Dishonest and Fraudulent--Check Your Receipts!
I have been to Sushi Yama in the past (over five years ago) and was disappointed by the low-quality sushi. However, after hearing that the quality had improved, I gave them another chance. To my surprise, the food was better on my recent visits, but my latest experience completely ruined any reason to return.
On my most recent visit, the service was abysmal. Our waitress (Asian woman with a round face who works there almost daily) ignored us for nearly 45 minutes without bringing our drinks, never checked in to see if we were satisfied, and left us sitting in the heat with no refills. Our plates were stacked on the table for so long that bugs started attacking us, and we had to wait an excessive amount of time for sauces that should have come with the meal--by the time they arrived, our food had already gone cold.
Despite this, I still left a tip, albeit a modest one, as tipping is based on service quality. I wrote $5.53 on my receipt--a direct reflection of the poor service received. However, upon reviewing my bank statement, I was shocked to find that I had been charged $100 instead of $90.
I immediately called the restaurant, and the person who answered took my information, saying the owner would call me back. That never happened. So, I went in person to speak with the owner. After explaining the situation, the owner claimed it was probably a "mistake" and would look into it. The next day, I received a photo of my receipt, which had been CLEARLY FORGED--the waitress had added a "1" in front of my $5.53 tip, turning it into $15.53 and inflating the total to $100.
When I confronted the restaurant about this blatant fraud, the manager only offered to refund the extra tip portion in cash--which I declined. I demanded that the full $100 be refunded, or I would dispute the charge with my bank. At this point, the manager became condescending and dismissive, arguing:
* "Is it fair that you ate the food and now want a full refund?" (Fair? Your staff committed credit card fraud--this isn't about fairness, it's about theft.)
* "If you can't forgive in life, then life will be hard for you." (This isn't a moral dilemma; it's a legal issue.)
* She insisted that 'Asian people don't steal' and that 'if you do good, you receive good, and if you do bad, you receive bad.' (If that's the case, then bad service should receive a bad tip--not an altered one!)
* She even justified the fraud by saying the waitress' mother has stage 5 cancer and she probably needed the money. (That's heartbreaking, but it doesn't excuse stealing from customers.)
The worst part? Instead of taking accountability, they tried to guilt-trip me into accepting it as a "mistake" and completely dismissed the fact that their employee was caught committing fraud.
If this happened to me, I guarantee I am not the only victim. If you dine here, check your bank statements and ALWAYS take a picture of your receipt. This restaurant allows theft from customers and refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of credit card fraud.
I have worked in the restaurant industry for years, and NEVER have I seen or even considered forging a tip. Tips are earned, not stolen. But at Sushi Yama, if your server isn't happy with what you left, they'll just give themselves more.
This restaurant has lost my business forever, and I urge others to be extremely cautious--if you eat here, protect yourself, check your receipts, and watch your bank statements carefully.
Absolutely disgraceful business practices.
Attached is the photos of the receipt you can zoom in to see how creative the server was in adding a "1" to the tip so here's your 1 that you so desperately needed you get "1 STAR"!!! I wish I could give 0 stars for FRAUD! read more