Mona's Fine Meats — Local services in Ontario

I’ve been shopping at Mona’s Fine Meats for years, but after my recent experience, I will never return. My mother, a loyal customer who spends $500-$600 per visit, was treated with blatant disrespect and humiliation.

When she asked the cashier where the charcoal was, the cashier, who didn’t speak English, vaguely gestured and spoke in Arabic to another clerk instead of assisting her. My mother asked again multiple times, and instead of helping, both clerks exchanged glances and ignored her. When she asked if they even knew what charcoal was, they signaled they didn’t.

Frustrated, my mother asked for a manager. Instead of properly addressing the issue, the manager rushed over, repeatedly saying, “Tell me, tell me,” while standing in the butcher section—nowhere near where charcoal would be found. Rather than acknowledging the clerks’ lack of assistance, he could have simply said, “Sorry, they’re new and still learning.”

Then, the cashier suddenly started crying on command, and the supervisor turned to my mother and said, “Look, you’re making her cry during Ramadan.” Other customers—who all spoke Arabic—began joining in, shaming my mother by saying “haram, it’s Ramadan, she’s fasting.” My mother, who is also Muslim and was also fasting, responded, “Don’t use Islam as an excuse for poor service.” At this point, someone even yelled “foreigner” at her. Since when does a simple request for help justify this kind of harassment?

To make matters worse, the supervisor rushed through bagging my mother’s groceries and accidentally charged her for another customer’s meat. As we left, he told my mother she was no longer welcome in the store. Frustrated by the mistreatment, she threw her empty shopping basket inside.

Later that evening, I returned to fix the overcharge. As soon as I walked in, another supervisor (who I later found out is the cashier’s sister) immediately told me I wasn’t allowed inside. The same cashier who had cried earlier started welling up with tears again—despite the fact that I wasn’t even involved in the initial argument. I even apologized to her, yet she still played the victim. It became clear this was emotional manipulation.

The supervisor also claimed the clerks were orphans—to which my mother asked, “Are you exploiting vulnerable minors? Is that why they’re so unprofessional?” This is Canada. No one should have to speak or read Arabic to get basic service. My mother had always loved the respectful staff from before, but the new management is unprofessional, manipulative, and...

“I visited the shop today to buy chicken. They've been one of our top choices for halal meat, and we've never had any issues until today. The lady who served us was not only rude but also incompetent, which was surprising for this location.

What shocked me was when she called me 'auntie.' As a 20-year-old university student, I found it amusing, especially since she looked older than me. When I asked her age, she claimed to be 13, which was hard to believe.

An elderly lady standing next to me chimed in, saying, 'You're 20?' and then began conversing with the shop lady in Arabic, laughing and seemingly mocking me. I was in a rush, but I felt disrespected.

The shop lady's English was poor, and her attempt to appear younger was unconvincing. My dad, who was with me, was equally shocked, saying that a 13-year-old should be able to communicate properly, especially when working with customers.

It's unbelievable how some people can be so unprofessional and disrespectful. A single employee can damage a business's reputation overnight, and this experience is a...

I work in Customer Service, so I’ve become accustomed to being greeted and served in a genuinely polite, hospitable and respectful manner. This is not my first negative experience, but my first time to Voice it. “Welcome to Mona’s”, “How are you today?” “ Did you find everything you were looking for”, a Smile = All Missing at this place. Not even a single “Hello”. My suggestion to Mona’s Meats is to invest in front-line Customer Facing staff who know a little thing or too about courtesy and hospitality. After all, this is a Pillar in the Arabic culture. I went to your establishment as a Guest. I should know, been married 27 yrs into the Arab culture. Very disappointed and I certainly hope it’s not because the male attendant took offence to me being a Christian woman (wore my Cross necklace and smile on my face). Yesterday’s experience sealed it for me and this place has lost my and my family’s patronage, which should’ve happened...