had now come out wrong twice.
Instead of an apology or any attempt to fix it, the owner came to our table with an attitude and said, "Make sure you place your order right -- the last couple of times you came in we had to remake your dosa again." He said it as though it proved his point. What it actually proves is that this kitchen has sent us an improperly cooked dosa on multiple visits, and that the owner is fully aware of it. Instead of fixing the problem, he decided the problem was the customer for noticing.
From there it escalated. He spoke to my mother in a way that no customer, and certainly no elder, should ever be spoken to.
When I started taking photos of the food, he told me not to take pictures. When I told him I would be leaving a Google review, he told me to go ahead, that it did not matter to him. He then turned around and accused my mother of calling him a name -- something she never said. I have photos and video from the visit.
He also told us not to come to his restaurant. Long-time, repeat, catering customers, told not to come back over a dish his own kitchen sent out wrong twice in one sitting, and apparently several times before that.
We paid in full. We left every plate on the table. We did not eat a bite.
I also want to note that I did not come straight to Google with this. I messaged the restaurant directly afterward, explained what happened, and asked for a call. I have received no response at all. So this review is not a first resort -- it is what is left after being ignored.
The food here has generally been decent and the staff have always treated us well, which is what makes this so disappointing. This was entirely about how the owner chose to handle a simple, fixable complaint. A remade dosa and a two-word apology would have cost him nothing.
Running a restaurant is not only about the food. It is about basic hygiene, and about how you treat people when something goes wrong -- especially women, especially elders, especially loyal customers. If the owner truly believes reviews do not matter, that tells you everything about how much your business is valued here. There are plenty of places nearby that would be glad to have it.
