Ben's Publika — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

I’m writing to share a very disappointing dining experience my family and I had at Ben’s Restaurant on Thursday, 10 July 2025, around 1pm. The restaurant wasn’t crowded at that time, so we expected a smooth and pleasant lunch. Unfortunately, it turned out to be extremely frustrating.

We were served by a staff member named Dude (as informed by the Malay lady supervisor). We ordered two 2-course meals: nasi lemak ayam rempah, pan-roasted chicken, black forest cake, carrot cake, and ice latte. I specifically requested for thigh and informed him that I do not want drumstick for the nasi lemak. From the start, the staff showed clear displeasure, he responded in an unhappy tone and seemed annoyed by our basic order. Even entering our simple selections into his device took almost 5 minutes.

The pan-roasted chicken came after 20 minutes. The nasi lemak, however, never arrived—despite later-arriving tables being served. When we asked the same staff to check on our food, he once again appeared annoyed, went to the kitchen, and never came back to update us.

Eventually, the nasi lemak was served—with the wrong part (a drumstick). We flagged it, and again the same staff took the dish away without saying a word. He continued walking around without any explanation or even a basic update.

We had to approach another staff (who brought out our cakes) to assist. He claimed to be the PIC and told us that black forest cake was out of stock—despite us ordering it over an hour earlier. After some checking, he confirmed that our entire order had been wrongly delivered to another table. Instead of apologizing sincerely, we were simply told to wait another 10 minutes while they prepared the meal again.

Throughout this, the team—including the restaurant manager—showed poor service attitude and lack of professionalism. It was already 2:20pm by then. When we asked for the bill, nothing came. Finally, a different staff member at the drinks counter assisted us.

I voiced our dissatisfaction and asked if I was wrong for being upset. The lady manager admitted that their staff had “attitude issues.” She promised to raise the matter with management, though I remain skeptical. When we requested contact details for management, we were instead told to leave a Google review and that someone might get in touch.

We also asked for the staff’s name. Initially, the manager refused. Only when I asked if I could take a photo of him did she share the name Dude, a Filipino guy.

I truly hope management will review the CCTV footage from the time of the incident (10-07-2025) and seriously investigate what made the staff act so unprofessionally and with such visible unhappiness. Disciplinary action should be taken if necessary,though frankly, it feels like the entire team has lost interest in doing or keeping their jobs. A major staffing review seems long overdue.

I hope this review is taken seriously—not just for us, but for all customers who expect basic courtesy, efficiency, and professionalism...

Dear Ben’s Publika Management,

I am writing to express my ongoing dissatisfaction with the repeated issues we’ve experienced at your Publika outlet.

This is not our first visit and unfortunately, it’s also not the first time we’ve faced the same problem. You publicly advertise that there is a kids’ playground and dining area upstairs, which is one of the main reasons we choose to come. However, almost every single time, we are told by your staff that the upstairs area is “not open.”

When we ask for more information, the reason changes each time. Sometimes it's “too hot,” other times it's “fully reserved,” and once we were told it was open for takeaway only, which left us confused and disappointed. We came to dine in, not to eat out of takeaway boxes in an uncomfortable setting. This has happened at least five times, and we are residents in the area who truly want to support your establishment.

To make matters worse, your supervisor, a local Malaysian woman wearing a tudung (we couldn’t get her name), consistently displays an unwelcoming and arrogant attitude toward customers. Her demeanor feels cold and uninterested, and this has made our visits even more unpleasant. In fact, your foreign staff show much better customer service than her, which is ironic and frankly disheartening.

We hope you take this feedback seriously. Either stop advertising the upstairs area if it’s not truly available or manage it more transparently and consistently. Also, we urge you to address the issue of staff attitude. A good vibe and nice setting mean little when the...

Me and my friends went for a brunch here and I ordered double cheeseburger and my meal was delayed and the last one that been served. After waiting for almost 40 mins, the burger is served and was shocked with the texture of the meat. I took 1-2 bites and when I cut into the middle, it was slimy soft and watery - it’s like raw mincemeat. Called the waiter to check with the kitchen and the waiter informed me that the meat was undercooked!!! It was the most disappointed and disgusting thing I have ate. I almost puke when I heard that but I was at the restaurant and waiting for my friends to finish their meal.

The management gave me a slice of red velvet as a token of apology and luckily I didn’t order that cake cause it tasted disappointed!! The texture of the cake was not to the standard at all, can’t even taste the cream cheese. Overall the food here is 0!!! You barely can serve the food well

I had to puke your food after that cause I can’t afford to get food poisoning. Your food service is just horrible and definitely will not come here again.

I even wrote them a complaint on their website. I received a call a few days after but I was occupied with work and asked her to call me back after working hour and didn’t receive any call until today. I have done my part as a customer to do a proper complaint but I guess they don’t even care about their customers and their quality. I would not recommend anyone to come here. Nothing is good coming...