Oh the complaints are coming in thick and fast from the expat crowd and even the non-expat crowd regarding all the drinking holes in Cihangir. Why are they treating their customers like tourists? Meaning Tourists come and go and you don’t have to woo regular customers. Perhaps the owners or staff originates from Sultan Ahmet or thereabouts.
I am going to name these places, as everyone is sick and tired of mistakes made on bills. Deliberate? Who is to know but there always seems to be a problem and when it’s pointed out the serving staff become belligerent and narked. Isn’t the customer always right? Certainly is if you are a Cihangir resident and spend money in local businesses.
Zenka. Screwed up royally. So many love the place. So many love the atmosphere. So many love the food and think the prices of drinks (compared to elsewhere) reasonable. So this is a frequented place. Everyone tells others about it. Everyone wants it to succeed because they don’t want it to be a here today gone tomorrow (like so many small business (although Zenka is really part of a much larger group and therefore should know better)). A group were there there for 1 hour was overcharged by 3 glasses of wine. Since everyone was pretty sober it was easy to keep count of what had been drunk. What was even more outrageous was when they pointed this out the waiter was rude (you are wrong) and dismissive. Perhaps he would have been had the customers been men. So, not only is Zenka unable to count they are sexist. It took a lot of fracas and foray to put it right. This group has vowed to cross Zenka off their list, as have others who have also been stung. Zenka please put your computers, your staff, your accounting or whatever right so I can work hard to bring those people back to you.
Charlotte. How did you screw up Charlotte? The Manager is well liked and actually has managerial skills unlike most of the bistro/bars that open up around Cihangir. when there is a mistake made he is extremely apologetic but the staff keep screwing up, plus the service sucks but then it’s a new bistro so that is sometimes excusable in the early stages. However, the kitchen being downstairs far from the tables make it an obstacle course for the waiters to get past the drinkers at the bar. Bad designing guys. But everyone loves the hot nuts. Charlottes also has been overcharging. 2 bottles of wine instead of 2 glasses. How do you fathom that one? So the busy crowd that made you an instant success are beginning to go elsewhere.
21. Another screw up. Extra glasses of wine and even one was charged for 22 glasses (now that is seriously questionable), and worse yet charging for nuts. Not even nice nuts. Recently they charged not only the cost of a glass of wine but another 3tl for the soda spritzer. The Spritzer drinker no longer comes. Why? It makes your wine by the glass as expensive as a cocktail. Again bills arrive with extra drinks and even extra plates of food. OK we accept this sometimes happens but it’s happening way too much in all these above places. Plus we are left with an argument when we try to sort out the error. Oh and they've put up their wine prices which just seems greedy since wine is now cheaper than it has ever been.
Susam Cafe has not escaped either or rather several punters have. They have not been back since last summer when they sat drinking cocktails and were charged for 5 extra. When this was pointed out on the hand written bill (an extra 120tl on the tab) it was changed but and a shrug was given in the form of a non apology.
So far you three have been slighted. Of course others have too but you three have been slighted on several occasions so buck up and get it right because you are losing these valuable customers who are now returning to Khavedan where there is rarely a mistake and if there is the staff are polite about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment