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Dear Fashion Pulis,
March 29, Sunday, my family and I decided to have our weekly family dinner at Pancake House Restaurant, Glorietta 2 branch.
We ordered Golden Brown Waffle, a couple of menu offerings and as a treat to my niece who loves fried chicken so much, the restaurant's latest Hearty Pan Chicken Set which includes 5 pcs. Classic Pan Chicken, House Salad and Mashed Potato.
While waiting for our mains, we were served the Golden Brown Waffle and House Salad ahead. This was when our nightmare began.
As my brother was eating, he suddenly called our attention after he almost swallowed a piece of toothpick from his salad. Shocked, he called for the supervisor and asked for an explanation why a piece of toothpick was in the salad.
Upon seeing my brother's plate with a toothpick in it, the supervisor did not say anything, she just 'plainly' apologized and asked if we wanted to have the salad replaced with a new one. Replaced? What an insult! How can we still continue and have the appetite to eat knowing that they served toothpick (and possibly other 'matters' too ) in our food? And as if trying to fuel our outrage even more, the supervisor even assured us that the toothpick was "clean and unused!" (How the hell did she know?!)
Isn't it disturbing, what kind of people would say such words "clean" and "unused" to justify something that shouldn't have been there in the first place? Was that the only explanation the staff of Pancake House was capable of saying?
Shocked and paranoid, I realized that what if my niece had ingested some foreign object in her food, too? That could have put her at great risk! Would Pancake House take responsibility? Or justify (again) that at least, the foreign object was "harmless?" We then decided to leave and left our food barely touched.
Food safety is serious matter and of paramount importance. But seeing how the staff lightly handled our complaint felt like they didn't value food safety seriously, putting at risk the safety of their customers. I know other restaurants can be as guilty, but an institution such as Pancake House, we expected some credibility to its image, at the very least.
And so may I warn the public to inspect the food everytime you order especially in this restaurant chain, much more if you have kids with you. We really felt lucky that the toothpick was found by my brother and wasn't ingested by my 4-year old niece.
We tried calling Pancake House corporate lines and by the looks of it, we felt it's getting nowhere.
Thank you for accommodating my letter, Fashion Pulis!
Regards,
Jaime
Note: Letter edited for brevity
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Ang laki ng toothpick para hindi mapansin! Kahit ba nung hinalo niyo yung dressing hindi lumitaw yung toothpick? Papansin!
ReplyDeleteOo nga papansin. Shocked and paranoid.. Oa lang
Deletewala ng halo-halo ... lamon na agad
Deleteimpossibleng hindi makita yung toothpick. ano yun kumakain sa kisame nakatingin.
DeleteAnlaki ng toothpick ha! At anlaki cguro ng subo para di makita at matusok ng tinidor! Samgyeopsal lang ang peg! Baka nagseselfie habang kumakain.
DeleteMinsan kasi ginagamit ang toothpick like sa mga sandwiches. Baka ginamit dn sa salad tpos nakalimutan tanggalin?
DeletePag may ganyang deal, don't walk out and have it settled then and there right away. Nakakaloka!
ReplyDeleteTo the letter sender, what else do you need pala aside from the apology and the offer for replacement? I think tama naman ginawa ng manager. Unless you want her to act mad (to her cook or whatever) after seeing the toothpick which is by the way napakalaki para di mapansin considering halosubos na ang kinakain, and offer you money instead of a salad replacement. Ang OA mo po promise!
DeleteAt sa FP ka pa talaga nagsumbong? May BFAD po tayo kung sa tingin mong kalabisan ang makakita ng toothpick sa almost empty plate ng pamangkin mo..dun ka magsumbong. Duh!
ito rin ang tanong ko. what exactly do you expect from them other than an apology, and an offer to replace the questionable order?
Deleteparang nagpapansin ka lang sa ka-OA-yan mo, or worse, pakawala ng competitor nila.
tony
Exactly! Nagwalk out pero afterwards tinatawagan! Ano kaya yun!
DeleteHoney do not use social media to air your rants. If you are realy serious about this file a complaint.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:24 I think you should re-evaluate your comprehension skills. The letter clearly says that they have already tried reaching out to the restaurant's management.
