Pho Rùa Vàng Golden Turtle Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

[ This is my first ever negative review, if you follow my previous reviews, you will know I always have positive things to say, always try to see good in situations and people, especially in this pandemic. So I had to edit and re-edit to capture my experience. Make sure you read below my effort to reconcile]

Issue:

I’ve always had food that this place, since 2010, always had been an excellent place to dine in for Authentic Vietnamese food. During this pandemic, this has been a good place to get a and sit in the park and eat.

However, aside from the quality and portion of the classic golden turtle food significantly downgrading, the restaurant started charging for sauces, something they would have given to customers free of charge at the dine in.

The worst part is, even after paying extra for sauces, they decided not to include “soya sauce” as a part of their sauce packages, because simply they don’t consider “soya sauce” as a part of “Vietnamese cuisine”.

And to put the cherry on top, when you call to notify them of the mistake, they retaliate, don’t take responsibility, instead patronise you by saying “ don’t worry, I remember your face, next time when you order, we’ll deal with you”... now I’m scared for my well being and hope my food is not tampered with.

My effort to reconcile:

I tried to call and have a conversation with the daughter of the restaurant owner; who once again took no responsibility, turned it around me. I tried to explain why in the moment, I felt my concerns were not taken seriously at all, why I felt patronized from how she said she will remember me, and from denial of their mistake and accusations of me not mentioning instead a simple and sincere apology for an honest mistake.

At the end of the day, we as customers go to small businesses not only to support, but also because we prefer their business over any big food joint. With that being said, when it comes to customer service and simple customer ethics, every business will have to meet. And every customer have a reasonable expectation of a service of a business. I was not rude to the business staff, or the daughter of the owner; instead, even after trying to call and have a conversation, I felt the exact same retaliation, denial, rudeness, with no intention to rectify.

They simply told me never to come back. Which is very sad, because since 2010 I grew up eating that food from the restaurant where the person over the phone was a small child I would see across the shop on table working/studying, now she is a part owner or the new generation, Who decided her views on how she runs the business is correct.

I’m sure a reasonable person can understand, a simple soya sauce cannot be a reason for such long review; but this is about the Principle, Values, and business practice, and customer relations. I used to go to this place since 2010, My best memory is after a horrible breakup sobbing with a friend, and their food will give me comfort. I cared, so called to rectify the issue the second time and see if I can take this post down. They didn’t put enough thought or importance before dismiss my issues and concerns. I felt completely devalued.

Above all, it is important to recognise how we treat each other as simple human being for pointing out a mistake or oversight.

At the end of the day I will really miss the food there, I always drag my friends down to have food there with me, but on the matter of principle, if you’re charging someone for sauces, and don’t include the very basic sauce on the menu, you apologise and say you will do better next time. That I didn’t get. And on my attempt to reconcile on the phone? No results!

I’m sure everyone else will have a better experience, but...

I had a terrible experience at this restaurant and won't be coming back. I also suggest that if you are a person of color (Black/Indian), do not go there; they don't want you there.

Firstly, I called to ask if they had a patio and if I could make a reservation. A lady answered and told me there was a table available at the moment and that no reservation was needed. I hinted that I would be there in about 10 minutes to have dinner.

Upon arrival, my girlfriend spoke to someone who happened to be the owner or manager. I could sense her reluctance to host us until I mentioned that I had called earlier and spoke to her, as I was able to recognize her voice. She then asked us to wait outside in the rain, with none of the other staff members aware of us waiting except her. Minutes later, she showed up and asked us to do a COVID screening. By that time, there were two white guests ahead of us, even though we had arrived before them and waited in the rain. We could have been asked to wait at the entrance for a table to become available. Eventually, we got a table and were served, but they never gave me a straw for my drink, nor did anyone check on us to see if we needed anything. We literally had to shout to order some appetizers.

When we were about to leave, I paid my bill and left a 20% tip. As we were about to exit, one of the staff members, who seemed to be LGBTQ+ from his appearance, literally showed us out while I was still commenting on the meal and expressing that we would come back again. He nodded with a smirk and then pointed to the door. That was when I came to the conclusion that something wasn't right with this place! It's kind of weird that an LGBTQ+ individual would show discriminatory gestures towards a person of color. It's ironic, to say the least!

Despite all of this, I tried to maintain a positive attitude in front of my girlfriend, even though all the negative energy resonated with this restaurant. I didn't know if my girlfriend noticed anything, but today when we were in the same neighborhood to have dinner, she didn't want to come back here. Instead, we went to Pho Tien Thanh, just 150m away, where the food was not only better but also delicious. It was probably the best customer service I've received from a Vietnamese restaurant, and we didn't feel uncomfortable. The staff there were attentive, helping new guests get seated and assisting them with their dining experience.

Unless you are Vietnamese or white and want to dine with your Vietnamese partner, I advise you to avoid this place by all means. It's not worth it, and this is the first time I've left a review for a restaurant. I just had to. No one deserves to support a restaurant and not enjoy their meal in peace due to such a discriminatory attitude.

It seems like your restaurant is doing well, so you don't need my business. It's just a matter of time before those four stars become three,...

HORRIBLE restaurant, Brutal service, do not go! This is my first google review here you go. Do not spend your hard earn money at this restaurant. Read this before you consider going. When we first got into the patio, the waitress just looked at us without any greeting, very rudely asked us to fill out the QR code, that's fine I pulled out my phone and started to scan, she then asked if we want to sit in a patio or inside, then I told her we would like to sit in the patio. She told me I dont need to scan the QR. Isn't it hard to explain when we just arrived? I ordered 3 dishes, had to write down the number and quality of food on a little piece of paper, the waitress took away my paper without a word. Oh well, fine. When the food arrived, I was surprised to see one of the order was not what I had ordered, I asked the waitress what is going on.She told me I wrote down the price, instead of the food number. So I got number 12, instead of number 65.I omitted my mistake and asked her if she can changed it for me. She said no, still in a very rude, cold face. I confronted her why didn't she go over my order with me, before placed it with the kitchen. That way at least we can go over the order together, and this is a common practice at other restaurant. She said they are always doing it and there is no issue with it. Wow, what an attitude. I figured I had already ordered the food so we would just had to finish it. So far, the only service we got was just getting the food in our table. There is only ONE chopstick for the entire table and there are 3 of us. Annoying enough by the precious experience, I had to go inside again to ask for additional chopstick. When the bill came in, I noticed they had placed an auto- tip on the entire amount. Are they assuming I will not pay tips? Is it even legal in Ontario? Can someone tell me. When I asked why they automatically charge the tips, without given me the options to place tips myself. She told me that the kitchen worker and waitress work hard for their job. Excuse me, I do not work hard for my job too?? For 25 years that I had live in Toronto, this is the first time I experience an auto-gratutiy, this is so humiliated! Food cost 35, left 5 bucks for tips, left. WORST Restaurant experience I've had, do not go, waste your money and time. NO Greeting, RUDE/cold face, no smile, no service, and the food wasn't taste fine at all. They said you get what you pay for, and this is true. But if i pay for your food, and your service, have some dignity in doing business. If you were like me ,tried to support local business, spend your money and time...