A woman named Sandy Tremblay went to Thanksgiving dinner at Pigalle in Boston. She had a complaint about the pumpkin pie and complained about it on Pigalle's Facebook page which presumably exists for good and bad about the restaurant. Apparently though, Marc Orflay, the owner and chef of the restaurant does not agree and called Sandy a b**ch and to f**k herself for writing about her issues with the restaurant on the Facebook page.
Both of these idiots need some lessons in grammar and spelling.
ReplyDeleteNeither comment was justifiable.
ReplyDeleteHer comment on their facebook page was not constructive criticism, it was trolling.
Their reply to her was not excusable, though.
she was not trolling. trolling is what people do on imdb all the frickin time.
DeleteWow! Not good for business. He should have apologized and offered her a refund, or at the very least, offered to have her try a new pie that didn't taste like vomit and invite her to post a review on that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both comments above mine - the review was over the top, but the key is to be nice and make the customer look like an asshole if their complaint is unreasonable.
ReplyDeletewas...
ReplyDeleteThey both used "would of" instead of "would have." Cringeworthy when I read that anywhere. Agree with SKOR, she should have complained to the restaurant, he's a tool. Case closed.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the owner, though he handled it poorly. I worked in the restaurant industry for years and there is nothing worse than a customer telling you to your face that everything is great and then getting a phone call or yelp review the next day that the meal was crap. If you don't tell the restaurant at the time that there is an issue then how can they possibly strive to fix the problem at the time? Again, the owner went way overboard but I'm sure he wants all his customers to leave happy and satisfied and by her failing to speak up didn't allow this to happen.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree @misscoleen. If I have an issue I handle it then and there. Even if I don't have an issue I do offer praise too. I've only had one incident ever when I talked to the manager and he was a complete jerk. Needless to say, I never went back again and I have never suggested the place - not even for girls night out or any company gatherings.
DeleteThat was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the owner, though he handled it poorly. I worked in the restaurant industry for years and there is nothing worse than a customer telling you to your face that everything is great and then getting a phone call or yelp review the next day that the meal was crap. If you don't tell the restaurant at the time that there is an issue then how can they possibly strive to fix the problem at the time? Again, the owner went way overboard but I'm sure he wants all his customers to leave happy and satisfied and by her failing to speak up didn't allow this to happen.
ReplyDeleteLol such a Boston response. I can see markup mark doing a reading of it.
ReplyDeleteBusiness Facebook pages are for feedback. Ms. Tremblay offered detailed feedback on a thorough failure of the business to meet its obligation to its customer.
ReplyDeleteNo, there was nothing ethically wrong with her post.
The correct score is: Irate Customer, several thousand, and Marc Orflay and Pigalle Boston, Zero.
I certainly know where I will never dine, nor spend a dime, and I'll be posting these screenshots to my Facebook page to steer diners who wish their custom to be appreciated elsewhere.
I heard him interviewed over the summer and he was condescending and such a grump.
ReplyDeleteShe apparently has already talked to the chef -he apologized, she's over it and they're on good terms. She even made a funny comment on her FB page that people should get their reservations in now because "even bad publicity is good publicity." This seems true since this made the national news.
ReplyDeleteHere is what she has since posted as well:
"I am posting to let everyone know that Mark and I spoke at length about our recent Facebook smack down. He was right to say that if I was truly not happy with my meal I should of made a bigger fuss about it at the time it happened. He felt like there was nothing that could be fixed once we left Pigalles. He was very sincere and was the first to make amends. We both have apologized for our words and we are now FB friends," says Sandy
(I'm in Boston and the local news stations were running the interview with her this AM).
they are both wrong and they are both right,
ReplyDeleteIf she didn't like the food she should of brought it to the server's attention and gotten something else. Everyone is so brave behind a computer (me included and you folk) but face to face people would never say what they say online. She went overboard.
He shouldn't of been so disrespectful right off the bat and could of handeled it with more dignity not like a three year old having a tantrum. You put a facebook page up expect to get hit with the good and the bad.
@Leviathan ita. if your business has a facebook or twitter page, commenting on said business is a reasonable use of the page and should be expected. the review wasn't the nicest but the owner's response was unacceptable in every way. i waited tables through college and there were many people i wanted to tell to go f themselves but you simply do not do it. i find it ironic that the owner went on a rant about uneducated, unintelligent and unpolished people right after he/she went on a profane tirade instead of sucking it up, apologizing for the crap experience and moving on. real asshole move
ReplyDeleteIf you dont like whats posted on your facebook page then YOU can remove it. This is what this idiot of a restaurant owner should of done. Delete is so easy.
