Rubab K.
Yelp
Disappointing Experience - Unprofessional Service
I have been a regular at Sri Thai Atlantic Station, but after last night's Valentine's Day experience, I will not be returning. I understand that Valentine's Day is a busy time, but that does not excuse poor service, lack of professionalism, and outright rudeness from staff.
We arrived for dinner and ordered an appetizer, a Thai tea, and our entrees. The Thai tea arrived 45 minutes later--with our food--and our appetizer never even made it to the table. We had to cancel it. Throughout the entire meal, our waitress never once came by to check on us or ask if we needed anything. We had to request her presence just to get basic service.
The biggest issue was when I tried to provide feedback on the Sri Thai roll. The shrimp tempura tasted like it had been fried in old oil, and I simply wanted to inform the waitress--not to get a refund, but so they could be aware and improve. Instead of listening, she immediately started talking over me, raising her voice, and getting defensive. Even my guests tried to calmly explain that we weren't asking for anything, just making sure they knew about the issue so they could fix it for future customers. She refused to listen, continued interrupting, and got even louder, saying she would call the manager. As she walked away, I mentioned that she wasn't listening, to which she yelled across the restaurant that she was.
The manager came over and apologized, but the damage was done. No customer should ever be yelled at by restaurant staff--especially not for calmly giving constructive feedback. Restaurants rely on customer experiences to grow and improve, but instead of listening, this waitress created a completely unnecessary scene.
I have dined at this location many times before, but after last night, I won't be coming back. Customer service matters, and so does respect. If a customer is trying to provide feedback, listen instead of getting defensive. The way this was handled was completely unacceptable.