Rasa Ria — Restaurant in Kalamazoo Charter Township

We haven't even tried to eat here, but already had a taste of bad service!! Few days ago, Monday 3/19/2018 to be exact, we were planning to try this restaurant. We live in Holland and it would take about an hour to get there as we left around 6:30ish (pm) and their website stated closing time was 8 pm. While we're on the road, at around 7pm my fiance tried to call to see if they accepted cards since we didn't bring enough cash. He said a man answered the phone and after my fiance asked politely if they would accept cash or cards, the man immediately said "Nothing" then hung up. So few minutes later I tried to call from my phone instead and asked the same question, the man picked up the phone and answered the same answer with rude tone, "We take nothing!", then hung up before I even asked more questions. We gave about 15 minutes. My fiance tried to call again and this time a lady picked up the phone. She was a bit nicer and told my fiance that their kitchen would be closed at 7:30 pm. Well ... would that be a lot nicer if the guy who picked up the phone twice would explain to us since their kitchen would be closing soon they would not be able to take any order, instead of saying "Nothing!" and hung up the phone???? We are about to become their new customers to bring $$$ to their business. Few days later we just drove there, left Holland a little early, and this time we didn't make any call, after the bad phone experience. When we arrived an hour before their closing time, the door was already shut and note on the piece white paper stated "Sorry, we are closing for catering menu". What in the heck!!! Anyway, we would like to share with other customers or Google viewers, if you want to try an authentic Indonesian dishes, you better go to Junly's China Hut, they cook Chinese and Indonesian food. The China Hut's owners are extremely nice and their Indonesian dishes are handsdown. China Hut's food and service are outstanding. China Hut's owners are Indonesian and Rasa Ria's owners are Malaysian. But it doesn't matter who the owners are or the customers are (any race or any skin colour, won't matter at all) ... great service and great food are the main keys for success restaurant business. Even if the food are amazing, but worst customer service will not bring customers back, unless we are careless of the service, just order take out and go 🤔. Instead of talking just use sign language, point out what we want to order, pay, wait the food and leave ... lol. Hhhmmm ... that might not be a bad idea 🙄

So ... note for Rasa Ria: "Please treat all customers just like you want to be treated. Your business grows because of returning customers who are pleased with your food and your service". I am an Indonesian born, not Malaysian, but I'm willing to give your dishes a try in the future to see if your service...

The food here is very good but the owners and staff are strangely unfriendly. It almost feels like everyone here puts work into being as unpleasent as possible. The last time i came here i ordered a dish and was told the dish had run out. It was 12:30 pm, and it doesn't seem that plausible that the kitchen ran out of their most popular dish so early. I was very rudely told to basically order something else. While rudeness is the calling card of the Rasa Ria staff, what elevated this horrid dining experience to shear lunatic levels of surreal unproffesionalism I didn't imagine existed outside of the worse exaggerated google reviews, was when the staff brings out the presumably extinct dish to the table next to me who ordered after I had. I asked where this sudden emergence of the dish came from and I was told that the lucky table had reserved the dish the night before. To add further insult to the wound, I ordered some roti but was told they were out of this as well. I could understand possibly both items being gone, but why did I have to be treated so rudely? I love the food here. I've introduced people to this restaraunt. I've come here nearly every Saturday for lunch for six months. I even wrote a five star review of the place. I've put up with the basically hostile staff and owners and always came back like a dependent addict because the food is so good. My last experience was my rock bottom and I shall not return. I need to better myself and I will not succumb to my depraved instinct and return to this restaraunt only to be abused. Please be nicer Rasa Ria. I need you...

2025 Update: I previously gave them a 1 star review based on their customer service but when I got to know them more, I realized that it's not the customer service but just the way they are. The "uncle" and "aunty" are good people and treat you well but the way they talk may sound rude or offensive and that's actually just their way of talking - no BS and to the point. They do get irritated very quickly so there's that... 🤷‍♂️

Food is actually pretty good but for many things, you have to acquire the taste. It's a very traditional style restaurant so if you're not used to seeing tiny-sized full anchovies (with head and eyes 👀) in your fried rice, you may get thrown off by it.

If it's your first time, you can never go wrong with their daily specials. Especially the Fish curry on Tuesdays is a must to try! Roti canai, Nasi Lemak, and Nasi Goreng are pretty good as well. The tea (Teh Tarik) and Milo are unique and very tasty.

The atmosphere and seating is like most of the Asian restaurants and even though, I have dined-in many times, I would recommend to rather do a take out.

They have Halal chicken but you have to be careful with the beef items as other than the corned beef, their beef items are not Halal.

Old review: The worst customer service I've ever experienced. Forget about treating customers badly, they don't even know how to talk with...