ReplyDeleteI would not send my dish back for the simple fact that I believe they will drop it on the floor and then put it back on the plate or the old standby spit in it! I just would not go back! I know I have said this before but the chefs of today need to get over themselves!! I live in Boston and I will not go to this restuarant because of the way he initially responded to her remarks!!
ReplyDeletetotally agree. i would not trust the cooks if i sent my food back. and my cousin is a health inspector so i've heard pretty disgusting stories.
DeleteHow does vomit taste, though?
ReplyDeleteActually....despite the rudeness of his response, I can feel the owner's pain. Had he simply said "don't come back" I would be applauding him.
ReplyDeleteIt's a restaurant -- just like everyone else, they have off days. But rather than ask for another dessert or whatever she feels is fair, she leaves and posts her opinion on Facebook, without having given the restaurant ANY CHANCE of making it right.
I'm sure he is frustrated to see this kind of thing splashed on his FB page and I don't blame him.
I think they are both in the wrong for dragging the rest of us into their petty bickering. THAT'S NOT THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT!!
ReplyDeleteHere's the owner/chef :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pigalleboston.com/about
Nathan Lane could play him in the movie?
I predict an awesome episode of Kitchen Nightmares in the future!!
ReplyDeleteI think that the way that she put it was absolutely horrible and horrendously rude. How is it ok to post on a restraunts page that they're food tastes like vomit? That's just disgusting and inappropriate. As he said, the time to say that you're not happy with the food is at the restraunt, not on their facebook page. The way that he reacted was honest, but also tacky. He would have looked alot better if he had handled it in a professional classy way by saying, " I am so sorry for your unpleasant experience, we would be happy to do xyz to make you happy.. .please accept our apologies, etc"
ReplyDeleteThe response to her complaint was not professional. If I paid $200 for a meal and complained on a business FB page, I would not be expecting profanity and personal attacks. Yes, maybe she should have taken care of it in person. But maybe she was with a group of people and didnt want to ruined their experience, or cause a scene in the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteThey both should have handled it a little better, but I think Pigalle was in the wrong. He is a business man, and like the saying goes, ''the customer is always right.''
Maddie, thanks for the info that it got resolved.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't know if it's a cultural thing, but I don't think I could ever kiss and make up with someone who told me to fuck off after I spent $200 in his restaurant. She was a bit of a troll but she was within her rights to say what she did on Facebook (she obviously felt that strongly about how poor the food was), and I don't think it's acceptable for someone who owns a service-oriented business to write back that way to a customer. Oh well, I'm sure many foodie wannabes will still be kissing his ass after this anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd the lesson of this story is not to use Facebook as a marketing tool if you produce food that taste like body excretions.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU Spacecowboy! People who write should of/could of/would of instead of should've or should have make my teeth hurt even worse than people who write apple's when they mean apples. No, actually, the plural/possessive thing might be a tie. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a restaurant consumer who has heard far too many nightmares about what happens to customers who complain, I rarely do it anymore. If I send something back, I don't ask for a replacement. If I have a complaint, I wait until the end of the meal, but most likely, I just don't return.
Customer service is dying in this country and it makes me sad. My first job was in retail and my first manager did an awesome job of training us in customer service. That was 25 years ago and I've never forgotten the things she taught me.
she abused her power by posting such a nasty nasty review w/o even complaining about the food first while at the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteso, she's an attention seeking troll. while it wasn't right for the owner to trash her the way he did publicly, I feel for him. she didn't give him a chance.
hopefully, she's already on minute 14 and counting.
in the end, I would wager that the restaurant gets more business because of this. which I hope they do. you want an owner who is passionate about his restaurant.
Sounds like the guy fancies himself another Gordon Ramsay! :) It is nice to hear that they have let bygones be bygones, though.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the should of, could of, etc., makes me skip over the rest of someone's comment because I am afraid their inept grammar will infect me and dumb me down further than the internet already does.Yes, that sounds snotty, but I don't care. Mistakes happen, but come on!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when I first read this I thought to myself, "what did you expect?" Where I live one of the raunchiest strip clubs is named, "Pigale" and I was surprised to hear of locations in the States. Oops...I won't get into where my mind went when I read the diner's description of the runny whipped cream.
