Moxies Fairview Mall Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

My friend and I had an unfortunate experience at this location today, March 15, around 1-2 pm. Our order was a serving of wings, 2 bowls of Thai curry laksa, a dark chocolate cake, cocorita and coffee. Food was delicious and atmosphere great. Our orders were taken by a female associate and we were mostly served by and attended to by this associate. When we finished our meal, another associate ( young male, with whom we had had no previous interaction) came with the bill which was approx. $116. My friend indicated we are paying cash and handed $150 ( three $50 bills) and an additional $10, with intention to be generous with the tip. Upon collecting and checking the money, the guy said he will return with the change. However, my friend indicated it is okay and the guy left with the money. There were 3 witnesses to the amount of money handed over. About 5 mins later, while we were still sitting, the young lady who had taken our orders, came to the table with the check presenter and said the total was $116, insisting that we had short paid. We were completely confused and extremely uncomfortable. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, and not asking to recount the money, my friend handed over another $50 bill. The guy who collected the payment initially was nowhere to be seen. I don’t know what exactly happened within the time the guy collected the money and when the girl came back but clearly there was dishonesty involved. Why did the guy not realize there was an ‘error’ upon counting the money and why even indicate he will return with the change? Why did the waitress come back for the alleged ‘error’ and not the guy? Our mistake was adding another $10 to the already very reasonable tip in the first place or not collecting our change first and then tipping. At some point, someone swiped one of the $50 bills because it was easy. It was easy to claim we paid only $110 vs $ 160. In the end, we paid $210 for a $116 meal. Let’s assume they made an honest mistake. There was ample time to correct it while we were leaving but they didn’t. I do not recommend this location because obviously there are...

was told no seating in patio, said good evening and walked out the door. not impressed.

edit: now that i had the opportunity to settle down at a fine establishment, I would like to take the opportunity to elaborate. the non existant service provided by the host staff was so upsetting that I, in some weird back of my mind feeling, think rasicm towards asians was a factor. weird i know, and i try not to jump to these conclusions but im in total awe of how as i try to find a reason.

after a long and exhausting day at the office, I stopped by the moxies on my commute back to Markham. I saw the patio at the moxies was predominantly vancant, so i decided to have a brief break, enjoy a pint, and the weather.

the gentleman serving the patio area advised me to walk though the restaurant to the mall entrance and enquire about seating. that was not an issue and proceeded to the host area.

upon reaching the area as instructed, i was not at all greeted, nor acknowledged. rather four (4), yes four hotesses ignored me and rather entertain their own discussion as if this was a a high school spare period (professionalism please?). having initiated the inquiry and one of the four young ladies started tapping away on her tablet, abruptly another young woman interjected and stated they are not seating the patio area. on a brisk summers eve? ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as just telling me not seating without looking at the tablet, people already seating and being seved, and the addition of extra patio seating (as pictures).

exhausted i just said good evening and walked out the way that i came. this is very upsetting and disappointed. this happened around 7 pm today, look at your cameras and verify management (im yellow shirt green tie). you can see all the interaction as i described. sadly i had pleasent experiences over the years in the past at this location and the east beaver creek location. safe to say moxies will no longer have any of...

The issue that stood out was the apparent expectation of a substantial tip. It was hard to miss the way the staff seemed to hover around the tables, making guests feel almost intimidated to leave a generous tip. While I understand that tipping is a standard practice in the service industry and that servers rely on tips for their income, the approach here felt less about earning a tip through great service and more about trying to ensure a substantial gratuity.

Unfortunately, the service itself didn't align with this aggressive tipping stance. I found it surprising that despite the constant presence of staff members, they were not particularly attentive to our needs. There were long waits between taking our orders, delivering our food, and checking in on us. It was as if they were primarily focused on the tip they expected rather than providing a genuinely pleasant dining experience.

The food, on the other hand, was a mixed bag. Some dishes were excellent and well-prepared, while others fell short of expectations. This inconsistency further highlighted the need for an exceptional level of service to justify the considerable tipping pressure.

In the end, I left Moxie's with a sense of unease. I believe that tipping should be a reflection of the quality of service provided, not something to be coerced or expected as a given. Moxie's beautiful ambiance and some delicious dishes were overshadowed by the uncomfortable pressure to tip generously and the lackluster service that accompanied it.

For those who don't mind the tipping pressure and are willing to take a chance on the food quality, Moxie's might still be a viable dining option. However, if you value a more relaxed and customer-focused dining experience, you might want to explore other options in the area where exceptional service is the priority rather than an aggressive expectation of a...