‘Can’t afford then don’t eat’ Woman complains about restaurant coupon for 4, brings 2 extra kids

A woman and the San Guo Kao Yu restaurant argued over the fine print of a coupon for a four-person meal set, which lead to the owner of the restaurant allegedly telling her, “Can’t afford then don’t eat.”

What happened with the restaurant and the woman?

Using the website Fave which offers discounts and vouchers, the woman purchased a coupon for a four-person meal set worth $59.68. The price of the meal set was usually $116, according to website 8world.

She then called the restaurant on March 19, and said that she wanted to reserve a table for four people and two children using the coupon. The male attendant who answered her call, though, said that he could not permit her to use the coupon if she was going to bring two other children to sit at the table.

“But the platform didn’t state that,” the woman told 8World. “I didn’t know before I bought the coupon.”

The same report said that the restaurant explained allowing larger groups to dine using the four-person set meal would negatively affect their business. The four-person coupon could only be used by four people and not one more unless they paid $10 for each extra diner.

This meant that the woman would be paying an extra $20 for the same amount of food, since the restaurant called it a “seating fee.” The two extra children she planned to bring were five and eleven years old.

Can’t afford? Then don’t eat!

The woman, unsatisfied with the conversation with the attendant, called again to speak with a manager or owner of the restaurant. Allegedy, upon explaining what she wanted to do with the coupon and her reservation, the manager said, “Can’t afford then don’t eat.”

That irritated the customer who then said, “This isn’t about the money, this is about his attitude. I just wanted to make a reservation.”

According to the same report, a female representative from the restaurant said that they only serve the four-person set meal to groups of four. Anyone who brings more diners to their group should pay a seating fee of $10 per person, or order additional dishes.

The manager of the restaurant said that the customer accused them of “taking her money.” He explained that while he may have scolded her, their establishment does not get paid unless the coupon has been used.

“Only when the customer dines at the shop does Fave give us the money that was paid,” he said. “All she did was calling us to ask. We haven’t even charged her, so how can she say we’re taking her money?”

The restaurant attendant also said that the first person the customer may have spoken to mentioned that she could order additional dishes instead of paying the seating fee, but the the latter said that she was not given that option.

San Guo Kao Yu has asked Fave to make sure that their website listing for their deal would reflect the restaurant policies on number of diners. The woman involved has asked the public to make sure to read the fine print carefully.

Her coupon was eventually used by a separate customer who said that they did not have any trouble since they were only four in the group.

Fave issues statement on the incident

In an email with Alvinology, Fave issued a statement.

On behalf of Fave, we are committed to delighting our community of users and merchants. The incident that took place about a week ago between a restaurant listed on the Fave platform and one of our consumers is unfortunate.

We have since reached out to both parties to understand the situation better and ensure that matter has been resolved amicably, and improve the experience for all going forward. For the merchant, we have clarified the conditions of the deal mechanics. We are glad to share the merchant has since agreed to update the terms and conditions in the voucher listing to note the $10 surcharge per additional diner or the ordering of extra dishes per extra diner. For the consumer, we have understood that she has since redeemed her voucher by gifting it away via the Fave app. We have also provided her with some Fave credits as a small token of support.

We will continue to do our best to ensure that all our merchant partners are transparent in their terms and conditions around respective deals and deliver a great experience for one and all.

Fave said that the details of the listing concerning the restaurant’s polices have been updated to reflect what management told the customer. She was also given Fave credits in light of the incident.