Grace P.
Yelp
TLDR Summary: two Asian women denied heated table that was empty while all the other white customers were seated at heated tables
If Majorelle wants to avoid being labeled as a racist restaurant going forward, especially in times like this, please read this review.
My friend and I dined at 6PM on 4/24. Despite having reserved outdoor seating, and having arrived second (only one other party on site before us), we were seated at the non-booth table in the street without heaters. (There are 2 rows of booths and only 2 non-booth tables on the street.) I asked to be seated at a heated booth table, but was immediately rejected. As we browsed the menu and waited for our food, we watched a party of 2 being seated at a two-person booth table, and another party of 2 being seated at a four-person booth table.
It was also getting chilly, so while we were waiting for our appetizers, I asked again if we could switch to a heated two-person booth table right across from us. The server checked with the manager, but came back to us to say "no" because "another party is arriving soon."
When our 6PM dinner came to a close at 7:30 PM, the heated booth table across from us was still empty. However, even as we paid the bill, neither the server nor the manager bothered to explain the empty heated table or apologize to us.
Is it just a coincidence that the only two Asian women in the restaurant were seated at the crappiest table, while all other white guests who arrived later were seated in heated booths? Is it just a coincidence that nobody bothered to say to the only two Asian women, "sorry that you literally finished your dinner staring at the empty table across from you that you kept asking for?"
When I demanded to talk to the manager (coincidentally, a white male), he came out with an attitude, clearly irritated that we even brought up this issue, and responded that the tables were for the regulars. He emphasized that the regulars want heated booth tables, and that he didn't understand why we thought our table was worse than the other tables. Clearly, Majorelle isn't interested in making any other customers their new regulars, and its Managers don't understand that heated booths seem like better tables for customers who feel cold.
After saying the word "regular" repeatedly, the manager finally explained that he said no to our earlier requests because the particular regulars who wanted the same table had called the restaurant to tell them that they were running late. Had he realized that they were running this late, he would have let us switch.
Now, ASSUMING all of the Manager's allegations are true (that all other white customers that night were regulars, except for us, the two Asian women; that the non-present regulars kept calling to say they were running late that night but would arrive eventually; that the regulars have a standing reservation for better tables over other reservation guests), I am still personally offended from these two points:
(1) someone should have explained or apologized to us IN ADVANCE of us paying our bill. We had explicitly asked twice to switch to the other table but were denied, while we watched everyone else get seated at heated tables, and the table we requested, literally within our sight, remained empty the entire time. We deserved an explanation.
Had anyone thought that the two Asian women would just keep their mouths shut, finish up dinner and leave, sorry, that's not happening.
(2) The manager was visibly annoyed when he initially came out to "apologize" to us. His initial annoyance clearly indicates that something is wrong with Majorelle. If a customer is upset, and reasonably so, first, acknowledge and apologize. Then explain. Please do not contemptuously preach to the upset customer that other guests (allegedly) are regulars.
All this to say, while everything was resolved (I accepted the manager's apology, and was offered champagne, which I didn't accept), I won't be going back to this place.
There are so many other great restaurants in NYC where "contempt" is not part of the menu.
