My wife, Cindy, and I recently planned to celebrate our anniversary with dinner at Rios Brazilian…read moreSteakhouse. We've enjoyed Rios in the past, and because I have very little free time, it's been more than a year since our last visit. We looked forward to a quiet evening together.
I found the Rios business card I had saved, called the telephone number printed on it, spoke directly with a woman at the restaurant, and made a reservation. At no point during that conversation did she mention that Rios had moved from Nazareth to Easton about a year earlier. She also did not ask whether we knew about the new location or confirm the current address.
On the evening of our reservation, we drove to the address on the business card, only to find the restaurant permanently closed. Understandably confused, I called the same telephone number again. Someone answered and then told me Rios had moved to downtown Easton.
We immediately drove to the new location. Unlike the former restaurant, which had its own parking lot, the Easton location required us to circle around, search for downtown street parking, and scour our vehicle and belongings for quarters since we didn't bring a credit card to pay for metered parking. After everything we had already been through, we still arrived only a few minutes late for our reservation.
When I entered the restaurant, I explained what had happened and why I was upset. I will be honest: I was frustrated, and the conversation became heated. However, our complaint was simple and reasonable. When someone calls the restaurant to make a reservation, especially using the same telephone number the restaurant has used for years, the employee taking the reservation should confirm the current location. One sentence during that telephone call could have prevented the entire situation.
We were not looking for anything free. We were not asking for special treatment. All we wanted was an acknowledgment that the situation could have been better handled and an apology.
Instead, the hostess became defensive. When my wife entered and tried to explain that we simply wanted someone to understand why we were upset, we were told we were not welcome to eat at Rios and had to leave.
After owning and operating businesses for many years, I understand that mistakes happen. What matters is how a business responds when a mistake inconveniences a customer. A simple apology would have ended the matter. Instead, a preventable communication failure turned into an embarrassing and disappointing end to what should have been a special anniversary dinner with my wife.
Because we were never allowed to sit down and eat, I cannot comment on the food at the new location. This review focuses strictly on the reservation process, the lack of communication, and how our concerns were handled once we arrived.
I hope the owners take this seriously and ensure employees confirm the current Easton address when accepting telephone reservations, particularly from returning customers who may still have the restaurant's former business card. I also hope the staff receives better guidance on how to listen, apologize, and de-escalate a customer's concern rather than becoming defensive and turning the customer away.
We left shocked, embarrassed, and deeply disappointed. This is not how loyal returning customers, or any customers, should be treated. We will NEVER eat at Rios Brazilian Steakhouse in Easton, Pennsylvania again.