Deletetulog na Anon 1:11 aka letter sender? LOL
Delete1:11 they've reached out after the incident. Why not dun mismo sinettle ang issue. Do they really have to take it to social media. Was the purpose plainly to serve as warning to others? I don't think so.
Deletecomplaint as in demanda...
Deletethank you for letting this be made public..what if na choke brother mo..now we will be more careful..sana more service recovery from pancake haus.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, how can anyone "almost swallow" a toothpick? toothpicks are big enough to see or if he didn't see it, big enough to feel in the mouth before having to almost have swallowed it.
ReplyDelete12:27 kaya "almost" dahil naisubo na niya regardless of how big his brother's mouth is...napansin niya kaya siya nagulat. If you were to step in his shoes malamang ganyan rin ang reaction mo.
Deletepalaka ang kumain nyan...as in paubos na talaga huh?
ReplyDeleteTama! Sabi ng letter sender 'he almost swallowed'. Ibig sabihin nasa bibig na! Kung paubos na ang meal bakit d napansin yung malaking toothpick. palaka nga kumain haha
DeleteKahit saang mamahaling restaurant ka kumain, hindi mo pa din masisugurado ang kalinisan ng pagkain. Sad but truth. Tsktsk.
ReplyDeleteyes, agree...depende sa mga taong gumagalaw sa kusina...
DeleteMalamang mga left over din yang mga ibang isineserve nila, pinagsasama-sama at inaarrange lang uli ng maganda. Baka yung toothpick na ginamit nung may tira ng salad na isinerve sa kanila, inilagay din dun sa plato at hindi napansin nung nag-ayos.
ReplyDeletei don't know where or how you came up with your conclusion na left over ang ibang isineserve nila.
Deletesobra naman ata ang imagination mo.
Medyo sumobra nga pero it is a possibility dahil sa fb page ng PCH nakapromo ang group meal na yan. Haha
DeleteOA much na ang mga tao sa pag-popost ng mga ganito. I get it that they were appalled seeing the toothpicks in their food. but im pretty sure that the management of pancake house glorietta branch will do something about this. The manager may not have given the best explanation to them but they will hold accountable the persons who prepared the food. No need to b*tch about it.
ReplyDeletetoothpick lang yan.. what more kung insekto pa nakita nila tulad nung minsang kumain kami sa isang resto sa isang malaking mall sa pasay. And you know what we did, we talked to the manager nicely. we suggested pa na i-check maigi ang food next time para wala ng magrereklamo.but did we broadcast what happened im social media? No...
Haayy... hindi lahat ng nangyayari sa buhay ntn kelangan ipangalandakan sa buong mundo.
Iba ka, iba sila. Ganun lang yun.
Delete12:32, it looks like you are IGNORANT of your rights as a customer. Kung sa palagay mo, OA ang letter sender, ikaw naman yung S*UNGA or to at best, DUWAG!
DeleteThe purpose of social media on this post is for public awareness, so the resto in question be put to public scrutiny, and reform.
Hi Anon 12:32! Meron talagang mga tao na feeling entitled tulad nung sender. To Anon 12:59, Yes the post was meant for public awareness but no need to be b*tchy right? Based kasi sa letter ng sender, parang ang angas niya magsalita na akala mo kung sino.
Delete12:32 and 1:59 tama kayo maangas nga yung letter sender may hangin factor ahihi pero hindi ibig sabihin wala na silang karapatan na ipaalam sa mundo ang nangyari sa kanila. Mabuti nga may social media para malaman ng sambayanan.
DeleteDoes this mean they serve recycled greens to customers who availed their promotion?! That doesn't sound sanitary to me...they should be immediately reported to the city government for inspection.
ReplyDeleteWow inspection agad!
Deletesaan naman nanggaling itong theory mo, anon @12:32AM?
Deletetoothpick lang ang nakita. pa'no kayo nakarating dun sa recycled na food?
12:33 simple lang, ang sandwiche o clubhouse gumagamit ng toothpick na may cellophane. Ang taong tapos na kumain gumagamit ng toothpick na either may mint sa dulo or plain lang.
