Stephen M.
Yelp
On May 11, my wife and I had an exquisite meal. We got the sampler, nine portions of meals the kitchen had on hand. It was expensive ($150), but the price was justified. By the end, with tip, we had paid almost $300, which was a shock to us, but since we didn't ask about the price of the meal, we couldn't really argue.
We were very happy but the memory was spoiled. I need to report this on Yelp because the owner needs to know that her behavior lacked integrity, because it impugned my integrity to preserve her own.
On the prior Wednesday, May 8, I was walking home and as I was about to pass A Single Pebble, remembered that my wife's birthday was coming up and she wanted to go to A Single Pebble. Being unhurried, I turned up the steps to their entrance, walked in and was greeted by a young woman dressed in black, who asked if she could seat me.
I informed her that I was there to reserve two seats. She went to the greeter's station, mentioned some times, and I agreed to a time on a Saturday night. Not every memory is crystal clear, but here is the moment of dispute: She told me she would need $20 per seat to reserve, and a credit card. I pulled $40 out of my wallet and gave it and my card to her. I remember thinking, and might have said, but certainly assumed, "This will be credited to my bill of course?". She said "Yes". She returned to the greeter's station and fiddled on the computer, we issued our thank yous, and I left.
Saturday came and we were on time, had our meal, paid and left. I grabbed the receipt for the meal on a lark, and looked at it later when I got home. There was no mention of the $40.
So finally on Wednesday I returned to inquire about it. I told the owner about paying $40 for the reservation, and before I was finished explaining, the owner said "No you didn't". I was flabbergasted. "Of course I did. I took two twenty dollar bills out of my wallet and handed them to her. Why would I lie?". It went on like this for several minutes. Multiple times she said "I don't believe you." She told me "I don't train my people to do that." She implied that the greeter was a fraud who happened to look like an employee and wasn't. Asking me to describe her, which I did, she said "No one who looks like that works here." I was completely flummoxed and asked "Do you realize that I won't be able to return here?" She said "fine. Don't come back."
Had the owner believed me, had the owner merely pretended to believe me, displayed some curiosity, investigated and not been convinced that I lost $40, this would be a story about the concierge stealing $40, and creating a reservation in my name to make it look like I made the reservation myself from home. But instead, this is a story about a restaurant owner who refused to even consider whether her employee had cheated a customer, had blamed the customer, broke a relationship with a neighbor and fan of long standing, over $40, after we paid almost $300 for our meal. We will never enjoy another meal at A Single Pebble. We are so sorry. They produce supreme Chinese cuisine.
I don't know why she chose to disbelieve me. Did she assume I would steal or scam her at first chance? Did she think I was a well dressed drug addict? Did she just think I was a down-rank plebeian, undeserving of the courtesy of being believed? With certainty I can say, she had no problem breaking the assumption of trust with which I made the reservation. By not believing me, she sheltered a petty criminal.