My favorite part was when the restaurant owner called the diner "unpolished". This was after he had told her to F-off several times...
ReplyDeleteI tend to zone out after poor grammar/ spelling as well, but it can be quite entertaining to watch two morons argue!
ReplyDeleteI used to be a waitress (thank FUCK that phase of my life is over!) and it really sucks when someone complains on their way out the door. Especially if they actually finished their food and paid for it. "THAT SOUP WAS REALLY BAD! BYE!!!".
OK, thanks for letting me know...?
I taste vomit when it comes back up through my esophagus, just like everyone else does.
ReplyDeleteBoth have a point but the way the owner went out of his way to make several malicious comments and publicly berate the woman ensures that I will never, ever eat at that restaurant.
This guy seems like a huge tool.
@FS--I gotta say the plural/possessive/inappropriate use of an apostrophe is WAY WORSE! At least "have" and "of" kind of sound the same, so there's a reason behind the mistake (no matter how illogical). But there is absolutely NO reason why an apostrophe is added to something to make it plural! None! I don't know how that became a thing. The worst.
ReplyDeleteShe had every right to complain on the facebook page and he had every opportunity to make it right and yet he didn't. I would never give a dime to this dumb fucking buffoon.
ReplyDeleteI could give a toss about grammar and spelling, it does not define who people are,nor does it make me any better than them. It's like judging people for how they speak or drive. Not everyone is as skilled as you are.
As a long time server and a former cafe owner I have to say this made me laugh. Wildly offensive and unnecessary on the proprietors part.. But funny none none the less! I had really great reviews on my yelp page and I actually had someone post on yelp that obviously all my cafes reviews were fake and or friends .. You can never make everyone happy.. Tis true! So would I respond that way? No.. But I wouldn't go so far to say I wouldn't want to..
ReplyDeleteShe was a jerk for posting those comments on their Facebook page (vomit? Really???) but his comments were unforgivable. Talk about temperamental chef! He must be a joy to work with.
ReplyDeleteLMAO! Great reading from two idiots!
ReplyDeleteAt first I was prepared to side with the customer, but then I switched sides. She should have voiced her concern to the server. Also, nobody mentions money unless its a lot for them. She was tacky and tactless, and should have stayed home.
ReplyDeleteTeam Marc.
I'm with Leviathan. The business owner is 100 percent in the wrong. The person may be a troll, but it's his responsibility to his business to be the bigger person and respond in a professional manner. Why would anyone want to eat in his restaurant now? I would certainly never give him my business after seeing this response.
ReplyDeleteYou want crazy. A lady left a bad review on a restaurant in Ottawa, Canada and the restaurant owner went crazy!!! She opened a dating profile and email account with the customer's name and found out where the customer work and sent horribly suggestive emails to her bosses and coworkers. The restaurant owner called it free speech. The administrator of the Review website had to disable the comments on this restaurant because of repeated abuse from the owner. The owner is now in jail for 3 months. She is a nasty person..
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Restaurateur+guilty+libelling+customer+over+review/7199883/story.html
It's called being passive aggressive. People do it all the time.
ReplyDeleteRoman Holiday- I worked in the food service for 15 years at restaurants of various price points and class levels. No one spits in your food for sending it back. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteAs a former server, I think they both had better options. I definitely think the owner cut off his nose to spite his face.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, as a server it was my job to make sure my guests were satisfied.
Good food and service are entirely subjective according to personal taste, palates, and personalities. You may dislike a flavor or the service you received, but that doesn't mean it's bad.
I have waited on people that did not enjoy friendly service, the ruder I was, the higher the tip. Some people want to chat, some people want very reserved servers.
Same for food, some people love caviar, others want a burger.
You shouldn't go online and blast something in a way that can harm someone's business and bottom line for what may have been only your perception, but you absolutely should give your server the opportunity to show you their professionalism. If you don't want another dish, let them show you what they can do instead. I guarantee you that your server wants you to leave feeling like you had a good experience,
Why should I give a restaurant the chance to 'make it right'? I did that one time (probably only one out of maybe three times I was that unhappy with food) and they brought out a meal worse than the original. Then when I complained again, made me feel like I was trying to get something free. Something I didn't even eat.
ReplyDeleteI don't need that aggravation. I'll just take my business to some place that doesn't waste my time and gets it right the first time.