DeleteHindi ba parang madali naman mapansin kung may toothpick ang salad? Lettuce lang naman yun and other shredded veggies and the dressing. Ano un sumabit sa dahon dahon? E minsan nga iisa isahin mo pa ung lettuce para lang kumapit sa fork mo e tapos ndi napansin na may toothpick to the point na nakain pa. Just seeing that plate na halos ubos na tapos hindi napansin na may toothpick. Curious lang. Haha
ReplyDeleteLeft ur food BARELY TOUCH? By the looks of it, it seems that the plate were passed over by typhoon.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! I agree with you :)
DeleteJudgemental lang agad. Typical pinoy.
DeleteI used to work in hotel and restaurant industry and sometimes no matter how clean the restaurant is, accidents happen. Someone could have been in the kitchen trying to re-fill their toothpick container and one got left behind on a plate , who knows right? I don't think any establishment would be careless enough to put their reputation at stake. The supervisor apologized..."plainly" in your opinion and offered you a new salad. I'm sure behind closed door this supervisor has reprimanded the responsible person who prepared your food. At the end, you need to realize that people do make mistakes and you have to know that that toothpick was not put there on purpose....it was an accident. This can happen to any restaurant out there, no matter how clean, well established they are.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteWell said. *thumbsup*
Delete12:39 Agreed also but the only thing that annoys me is how the manager told the customer that the toothpick is clean and unused. Baka yun lang ang gusto ni customer, marinig ang sorry at magsabi na iimbestigahan at improve ang service next time.
DeleteTo the letter sender, I think what the supervisor did which was apologize, offer to replace your food and assure you about the cleanliness of the food (i know this would have offended some) are SOP's for handling such issues and I think the supervisor did a good job (unless the apology sounded so pilit). Kahit naman ata anong gawin ng supervisor, di ka naman ma-pacify. What would have been the reaction of the supervisor that would have pacified you? I am curious what would have been a good reaction in your opinion.
ReplyDeleteShe wants money. Money money money!
Delete1:06 mukhang hindi parin makatulog ang mga staff ng pancake house. #defendpamore #publicawareness
Delete"How can we still continue and have the appetite to eat knowing that they served toothpick (and possibly other 'matters' too ) in our food?"
ReplyDeleteWell, assumptions nyo lang yan. Only the toothpick was found so you can't say na there are other "matters" in your food. For all we know it could just might be an accident since toothpicks are used din naman for food prep especially club sandwiches. Nakakatawa lang seeing the picture halos half ng diameter ng plate yung length ng toothpick haha and muntik na ngang maubos ang salad
"How can we still continue and have the appetite to eat knowing that they served toothpick (and possibly other 'matters' too ) in our food?"
Deleteang tanong, inubos niyo pa rin ba yung inorder niyong iba? feel ko busog naman kayong lumabas sa restaurant eh
1:40 basa basa rin pag may time. mas malinaw pa sa sinag ng araw na hindi sila nabusog. Hinihintay nga nila ang order na iba while eating the salad player. Bagsak ka sa reading comprehension. Haha
Deletepeople tend to over react on social media
ReplyDeleteAng arte... Papalitan na nga, aayaw pa. Ano gusto mo teh?
ReplyDeleteDahil ba April Fools' Day ito?
ReplyDeletemust be it ... huli ka balbon!
DeleteMay na-mention na restaurant so i dont think this is an april fools post.
DeleteReklamo ka pero ubos na yung salad. Ayaw mo lang magbayad noh
DeletePatola much ka anon 12:38
Deletewag kasing masiba kumain. hinay hinay lang din pag may time kuya. #sosiproblem #ayannapansinkanamasayakanaba #hindikamagtrendingepal next...
ReplyDeleteang laki laki ng toothpick..sus! OA
ReplyDelete2:21 isa pa itong feeling perfect. Sana hindi mangyari sa iyo ang nangyari sa kanina tignan lang natin ang NR face mo.
