It is rare that I write a restaurant review on Yelp - especially one about a restaurant which I have enthusiastically supported since the very day it opened here in Rancho Bernardo. My family and I have welcomed this restaurant into our community, recommending it others regularly; indeed, its not everyday a Burmese restaurant opens its doors in San Diego.
But our recent experience while attempting to place an order by phone with the restaurant's representative/manager (Marlene) was so incredibly negative, so beyond the pale of customer service, so blackened by a determined disregard to hear out a customer and uphold what a Burma Place manager had pledged to us just four weeks earlier that I felt compelled here on Yelp to at least record the experience, communicate it to Burma Place and to all of you, its potential wider clientele.
Two things at the outset. Burma Place's Tea Leaf salad is a special favorite--one we partake in each time we've visited, and which has brought my family there again and again. We have patronized Burma Place despite the second initial fact I should underline: It is not inexpensive. While not excessively priced, entrées run above $13 and quickly add up for a family.
This brings me to the event at hand. In March 2022, I received a coupon from Burma Place that allows $5 off for any purchases over $25 and $10 off any purchase for $50 for a limited time. The catch--which I did not initially notice when I read it--is that the coupon may only be used while dining in.
On March 19, 2022, I visited Burma Place after placing a large online order ($64 dollars). I explained that given that there was a young kid in our family who did not yet have access to the COVID vaccine that we were still - for now - aiming to be safe and ordering take out. Therefore, I inquired, would it be possible to use our coupon for a takeout order on a future occasion?
The manager came out from the kitchen on that day and readily stated, "Not a problem. We understand and appreciate your business. Next time you want to use this one-time coupon please call us and we'll honor the coupon." I paid the full price for the food and went on our merry way.
This leads me to today: April 25, 2022. I called. Marlene answered. I asked if I could use the coupon, referencing my previous conversation with the then-manager. Marlene caught me off rudely mid-sentence and says, "That manager no longer works here, and we're not going to honor what he told you."
I was dumbfounded. In the world of restaurants that I patronize, the word of a manager, especially in a small community, especially where clients quickly become loyal patrons, means a heck of a lot. I calmly explained that while I understand he's no longer with them, I was being truthful about our exchange and that this was his solid pledge. I explained that we'd really appreciate her upholding what her own Burma Place staff member told us in the view of several wait staff on March 19. She then caught me off again, this time clearly irritated. "Yeah, uh, we know who you are. This doesn't change anything. He's not here and we will not honor the coupon." We seemed to go around and around a few times, with me more shocked by the fact that she admitted knowing that we repeatedly patronize her establishment and still displaying the attitude of: "I could care less about what you were told. I am the boss. You are totally insignificant."
After a 'have a good night' delivered so quickly you could get whiplash, Marlene hung up the phone on us before waiting to see if we would even place an order, which sealed the deal in terms of this whole customer experience. As an educator in the community, and one who has worked in a restaurant and an enthusiastic supporter of local establishments, I believe that when a manager makes a promise or a pledge, she should strive to uphold it. If she can't do that, she should try to explain this to a customer patiently, explaining the constraints in which they are operating.
Here, my family was not seeking an ongoing discount, a long-running privilege, or a benefit we're not due. We were simply aiming to utilize the one coupon Burma Place's own manager not even four weeks ago told us we should use. It really upset us that Marlene would so clearly devalue our loyalty since the opening of the restaurant.
My hope is that Burma Place will adopt a more professional attitude toward managing customer relations. I understand--from working in a restaurant--just how intense and difficult it is dealing with all manner of questions and concerns. But I'll say that the mantra that grace, compromise, honoring what a local manager has told a patron and never being rude is of paramount importance.
Until the situation is rectified and acknowledged, it will be hard for us to recommend Burma Place to our local community. Hope to write a future review about the various dishes - not just the Tea Leaf salad - that we have so enjoyed. read more