Lunch is served...

Yesterday, I once again looked death straight in the eye. I could not believe the circumstances leading to my latest encounter with a knife could be over lunch, or the non-serving of it. Again, the saying “The customer is always right” does not hold water anymore nowadays. Let me give you a quick background about this small restaurant in Dasmarinas, Cavite. I discovered this quaint place while I was still teaching marketing subjects in De La Salle University in Dasma, Cavite, a 30 kilometer drive from the Makati Central Business District where I reside. Twice a week, I eat in this resto called “Arroz Ja” wherein the house specialties are rice in a bowl, and I always order the sate babe with indon rice (pork barbecue with peanut sauce) and Vietnamese spring rolls (with fish as filling). When I was done with teaching and the College Of Business Administration decided not to renew my teaching post, I still make it to a point to eat at Arroz Ja once a week, in spite of the 2-hour drive when traffic is heavy and the not-so-light driving expenses. A couple of times, I had a heated argument with the waiters and the chef especially when I was late and it was about closing time. I had to give it to the resto for really treating me badly, I almost gave up going all the way to Cavite and not eating at all in that place due to the fact the staff didn’t want to take me in as a paying customer. And yesterday’s knife-wielding cook takes the cake in customer relations. I arrived at the resto and it was quarter to two, still lunchtime by operating hours. I was told by the efficient staff that they would be on a half day and the resto had ran out of supply, and since I arrived 15 minutes before closing time, I could not be served anymore. Again, just like before, after 2 hours of being on the road, I was being turned away. I confronted the staff and asked pointblank if they didn’t want me as a customer. The cook hit a chair and I felt so insulted that I kicked a chair as well. All hell broke loose and it ended up with the entire staff hitting me with punches and the cook taking out his fan knife, threatening to stab me. If this is customer service at its best, please tell me If I needed to sue that resto for maltreatment of customers. I was really tempted to file a police report since I almost died, but the hassle of going to the police and filing reports and everything, my purpose of going to Cavite was still unmet, that was to have a decent lunch. Now, I have no choice but to learn to cook those rice dishes at home rather than risk my life. In case you get to check out that quaint place in Cavite, please tell me if the food is overrated and I am too stupid to tell. After supporting that resto since the day they opened, I get my dues by getting bad treatment. I just hope that if Michelin Guide drop by to give the place its stars, the editors won’t get stabbed over unserved lunch. Maybe its only me who is really unwanted as a customer, and everyone is welcome to eat in that place.