Banana7 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) Went to a popular restaurant recently which had a lovely photo of a pork rib dinner for 319 baht. As shown, the advertisement shows a nice strip of ribs, about a dozen with 2 piles of fries. The actual meal had only 2 large ribs, and 1 pile of fries. The meal looked significantly different than what was advertised. In Thailand it seems OK to advertise meals that when provided don't look like the advertisements. This isn't the first time this has happened. How do you handle such a situation? Would you send it back? Would you walkout without paying? Accept as is? I just ate it as delivered, didn't complain, but also no tip, and never will I ever return to this restaurant. Edited January 26 by Banana7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
still kicking Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Same as any other place 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingtlger Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 What did you expect 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
still kicking Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 So I guess you don't frequent KFC, McDonalds or PIZZA Hut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regyai Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Very reminiscent of this movie scene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
still kicking Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Yeah, funny movie . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 I had it last year, i messaged the owner on a facebook post as the difference of advertising vs actual was laughable. He was in denial and all the fanboys started posting about the food there being good. He wouldn't post the photo though. Just don't buy it again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittobethaied Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 From my observation, most restaurants in Thailand generally use stock photos that they get off the internet instead of taking photos of actual items which they serve. There seems to be no "truth in advertising" here like in the US. What else would we expect in a country where it is totally acceptable to tell lies. In your case I would have refused to accept that dish unless they threw in the third rib. I recently ordered tacos off a picture menu showing 3, but I was only served 2. When I confronted the owner, his answer was "oh, we just made a change in the menu and haven't had a chance to update our photo". If he was honest, he would have made a note on the menu and alerted me before I ordered. I gave him a tongue lashing and never came back. He never offered to serve me the third taco. Obviously, his conscience wasn't working properly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andycoops Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Thailand is well known for producing fakes and because of the infamous defamation laws they can get away with virtually anything and that includes advertising. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowtail Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 The restaurant's photo the OP posted looks like only two ribs to me. That said, the actual meal does not look very appetizing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowtail Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 1 hour ago, fittobethaied said: From my observation, most restaurants in Thailand generally use stock photos that they get off the internet instead of taking photos of actual items which they serve. There seems to be no "truth in advertising" here like in the US. What else would we expect in a country where it is totally acceptable to tell lies. In your case I would have refused to accept that dish unless they threw in the third rib. I recently ordered tacos off a picture menu showing 3, but I was only served 2. When I confronted the owner, his answer was "oh, we just made a change in the menu and haven't had a chance to update our photo". If he was honest, he would have made a note on the menu and alerted me before I ordered. I gave him a tongue lashing and never came back. He never offered to serve me the third taco. Obviously, his conscience wasn't working properly. Do you think the McDonald's burgers in the US look like the photos? I find the McDonald's stuff in Thailand looks better than the stuff in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stix40 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 It's the same with hotel and b and b pictures. Photos taken when hotel was built probably more than 10 years old ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geisha Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Good restaurants don’t have photos of food they serve ! I find it very unattractive, bright colors. Often on TripAdvisor people photograph their meals to share or send to friends. Some of them are really well photographed. Otherwise,:plastered on a window or a menu I find that cheap bad taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swm59nj Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Common in every country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiochaser Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 17 hours ago, Yellowtail said: Do you think the McDonald's burgers in the US look like the photos? I find the McDonald's stuff in Thailand looks better than the stuff in the US. I was surprised to find that McDonald's burgers in Thailand taste much better than the ones here in the U.S. of A.. I wanted some western food and due to painful knees I did not want to go downtown Bangkok to walk around and find some. So hobbled across the street from the condo to the McDonald's in the mall there. After I returned to the U.S. of A., bought a McDonald's burger here and the taste did not compare to the ones I ate in Thailand. Those small McDonald pies in Thailand are better too! Also, some of the western food restaurants run by westerners have poor tasting food too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthainess Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Maybe they thought you needed to diet........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColeBOzbourne Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Read the fine print. Many restaurant menus have a very tiny notice printed somewhere that says, "Pictures are for advertising purposes only". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prubangboy Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 21 hours ago, Yellowtail said: The restaurant's photo the OP posted looks like only two ribs to me. That said, the actual meal does not look very appetizing. Agreed. Poss kitchen error on the skimpy French fries? Tho on average, the fries portion in Thailand is (thankfully) smaller than in the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 The best meals I find are at the little family run hole-in-the-wall joints with no photos or advertisements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg71 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Could be worse though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celsius Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Is this Sizzler? Give me a break Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunLA Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 (edited) On 1/26/2024 at 11:12 PM, Banana7 said: Went to a popular restaurant recently which had a lovely photo of a pork rib dinner for 319 baht. As shown, the advertisement shows a nice strip of ribs, about a dozen with 2 piles of fries. The actual meal had only 2 large ribs, and 1 pile of fries. The meal looked significantly different than what was advertised. In Thailand it seems OK to advertise meals that when provided don't look like the advertisements. This isn't the first time this has happened. How do you handle such a situation? Would you send it back? Would you walkout without paying? Accept as is? I just ate it as delivered, didn't complain, but also no tip, and never will I ever return to this restaurant. That's why Gmap is my go to for research. Photos from customers. I'm rarely surprised. Unresearched restaurants, I've actually asked .. "is it going to look like the photo" and many times told, 'it's just a photo from internet'. Usually can tell by their reaction, how far off it will be. Always an added plus when a restaurant is busy, as many times I ordered what I saw someone else eating or what strolled by while I was deciding. Always take a slow stroll to your table and gaze around what's on the other tables. Edited January 28 by KhunLA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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