My sister and I grew up in Chelmsford and have been going to Feng Shui since it first opened, starting when we were children and continuing into adulthood. This restaurant has been part of our lives for years, which makes what happened during my sister's recent visit especially upsetting. A hibachi chef repeatedly subjected her to sexually inappropriate behavior in front of male guests, turning her into the target of sexual jokes and unwanted physical contact while she was simply trying to enjoy her dinner.
The chef squirted sake directly at my sister's chest instead of her mouth, getting it all over her clothes. One older male guest openly ogled her chest and even said, "Ooh, I liked that," while staring at her.
The chef then brought out a different squirting toy from the usual hibachi toys. It was a sexually explicit figurine depicting a nude woman lying on her back with her legs spread open, with liquid shooting out of her genital area. He repeatedly referred to my sister as "sassy girl," then pointed to the toy and said, "This is sassy girl." He was explicitly associating my sister with this sexually graphic depiction of a woman and then used the toy to squirt sake into the mouths of male guests, turning her into the punchline of a sexual joke for their entertainment.
At the end of the meal, another older male guest told the chef that they would Venmo him. This interaction gave the impression that they might have known each other, although I cannot say whether they were already acquainted. Given the behavior directed at my sister and the other men's reactions, this interaction added to my concern about the environment she was put in.
The behavior continued throughout the meal. The chef threw vegetables down my sister's shirt. Later, while she was trying to eat, he threw vegetables down her shirt again without warning. He also threw vegetables at her face when she wasn't looking and was trying to eat her meal. He even explicitly stated, "I'm going to aim down her shirt again."
This was not a single inappropriate joke or harmless hibachi entertainment. The chef repeatedly targeted my sister's chest, associated her with a sexually explicit toy, and threw food at her face and down her shirt while male guests watched and commented on her body. She was made into a spectacle for men she did not know, simply because she was a woman dining at the restaurant.
My sister and her husband did not confront the chef during the meal. They paid their bill, left a tip, and left the restaurant. That does not mean his behavior was acceptable or welcome. My sister felt afraid and deeply uncomfortable. Customers should not have to confront restaurant staff or risk escalating an uncomfortable situation just to be treated with basic dignity and respect.
I find it disgusting that an employee would treat a female customer this way. My sister was a paying customer, not a prop for a man's sexualized jokes. She deserved to eat her dinner without having her body targeted, her clothing soaked with sake, or food thrown at her face and down her shirt.
Feng Shui management needs to take responsibility for what happened. I expect management to investigate this incident seriously and take meaningful action. I believe this chef should be fired. Repeatedly targeting a female customer with this kind of behavior is unacceptable, and it should not be excused as part of the hibachi experience.
Women and families deserve to know what happened here before deciding where to dine. More importantly, they deserve to know whether management will take this seriously and ensure that other customers are not subjected to the same treatment.
It is deeply disappointing to see a restaurant we have known since childhood associated with this kind of behavior. After years of visiting Feng Shui, I never expected my sister to be treated this way by one of its employees. I will not be returning. I hope management takes this seriously, holds the chef accountable, and makes clear that this behavior has no place in its restaurant. read more