Restaurant apologises, invites Stomper back after his family was allegedly rushed through 33-min meal
What was supposed to be an enjoyable dinner at a restaurant left a family feeling chased out, disrespected — and with a sour taste in their mouths.
Stomper Albert said he visited Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup at Kim Tian Road for dinner on July 11 with his wife and their five-year-old daughter.
Albert said the family was at the restaurant for just over 30 minutes before feeling pressured to leave.
“The waitress initially informed us that someone was waiting for our table,” he recounted.
“We said okay and that we would leave once our kid was done with her favourite food. We also asked our kid to finish faster as someone was waiting for the table.”
However, the family was interrupted again less than five minutes later, said Albert.
“The waitress came back to ask if she could shift one of the two small tables we were occupying (combined so that it could seat up to four pax). This meant that my family of three would be left having to squeeze around one small table.”
Diner slams “uncomfortable, rushed, and frankly disrespectful” experience
The Stomper found this request “unnecessary” as his family was almost done with their meal and only needed a few more minutes.
“We came in as diners, ordered our food and occupied the table for less than 30 minutes,” Albert told Stomp.
“We were not sitting around for hours, we were not delaying other customers unnecessarily, and we were not causing any disturbance. Most importantly, there was a child at our table who had not even finished eating yet.”
Screenshots of the Stomper’s restaurant bill seen by Stomp show the order was placed at 7.37pm and paid for at 8.10pm, 33 minutes later.
Albert said he felt the restaurant was trying to chase his family out.
He pointed out that he had not asked for any special treatment and only wanted “a reasonable amount of time” for his child to finish her food.
The Stomper pointed out that occupying a table for 30 minutes was not excessive by any normal dining standard” and said the restaurant could have handled things better.
“If the restaurant had a time limit, it should have been clearly communicated before seating us,” he added. “If they needed the table back urgently, there were far more polite and professional ways to handle it.”
Albert described the situation as “uncomfortable, rushed, and frankly disrespectful”.
“It is one thing to manage tables during a busy period, but it is another thing entirely to pressure diners to leave when they have barely sat down and a kid is still eating,” he said.
“That is not hospitality. That is not basic courtesy.”
Acknowledging that the F&B industry is not easy and “service staff can have difficult days”, Albert said he tries to be fair when reviewing restaurants.
However, he described his experience at Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup as “genuinely disappointing” and said it left him feeling unwelcome.
He added: “I would not recommend this place to families, especially those dining with children, unless the restaurant improves its service attitude, and learns to treat customers with basic patience and respect.”
Besides sharing his experience with Stomp, Albert also posted about it on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Restaurant apologises, asks for another chance
Commenting on Albert’s Facebook post on July 12, Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup said: “Please accept our sincerest apologies for the unsatisfactory service you received.”
The restaurant said it had reviewed CCTV footage to “fully grasp” the incident and takes “full accountability”.
“(We) completely understand how these repeated interruptions left you feeling pressured and uneasy,” it said, adding that it has since discussed the incident internally to revise standard service protocols.
“While we regret that this had happened, your feedback has given us the opportunity to reflect, identify where we fell short, and improve on our end.”
The restaurant said it has also trained all staff to communicate with greater mindfulness and sensitivity to prevent similar unpleasant encounters.
“Although we deeply regret this negative experience, your input has allowed us to reflect on our shortcomings and implement meaningful improvements to our service,” said Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup.
The restaurant also invited Albert and his family back so it could make things right, adding that its owner would like to personally apologise and host them.
Asked if he would accept the restaurant’s offer, Albert told Stomp: “I will let bygones be bygones.”
Stomp has contacted Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup for more information.
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