Indian Mehfil Taringa — Restaurant in Brisbane City

To Restaurant Manager [Sagar Sharma]

I am formally addressing a highly disappointing and unprofessional experience at your restaurant on 12 August 2025 Also consider this as a Formal Complaint Regarding Misconduct, False Accusations & Request for Resolution

We arrived at 8:35 PM — well before your advertised closing time of 9:30 PM — and were refused service. This refusal was delivered rudely, despite your restaurant not operating on a “reservation only” policy. This was particularly disheartening as it was my birthday, and we had travelled from the Gold Coast to dine in at your restaurant

Importantly, your restaurant is not advertised as a “reservation only” establishment, meaning walk-ins should be reasonably accommodated where possible.

We understand if you are unable to serve customers after a certain time or do not have sufficient staff, then update your trading hours on Google and other platforms accordingly. Claiming you were “busy” is not credible when there were only two tables occupied at 8:40 PM. This is not a customer issue — it is a management and operational shortcoming. Accept responsibility for your inability to serve due to flaws in running your business, rather than shifting the blame onto patrons.

Following the incident, some members of our group left reviews reflecting our genuine experience. Your responses to those reviews were unprofessional and false. Before attempting the same here, I suggest you take the time to carefully read the points outlined below.

Under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2, Competition and Consumer Act 2010), customers are entitled to provide honest feedback, and businesses must not engage in misleading or deceptive conduct in their responses but instead of addressing the matter professionally, your public reply falsely claimed our group was “drunk/intoxicated.” This is: Factually incorrect – no member of our group had consumed alcohol, and several members do not drink at all. A serious false accusation – under the Defamation Act 2005 (QLD), making untrue statements that harm reputation is grounds for legal action. A misapplication of law – under Liquor Act 1992 (QLD) ss.165–167, removal or refusal of intoxicated persons must be based on genuine, observable signs of intoxication (slurred speech, loss of coordination, aggression, etc.). No such behaviour occurred

Liquor Act 1992 (QLD) – s.165 & s.167 A refusal must be based on genuine observation, not assumption. Making a false claim of intoxication without evidence is not only unprofessional — it could be deemed misleading conduct under the ACL and defamatory under the Defamation Act.

Defamation Act 2005 (QLD) – Businesses responding with false damaging claims (e.g., intoxication when untrue) can be liable for defamation.

If you truly believe intoxication was present, I invite you to produce CCTV footage to support the claim. If not, the statement should be withdrawn immediately, as it is both defamatory and misleading.

The following actions within 7 business days: A written public apology acknowledging the incident and the inappropriate handling by staff.

Removal of all public or internal statements falsely alleging intoxication.

Failure to address this matter appropriately will leave me with no choice but to escalate by:

• Lodging a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading Queensland under consumer protection provisions • Legal action regarding a defamation claim • Engaging media platforms with documented facts and, if necessary, requesting CCTV footage to publicly disprove the false allegations

This matter can be resolved amicably with a professional apology and corrective action. I look forward to your...

This is an outstanding Indian restaurant that works well on every level. The food is fresh and tasty and served in generous portions, and the service is fast, attentive and polite. Ambience is casual and relaxed, in a large, airy and comfortable space with perfect acoustics. To top it off, the restaurant even has its own little parking area, right outside. There are ample spaces so it couldn’t be more convenient. Toilets are at the far end. There are adequate cubicles for males and females and they’re clean and well provisioned.

My wife and I dined on a quiet Fri night in midwinter. Despite the lack of carpets; the brick walls, wooden ceiling and strong lighting gave the place a warm and homely atmosphere, and we weren’t cold. Perhaps there are some heaters out of sight somewhere, although I didn’t notice any.

We had taken the precaution of booking ahead, but it wasn't necessary as there were plenty of tables, and we ended up sitting at a nice spot against the wall at the back. The upholstered chairs or bench type seats, and large tables that can easily fit all the food and the drinks, made for a comfy and pleasant evening.

They have an extensive menu with banquets, platters and individual dishes and a large and varied selection of alcoholic beverages. There’s something for everyone in both the drinks and the food department.

We started with a glass of our fav Moscato, and a bottle of refreshing Great Northern Super Crisp, ($7 per drink); a great way to start the evening. For entrees we ordered the mixed platter ($17) which contained a vegetable samosa, two chicken tikka pieces, two lamb chops and two different dipping sauces. The samosa was chunky and neatly sliced down the middle, so although there was only one piece, it was quite sufficient. But the whole platter was a filling and delicious entree, each item beautifully prepared, with the meat tasty and succulent. For mains, we ordered lamb rogan josh ($23) and palak paneer ($20) with basmati rice ($3) and cheese and garlic naan($6) as the accompaniments. Again, the meals were delicious. My lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and cooked in those fragrant and tasty Indian spices that we love so much. The “palak paneer” is a spinach delicacy with home made cheese. It was an interesting vegetarian contrast to the lamb. The naan was soft and fluffy, and the rice was cooked to perfection. Everything was prepared with love, care and attention to detail, and presented to the table on smart colourful crockery. We ended with our fav gulab jamun ($5) which they kindly split into two separate portions for us to share. The balls were soft and soaked in a sweet syrupy sauce. The ideal way to end the meal.

We paid $75, after a 25% discount with the Ent Book (max discount $35). To put that into perspective, without the discount (which came to $19) we would have paid $94, for three drinks, one entree, two mains with rice and naan bread and a single dessert. This just shows the extent to which our little Aussie peso has become a worthless piece of paper, thanks to govt profligacy and reckless spending. The poor management here can’t even keep the online menu up to date because prices are increasing so fast. For example the lamb is listed as $21, real price is $23. The “palak paneer” is listed as $19, actually $20, although other prices were consistent with what we were charged.

But despite this, I have to hand it to these guys, because this is a professional, well appointed and stylish restaurant, serving premium quality Indian food in a pleasant and relaxed ambience, and with first class...

Came with a group of six, one hour before closing, and was told no dine-in, while other guests were still seated and eating. We had planned our visit in advance, so it was disappointing and felt unfair.

Reply :-

Dear Sagar Sharma,

Thank you for your response, but I strongly dispute your account and the baseless allegations made. Our group of six arrived at 8:55 PM, well within your operating hours, and we were sober, polite, and ready to dine. Your claim that we were intoxicated is completely false, offensive, and unsupported by any evidence. Under Queensland’s Liquor Act 1992, refusal of service for intoxication requires clear, observable proof, which you have not provided. This accusation feels like an attempt to deflect from your staff’s unprofessional refusal to serve us, especially when other guests were still dining.

Furthermore, your restaurant does not offer a reservation system, making your question about whether we reserved a table or called ahead irrelevant and misleading. This could be seen as deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. We planned our visit expecting to be accommodated during open hours, as any customer would. Your vague reference to “kitchen workload” and “specific circumstances” lacks transparency, particularly when other patrons were served, suggesting unfair treatment.

Your invocation of “Atithi Devo Bhava” rings hollow given our experience. Denying service without valid reason, fabricating claims about our condition, and publicly alleging intoxication without evidence is far from treating guests like “God.” Such actions not only undermine your stated values but also risk breaching anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws. I urge you to review your policies, ensure consistent treatment of all customers, and verify claims before making them publicly, as false allegations could have legal consequences.

I expect a genuine explanation and a formal apology for this unfair treatment and baseless accusations. You can reach me directly to discuss further, or I may escalate this matter to the Queensland Human Rights Commission or the Office of Fair Trading if...