“We have never raised our prices since opening, we keep things really affordable, so to call us disgusting just baffles me.”
A Stockport restaurant’s response to a one-star review has received a flood of support after they spoke out following a visitor’s one-star review, which was ‘edited and reposted’ six months after they dined there.
The Mekong Cat, an Asian restaurant located on Lower Hillgate, took to Facebook to give feedback on a one-star Google Review. In the post the restaurant explained that it doesn’t focus on negative reviews, with a “4.8 rating on Google”. But after a review was edited and reposted, The Mekong Cat said it would “publicly shame” them.
In the review posted on Google, the customer had complained about how cold the restaurant was, saying they couldn’t “take their coat off”. They also took issue with the fact “mains came out at different times” and said that paying £2.50 for a can of Diet Coke was “disgusting”.
The Mekong Cat, which serves Southeast Asian cuisine inspired by countries along the Mekong River, responded to the review and explained its food costs. In a Facebook post shared on Saturday, June 6, the venue wrote: …”the average plate at our establishment is about £11-12 for homemade noodles and broths that take hours to make. Our portions are generous, and our profit margins are low.
“We are able to do this because we’re always busy, perform at a high volume, and even though Stockport thinks it’s bougie, we are still located around a food pantry, and the economy is tough, so we keep prices low so the people of this town can enjoy food from a faraway place.”
It then went on to break down the costs involved in serving customers a can of coke. The restaurant said: “We do make our profits on our drinks, and £2.50 for a can of Coke is a lot more than the 24-pack in a can you get at your local Aldi’s. However, we hire staff to serve you that can of Coke, a pot washer to wash it after, and pay electricity on where the can of Coke is stored. So I apologise that we are trying to profit about 50p from that can of Coke you were served.”
The Mekong Cat explained that due to the nature of the food it serves it comes out when its ready. It added: “We don’t have a heat lamp to keep things warm. Noodles get sticky and soggy when they sit around. In Asian cuisine, food is served when it’s ready; we are not a pub serving Sunday roast.”
Commenting on the temperature, the restaurant added: “If we turn the heat up any higher, we’re going to significantly increase our prices, so yeah, keep your coat on.”
The post has amassed more than 800 likes and 231 comments, the majority in support of the restaurant. One user wrote: “What a fantastic negative review because now I know where you are, I’m gonna come and try your food!! And when I’m eating out, I don’t object paying £2.50 for a coke because every business needs to make a profit.”
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Another added: “This is a great response to a negative review and probably explains a lot to people who don’t understand how Asian food works. “ However one person did say that the response was “unprofessional”, which would “put them off more than one bad review.”
The Mekong Cat posted a follow up comment which read:” This review was posted months ago during the winter, it got edited to be reposted which brings it to the very top. Which is very vindictive/damaging to a small business like ours. Should we be more professional in our response? Write some generic apology? Sure.
“However if we want to give customers free speech to rate, and criticise any business publicly, the business has the right to respond. If those who choose to not come to our restaurant because they think we’re rude, this only opens up more seatings to a fully booked out place.
“We are not arrogant, we are trying to do something good, and something different in Stockport. This is a small business and people who are not happy with the most minor thing will leave a 1 Star as oppose to telling the owners, staff what the problem is.
“We have happily compensated every meal when people are not happy. Anyone who has dined with us and have spoken to us knows this. We have never raised our prices since opening, we keep things really affordable, so to call us Disgusting just baffles me. “
The Mekong Cat is not the only business to deal with the fallout of one-star reviews. Last year the Riverbank coffee shops and cafe, located on the banks of the River Mersey between Urmston and Sale, caused a stir online when its owners called out a reviewer.
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