I know that restaurants can get busy sometimes. But what I experienced today at The Noodlemaker set new standards in "customer service" - and in a way that can only be described as self-sabotage with a business-destroying guarantee.
I just wanted to order my usual dish, one that I regularly (!) eat there. Unfortunately, it wasn't listed in the delivery app. So I called the restaurant--naïve as I was--assuming that a short conversation would resolve the issue. The owner, Mrs. Yang, suggested a creative workaround: I should order a different dish at the same price and write in the comments that I actually wanted something else. Hmm... okay, that might work. Except there was no dish at the same price.
According to Mrs. Yang, the price was €12.50, while the noodles I wanted were still flaunting themselves for €11 on the restaurant's own online PDF menu. When I politely pointed this out, I got the charming response: "Then just order somewhere else."
Well, I thought, maybe a misunderstanding. Since the restaurant is practically around the corner, I decided to drop by in person. Cue the drama:
Once there, Mrs. Yang admitted that the online menu had been outdated for ages. And when I simply asked to be treated in a friendly--or at least neutral--manner, the next surprise followed: A ban from the restaurant! Yes, you read that right--just for pointing out incorrect pricing and not being thrilled about rude answers.
And the cherry on top? She called the police. Over... what, exactly? My outrageous audacity to ask a simple question? Or because I dared to not obediently accept whatever I was told? I didn't wait for the grand finale of this absurd show and left before the police arrived.
So, dear future guests of The Noodlemaker: Come with low expectations--or better yet, don't come at all. If you enjoy unpredictable pricing, dismissive service, and the chance to meet the police over a bowl of noodles, this is the place for you. If you'd rather have good food and basic customer service, I'd recommend choosing a restaurant that doesn't respond to reasonable questions with a ban and a 911 call. read more