DeleteWell here in the states its big deal! Lol for sure law suit yan coz they know its the most easiest way to gain money! Check the law suit against mcdo about a wet floor! You'll be shocked that the complainant won $2M! Even a hair on food is a no no here! Lol
ReplyDeleteI had an experience sa Outback before. Meron curly na brown hair sa mashed potato ko right after I dug in. Obviously, hindi ko buhok yun. I just called the waiter and told him politely about it. The manager apologized profusely to me. I got my meal for free and they also gave me extra food to go. Ayoko lang ng gulo.
DeleteAsus... Ma isingit lang talaga ang "here in the states"... Ikaw na teh ang americanang hilaw!
Deletepaki-alam namin anong nangyayari dyan sa states.. eh nasa pinas ang incident.. d nga makasuhan yung mga bulok na politiko na naka televised na yung hearing, yan pa kayang toothpick lang.. nonsense ka Anon 3:23AM.. shut up! ikaw na ang nasa states.. arte mo!
Deletekoya, minsan they use toothpick o hold the food while cooking, sana sinabi mo nalang they forgot to take it out kasi normal lang yan.
ReplyDeletekoya, ang salad hindi ginagamitan ng toothpick. at kung meron man ang tawag dun cellophane frill toothpicks which is why malamang diyan it's either galing sa leftover sandwich ang gulay o hindi sinasadyang nasama sa food prep ang toothpick sa salad nila habang may kasabay na sandwich order.
Deletea nonesense rant in my opinion. A toothpick may not be big enough either too small not to be noticed. and i guess what the manager did is right. Didnt raised voice. offer apology and replacement. I think you should reserve your rant to something more important or better maybe the toothpick is edible afterall. :)
ReplyDelete10:24 it is only nonesense if you think the toothpick they found is edible. Malamang you don't understand the meaning of food safety.
Deleteyep anon @ 10:24am. I am sure kung sa u nangyari un...nde ka rin matutuwa...
DeleteDid he finish the salad first before calling their attention?
ReplyDeleteAt what point during the meal did he find the toothpick in the salad?
Didn't he toss the salad before eating it?
The toothpick is big enough to "show itself" if you toss the salad, unless it was "wrapped" within one of the greens--you know, sometimes those things roll-up...
Anyway, I'm pretty sure that it could not have been ingested because our mouths immediately recognize or sense whether an object is to be rejected or not. That's a very intuitive function of the human sense of feeling. But even then, it should not be lost on everyone that a foreign object was found where it should not be; and the presence of such foreign object should not be qualified to be "clean" and/or "unused" under any circumstances. I smell a lawsuit. Law students pay attention, a tort has been committed.
Students, please refrain from using the Thesaurus over zealously when making your thoughts heard, remember to KISS--Keep It Simple S____d.
"she just 'plainly' apologized and asked if we wanted to have the salad replaced with a new one. Replaced? What an insult!"
ReplyDeleteAng arte mo! Ganun talaga sa food service industry, hindi mo ba alam yun? Sa bahay ka na lang kumain para sure kang "malinis" at "maayos" ang kinakain mo. Tama yung iba dito, papansin lang ang letter sender. For sure marami diyang iba na mas malala pa sa toothpick ang nakita sa pagkain pero hindi ganyan ka-OA magreact.
clearly.. ubos na ang salad! hindi napansin ang toothpick? patay gutom lang! anu pa ba dapat gaein ng manager tusukin nya sarili nya ng toothpick? baka naman ikaw naglagay ng toothpick! para hindi ka makapagbayad?
ReplyDeleteayoko maniwala laki at haba ng tooth pick eh
ReplyDeleteAt halos ubos na ang salad before makita? baka sa sobrang gutom ni kuya di na napansin. kaya dapat iselfie muna ang pagkain, para makita kung merong foreign objects...lol
ReplyDeleteayan teh na-bash ka pa tuloy. Wag din kasi masyadong feeling entitled always sa lahat ng bagay...matuto din umintindi at maging mahinahon ~ peacemaker
ReplyDeleteano un? na tinidor din si toothpick kasama ng gulay????
