Babaji's Kerala Kitchen South Indian restaurant Belgrave — Restaurant in Melbourne

We ordered food for take away through the restaurant's online ordering system. We called 20 minutes before the requested pickup time to check and see if it was going to be ready on-time so we could drive and pick it up. We were told it was "ready" and when we asked if it was ready now, they said "you want to pick it up at 6.30" and we said yes that's when we requested. The call was then ended and we decided to drive over and get it. On arrival to pick it up we were informed that the 2 orders of palakpaneer were not available as they had "run out" and we had been "refunded for them." The girl who handed us the food then turned back around, I was left standing there with half an order, I asked her if I could get another curry because 2 dishes for 4 people is not enough food. I then bought a serving of the lamb curry for almost 30 dollars. When we arrived home with the food and plated it up we realised that the dal we ordered strongly smelled burnt and tasted burnt. It was like it had been scooped off the top of a pot where the bottom had been entirely burnt in an attempt to salvage it. It was inedible! We check then to see if we had been refunded the 40 DOLLARS for the 2 palakpaneers that we did not receive and there was nothing!!!! At this point, it was too late to call the restaurant to inquire about this. The next day at 12.15, 12.30 and later in the afternoon we attempted to call the restaurant, the call was disconnected everytime after pressing the option to be connected to the Belgrave location. The restaurant was listed as open and appeared to be open upon driving past it. When will our money be refunded? Withholding a refund for goods that were promised and not delivered is a crime.

Edit for reply I am surprised that in the response to my honest and nicely worded review you immediately positioned yourself as a victim in this situation. At no point did I call you a criminal in my review, the behavior of withhold a refund for undelivered goods is unconscionable and a crime which, I simply identified in my review.

If the banks are "not likely" to deposit funds on a weekend as you stated. How then, is it possible for myself and several other people able to receive payments and bank transfers on the weekend regularly. It was also possible for you to immediately receive an over 100 dollar payment from my account on Saturday.

I acknowledge that it is reasonable to run out of a food items during a dinner service however, we were not informed of your inability to fulfill our order in its entirety at checkout, after checkout or even 30 minutes after placing our order when we called to confirm the order would be ready for pickup at the designated time. It seems that notifying a customer of your inability to fulfill an order is within your control.

It is also telling that in your response you did not comment on the fact that you served and charged a person for a dish that was clearly burnt. Unless of course that was intentional and you assumed that no one would comment on the sub par quality of your food and if they did you could simply position yourself as a victim and weaponize your white woman tears to excuse a real issue with the quality of your business's products.

As a business servicing the public, you should be able to interact with the public and your customers in a public forum such as this to rectify an issue. To suggest that my comments were uncivilized is confusing as it is entirely within my rights to question why I have not received money which I am entitled to.

The facts are that your employee stated that we "had been refunded" which we have not. No where in your response did you address this, except to claim that it being the weekend was to blame. Which is not the case.

I look forward to my refund as it has still...

Apparently Max and Billy thinks bullying and disrespecting the customer is ok. Is it because we are immigrants?

In our first review we didn’t even mention their names and that’s the respect we demonstrated to their personal privacy.

Instead understanding the issue and focusing on improving the seating arrangements , they are trying to divert the topic.

We had a deeply disappointing experience at BABAJI Kitchen in Belgrave during the Onam Sadhya event. Despite making a pre-booking for five people, we were seated at the smallest possible table, which was clearly inadequate. It was physically impossible to place five plates comfortably, and yet we were expected to eat in that cramped space.

Each guest paid $38, and we expected equal treatment and a dignified dining experience. Unfortunately, that was not the case. We were charged for food we couldn’t eat due to the poor seating arrangement, and our concerns were dismissed.

When we politely requested to speak with the owner, the manager informed us that the owner was unavailable. At the cash counter, my wife asked a simple question about customer treatment without any threats or raised voices but the owner refused to respond. I then stated that I would escalate the issue to Consumer Affairs, as we felt disrespected and unheard.

The response provided by the owner online is inaccurate. Even a child could see that five people couldn’t be seated at that table. The real issue was not about Onam or the food it was about basic hospitality and fairness. We were not walk-ins, we had pre-booked, and yet we were treated poorly.

The behavior of the owner and manager felt dismissive and bullying. They insisted we sit and eat despite our genuine concerns. We strongly urge Max and Billy to reflect on this experience and improve how such events are managed. Customers are paying for the food and service not asking for a favor.

We are disappointed by the response from Babaji Kitchen, which includes several false and defamatory claims about our conduct. We feel compelled to clarify the facts and defend ourselves against these allegations.

Bullying Accusation: At no point did we bully or threaten any staff member. We raised concerns about the seating arrangement and the lack of accommodation for our group of five, which was handled poorly despite our pre-booking. Expressing dissatisfaction with service is not bullying it is a customer's right.

False Allegation of Entering the Kitchen: The claim that my wife entered the kitchen and threatened staff is completely false. We approached the cash counter, which is adjacent to the kitchen, to request a refund and express our concerns. No threatening language was used, and no staff member was harassed.

Social Media Comments: We posted a review and shared our experience on platforms where the restaurant had promoted the event. These were factual accounts of our experience, not personal attacks. We did not send any inappropriate messages to staff.

Table Arrangement: The table provided was clearly inadequate for five people. We have photographic evidence showing the lack of space for a fifth plate. Despite our polite request for a more suitable arrangement, we were told no alternatives were available.

Refund Request: We used the standard Consumer Affairs Victoria template to request a refund for the meals we did not consume. This is a legitimate process and not a threat.

Respect and Professionalism: We approached the situation respectfully and expected the same in return. Unfortunately, the owner chose not to engage with us directly and instead made public accusations that are misleading...

I arrived at the Indian restaurant around 2:15 PM on a Saturday. After placing my order at the counter, I was instructed I needed to be seated.I was led to the back of the restaurant where there were 14 people already seated across various tables already eating, along with one other single diner. Despite waiting patiently, no food was brought to me. I observed, the single man was joined by the rest of his group of 8 (seated next to me) - they had their orders taken promptly by the staff, even though I had ordered earlier. When I attempted to get a coffee while waiting, the woman behind the counter was preoccupied with her phone and signaled with her finger in the air to wait (I was the only person at the counter). After finally placing my coffee order with another staff member, I returned to my seat. Shortly after, another waiter brought water and glasses to my table, but by then, I had been waiting for nearly 30 minutes without any update on my meal. Note: the food I ordered was dosa the stew already made sitting in the kitchen counter in the takaway bar at the front of the restaurant. I inquired about the delay, I was informed that the restaurant was busy fulfilling orders from UberEats, which I believe should have been disclosed upfront. Minutes later, that same waiter brought out food, but it was for the table of 8 next to me, who had arrived and ordered after me. At that point, I decided to leave, expressing my dissatisfaction to another waitress (there were 4 in total) I also went back into the take away bar at the front which was not busy an told the original order taker before exiting the restaurant. Throughout my time there, it seemed like the restaurant was "not" as busy as initially perceived, as several people left during my wait and it was adequately staffed. I was absolutely starving and wish the food had come out more promptly, as it's smelt delicious. I've heard good things about this restaurant it's a shame that the service staff don't have their act together and didn't prioritise...