Hakodate Dining GAYA — Restaurant in Hakodate

so, we (as tourists) ordered and requested abalone that are fresh, not cut, and the staff that take our order said they’re able to do it, but then when the abalone came out, it’s already cut. when we complained, the staffs said it couldn’t be *not cut, it’s their rules; we told them we already requested the abalone to *not be cut, but then they persistently mentioned ‘it’s normally cut in here’. so we asked for the abalone to be canceled, but they said it couldn’t be canceled. it felt as if the manager and the staff were not sorry at all (it actually felt like they’re questioning and patronizing us) or try to compensate for their error and only asked repeatedly “why would u want it to not be cut?” or said “it’s normally cut in here”.

my tour guide speaks japanese and has lived in japan for years, and even when he talked to them as polite as possible, they still can’t own up to their error. i asked to the manager if there’s anyone that can speak/understand english, so that i might be able to help to explain the situation to them, but the manager said nobody understand english too.

please, next time, take responsibility and acknowledge your mistake 🙏🏻 we are tourists, we came all this way to enjoy your food and your restaurant but we came out...

NOT RECOMMEND! It was an AWFUL and ridiculous experience. We ordered a crab item which costs 3700 yen. The one in the photo was served later one. I was surprised at first and thought it looked a lot more than what I expected. After we paid for the bill, we realized we were charged 12,000 yen for the crab! What happened was, they placed the wrong order for us (live hairy crab) which is significantly more expensive (almost 10,000 yen more) than the one we ordered!!

Since we already ate the food, we told the staff about the whole situation and said that we will still pay for what we ate but they should acknowledge that they placed the wrong order. However, they refused to acknowledge or apologize for their mistake, with a terrible attitude! So we ended up spending 10,000 yen more than what we expected and didn’t get an apology. LOL thinking of someone who didn’t bring enough money for dining in here. They couldn’t communicate in English well so it made it extremely difficult to explain.

I always thought Japanese restaurant has good service but I was totally wrong this time. Really...

Here's a suggested tone for your restaurant review, incorporating both your initial disappointment and the management's effort to remedy the situation: A Memorable Evening with Mixed Feelings

We recently visited Dining Gaya, intrigued despite having read a negative review. My evening was a blend of highs and lows, starting with my order of fresh crab, which was expected to take 40 minutes to cook. Given the wait time, I was offered an alternative to expedite the process.

However, when the dish was served cold, I felt compelled to return it. I couldn't help but be suspicious, influenced by the prior report I had read. To my relief, the management was quick to address the issue, providing us with a complimentary sake and cake, which was a gracious gesture.

Despite my initial reservations, the staff's professionalism and kindness turned the evening around. I feel ashamed for my initial distrust, but I appreciate the management's efforts to ensure we left with a positive experience. Dining Gaya has shown a commitment to customer satisfaction that deserves...