ReplyDeleteI wonder where the letter sender is working? And also I wonder if there had been any accidents or mistakes in her workplace? I don't work in a food industry but I guess that is the standard procedure in such cases. Apologize. Do not argue. Offer a replacement for the food. Just like what the comments above said the toothpick might have been there by accident. Do you honestly believe that in the kitchen the USED toothpicks will still be around? Can't help but think that the customer wants MONEY. For sure after that shift there will be a meeting regarding the incident on how they can improve their service etc etc etc.
ReplyDeleteParang may mali sa story ng letter sender. Look at that toothpick. Mas malaki pa sa ingredients ng salad para hindi mapansin. And pano niya natinidor yung toothpick para makain niya? Haha at halos naubos yung salad ha. Sana ginawa naman niyang kapanipaniwala before broadcasting it to social media. Haha
ReplyDeleteNothing is a big deal, until it happens to you.
ReplyDeleteKahit subpar service, sige okay lang satin! Asenso talaga tayo.
It's for you to use after the meal.........surprise!
ReplyDeleteLaki ng problema nito ni letter sender, papalitan na ayaw pa. nag apologized na di pa rin husto! Alam na, PERA ang gusto nito.. saka jacket!
ReplyDeleteso ano gusto mo gawin ng management? dalhin ka sa hospital or magpublic apology sa tv?
ReplyDeleteToo obvious that its a matter of a story telling a lie contest. Toothpick is a standard size can't go eating and finishing the salad without noticing it. Reason why the supervisor handled the situation in a simple way, because, the style is bulok. An apology and just a salad replacement is more than enough compensation on this kind of modus operandi.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness kay letter sender halos masimot na ang salad ha! Hahahaha
ReplyDeleteNapansin ko lang na majority ng nagsasabi na imposible na kesyo hindi makita ang toothpick kase malaki, masiba yung kumain, OA at sinabing naubos na yung plate niya e mukhang normal reaction lang ng mga tao kase nga hindi pa nangyari sa kanila. Marami ng post dito regarding ipis at worms pero makikita na sa dulo nalang nila nakita.
ReplyDeleteKung kumakain sila ng salad, dapat alam nila na hindi toothpick ang gamit sa paghalo ng salad at kung nilagyan na ng dressing yan e kakapit na yung toothpick sa greens at ingredient nito. Mapapansin rin na platter ang salad, ibig sabihin malaking serving siya at nilagay lang sa separate plate ang portion nung taong kumain.
Tao nga naman. Kaya nga pinaaalam sa tao para maging aware sa kinakain nila.
Looking at the almost cleaned up plate malamang kahit dos por dos yun naihalo hindi pa din mapapansin ng lumafang ng salad.
ReplyDeletenalala ko tuloy when i ate before sa pancake house sa makati cinema square (bukas pa ba yon)? halos ubos na ung coke ng brother ko nung napansin nya na may ipis (as in full-size), wala naman ginawa rin ung pancake house...that was a long time ago though
ReplyDeletepero hindi naman talaga consistent sa service ang pancake house, minsan ok minsan masusungit at walang kwenta mga servers at minsan ilang oras magantay sa order
naaalala ko rin pala minsan nasisira tyan ko sa pagkain sa pancake house sa marketmarket, chicken na healthy something ung inoorder ko pag ganon
three words
ReplyDeleteang arte mo
Guys, kayo ba gusto nyo ng anything on your food na wala naman dapat? You're paying for your food and you have the right to demand kung may mali sa sinerve sayo. Siguro kayo nakukuntento na lang pero yung iba, hindi. Bakit parang galit pa kayo dun sa nakapansin? Pano kung gamit na pala ng taong may Hepa A or PTB yang toothpick na yan? Di naman nakakasigurado na "hindi gamit" yan. Kaya wag kayong magsalita na OA yung sender. Nagbayad sya and deserve nya ang malinis at masarap na food. Sana wag mangyari sa inyo. Yun lang.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, malinis o hindi, dapat walang toothpick sa order niya....
DeleteAng sabhin nyo sa kanya yang toothpick... Ginamit nya after nya kumaen pra mgtinga....
ReplyDelete