Michelle M.
Yelp
I had a very unfortunate experience at this restaurant. Below is the letter I sent to the corporate office and to the general manager in Newport Beach. I never received a response:
I am contacting you regarding an incident that occurred at your Newport Beach Mastro's Ocean Club on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2024. My daughter, son-in-law, and I were seated in the main dining room. We unfortunately discovered a large dog inches away from my daughter's chair.
The dog was literally touching my daughter's chair, as the tables were perpendicular to one another. The initial problem was a wagging dog tail hitting my daughter in the back over and over. The problem could have quickly been solved if the dog owner had graciously repositioned the dog or management had moved the dog owners to a corner of the restaurant. Unfortunately, the situation spiralled out of control when the dog owner told my daughter "don't move your chair as it may disturb the dog." (Additionally, multiple servers approached to pet the dog, which caused more distractions.) After asking for assistance from the waitress, the dog owner told my daughter to, "shut the f*ck up, don't f*ucking turn around and watch your back." We were quite startled by this language and immediately asked for a manager.
An employee (security personnel?) said he would try to move our table, but the restaurant was completely full and he'd check back with us later. No one ever checked back. While I understand that businesses are in a delicate position with potential "service dogs," this was certainly a pet dog. My primary concern is the reaction by another Mastro representative, who was presented as the "manager," yet his business card reads "the wine director," who appeared to have little customer experience.
After explaining the situation, this employee stated, "Well no one on my staff heard any of this, so we can't corroborate your story." I think we can all agree that at a fine dining establishment, such as Mastro's, an animal shouldn't be taking precedence over guests who are expecting a relaxing meal.
After an extended moment of shock by our party, the manager did reduce our bill (without our prompting). However, my primary concern was not financial, but that your management was ineffectual in a difficult situation. I feel it's important that as Regional Vice President, you are aware that your restaurant failed to rise to the occasion to ensure that customers are treated as respected guests.
Need less to say our evening was ruined and we won't be returning.