'Can't afford then don't eat': Restaurant and customer squabble over coupon redemption

[UPDATE: March 26]

The issue between the restaurant and the customer has been solved amicably, Fave told AsiaOne on Friday (March 26).

Fave said it clarified the conditions of the deal mechanics with the restaurant, and the latter has agreed to update the terms and conditions in the voucher listing to include the $10 surcharge per additional diner or the ordering of extra dishes per extra diner.

The customer has also received some credits as a token of support from the platform, Fave added.

When AsiaOne visited the page, the vouchers appear to have been removed from the platform.

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A restaurant and a customer recently got into a heated argument after the latter was allegedly told if she "can't afford then don't eat".

The reason for this? She bought a set meal coupon meant for four diners and wanted to bring two extra children along.

The woman had purchased the coupon, which offered a discounted price of $59.68 instead of the usual price of $116 at San Guo Kao Yu, through Fave.

As the coupon did not indicate that only four people could use the deal, the woman wanted to make a booking for four adults and two kids, reported 8World. 

When she called the restaurant on March 19, a male employee explained that the four-person set meal was only meant for four diners.

"But the platform didn't state that," the woman told 8World. "I didn't know before I bought the coupon."

The staff explained that there were limited seats in the restaurant. If they were to allow large groups to dine in and each group were only to order a four-person set meal, it would negatively affect business.

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As such, the woman recounted, the staff asked her to pay an additional $10 per extra diner.

The mention of additional charges left her confused, so she called again afterwards and spoke with the manager.

After explaining the situation to the manager, the other allegedly uttered: "Can't afford then don't eat."

This ticked off the customer who ranted: "This isn't about the money, this is about his attitude. I just wanted to make a reservation."

A female employee clarified with 8World that the eatery indeed had a dining policy where the four-person set meal could only be served to a group of four. Groups with more than four diners could choose between ordering additional dishes or paying an additional $10 per extra head.

Meanwhile, the manager admitted to scolding the customer, but explained that it was because she had accused the restaurant of "taking her money".

"Only when the customer dines at the shop does Fave give us the money that was paid," he said. "All she did was calling us to ask. We haven't even charged her, so how can she say we're taking her money?

"Whenever customers ask how many people can come and dine, we'd always hope they would order more dishes instead," he said. He claimed the woman was informed of the options as well.

However, the woman said she was not offered such a choice and the employee who first answered her call had insisted that she paid the additional charges.

According to the manager, the restaurant had asked Fave to indicate the dining policy in the coupons' terms and conditions when the deal was first launched. He hoped the platform would quickly rectify the situation to prevent similar incidents from happening. The deal's terms and conditions have not been updated at the time of writing. 

In the meanwhile, the customer warned other users would pay more attention to the fine print of such deals and advised them to clarify the details with restaurants before buying the coupons.

rainercheung@asiaone.com