If the owner didn't want reviews (I'm sure he doesn't mind the positive ones!) written on his FB then he shouldn't allow people to leave comments.
He's an ass, imo.
That being said, something doesn't sit right with me here. They made up way too soon and this woman is also in the 'cooking' business. I smell a marketing ploy.
Anyone who has vomited knows what vomit tastes like. Damn, this guy is one dumb cunt.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me about that place. Last May, my husband & I stopped in there to have a cocktail before our reservation at a nearby restaurant, & we sat at the bar for like 20 minutes. We were invisible. When we came in, they asked us if we wanted a table, & we said we just wanted a drink at the bar. We ended up getting up & leaving. On the way out, they asked us why we were leaving, & we told them no one would take our order, & they just shrugged.
ReplyDeleteOxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases
ReplyDeleteAlso making the top 10 is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".
You know, he could have responded politely and professionally and made her look like an ass, all while being a swell guy.
ReplyDeleteInstead, he chose to be misogynist, insulting, crude and a general ass.
When you are in the customer service business, sometimes you must bite your tongue and kill with kindness instead of saying what you really think. He didn't.
What he said negates ANYthing she said. He is wrong...and an ass.
#teamcustomer
Hahahah how is SHE unpolished when HE is the one using expletives??
ReplyDeleteHer post was shitty, but WTF restaurant owners?! It's a people business......if you can't handle criticism, then get a job where you don't have to deal with people.
Suck it up and try to improve your vomit pie.
People on Facebook are keen to see how you handle criticism. If you do it professionally and with courtesy, no matter how unfair the criticism may be, YOU end up scoring points....NOT the disgruntled patron.
And then who the F knows.......maybe you get MORE business out of the whole debacle.
Dumbass.
Btw.....on an unrelated note:
ReplyDeleteThe worst meal I ever had....actually only the salmon was bad...the broccoli was great.......was at Legal Seafoods in Boston......
Which I thought was supposed to be a fantastic place because I saw it featured on an AmEx commercial......hahahahaha
That GD meal cost like 1200.00 too.......at least it was on the vendors dime.....
I remember something my mentor in business told me and it should be the mantra of everyone who serves the customer. The customer is NOT always right. But they ARE the customer.
ReplyDeleteWhile her review was vile and nasty the complaint was about the entire meal; not just the pie (and seriously as a chef-chunky pumpkin pie-really?). IF he didn't like what she said he could have a) deleted it b) not allowed comments in the first place c) understood that her bad review in a sea of glowing others would make her look like the dumbass and/or d) behaved professionally.
From their website:
Marc Orfaly: Chef/Owner
Widely recognized as one of Boston's most talented chefs, Marc Orfaly is the epitome of gastronomic excellence..(And God Fahbid!!! anyone tell him otherwise?)
Ego much? I would suspect(after his reply to her) that if you did complain you would get your food spit on. If this stuck up pig gets more business for it then the public deserves what they get. He actually sounds like he was drunk when he responded or he was having one nelly of a hissy fit. After his reply I would never go to this establishment. And I would tell everyone else as well. He made a HUGE mistake even with the make up kissy kissy..
Sarah is correct, as a server myself I always went out of my way to make sure the customer was properly and expeditiously served a worthy replacement.
And finally, T'giving at a restaurant is always a disappointment. The food is never as good as your grandma/mama/daddy family made anyway. Just realize that when you enter the door. Lower your expectations, buy something from Boston Mkt and save a lot of $$.
steps down off soapbox
I've never worked or a chef that acted like ths asshole, thankfully. I. Sure he's a real treat to work for.
ReplyDeletewell the stupid part is the owner could just hide or delete the comment--the post is on their facebook, not the customer's....they have total control of what stays there--and it's not like she did it on Yelp or something public that is hard to get removed.
ReplyDeleteInstead this Marc guy chose to show his ass ....Wonder how many Likes he got for telling a customer to fuck herself.
yep, agree with the owner in the message (though not on the forms :P)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Pigalle makes yummy chocolate pie [like the one from THE HELP?
ReplyDeleteThey should both have a slice. Or three.
I thought the customer was a pig to belly ache on Facebook instead of doing what any sane person would do and mention it to the server. Guess it would be difficult for this white trash type person to tell her server the pie tasted like vomit, face to face but so easy to bitch after the fact. I loathe and despise low life's like this and I suspect the restaurant owner does too. His response was inappropriate but I totally empathize with him.
ReplyDelete