Etiquette for bad food and poor service?

[bazza40]

What is the accepted code of conduct for poor food and bad service? Obviously, never go back there again and don't leave a tip.

Background: A restaurant on the Chiang Mai Chiang Rai road before Ban Narm Ronn, travelling towards CM.

Ordered food: Rice cold, accompanying meat dishes lukewarm for my three companions. Subsequent diarrhea for one of them.

I ordered an omelet, arrived 20 minutes later than my companions. Girl went to the market to buy eggs. Somewhat undercooked, only ate the cooked parts. Not an omelet, fried eggs.

Do I:

Call the manager and complain?

Leave the food uneaten except for tasting, and refuse to pay?

What would a Thai do?

Constructive contributions requested

[fang37]

Pay & politely walk out.

[RolandRat]

Based on my experience of these roadside style places:

option 1, would just result in lots of smiles and many "sorry" and thats it.

option 2 would result in possible danger to you and your companions and is never advisable in a foreign land.

option 3 Pay smile and leave.

You also need to remember Thais dont particularly care if the rice is hot or not in my experience.

also never been in a place yet where food is ever served together, it always comes out in dribs n drabs.

Had occasions where one has completely finished before the other even arrives, thats just normal.

Many of these places just have one/two gas rings, so it depends entirely on the order and speed the cook wants to work.

The rice cooker is filled and so that depends what time you get there and how much is already gone when you do arrive.

Edited November 16, 2015 by RolandRat

[Supaluke]

The hard cold reality is that you have little real power to change anything, apart from removing your patronage.

What would a Thai person do? Well, that would depend on their social circumstance. i.e. who they were with.

Were they with friends or with Family, or with the Boss, or with work colleagues.

A typical response could be, if the social situation allowed, would be to eat and when the bill arrives, pay it but complain politely to the staff.

Sometimes that meal is then at no charge.

If still not happy, then they would FaceBook their (negative) experience.

Just my experience.

[pgrahmm]

If Mom/Pop never go back....

If it's the big one under the teak Thai house with the carved figures & porcelain also for sale → pond out back tell the son that runs it....He speaks English and is a good guy.....They do a huge business and he'd want to know....

[dutchisaan]

Nice question. But reading your post, you are still sitting in this place and waiting for advice!

[cooked]

My wife doesn't stand for this kind of baloney and has been known to make the cash registers shake.

Mind you, she can tell at a glance if the food is likely to be eatable or not. I am slowly learning about rice, I can see and smell if it has been cooked and rewarmed for days on end, in short, don't go to cheap places without your wife! Love my wife...

[bazza40]

If Mom/Pop never go back....

If it's the big one under the teak Thai house with the carved figures & porcelain also for sale → pond out back tell the son that runs it....He speaks English and is a good guy.....They do a huge business and he'd want to know....

Not sure we are talking about the same place. There were rabbits in between the two establishments. We were the only customers at 1 pm, so I wouldn't call it a huge business......The head honcho did speak good English....

[pgrahmm]

If Mom/Pop never go back....

If it's the big one under the teak Thai house with the carved figures & porcelain also for sale → pond out back tell the son that runs it....He speaks English and is a good guy.....They do a huge business and he'd want to know....

Not sure we are talking about the same place. There were rabbits in between the two establishments. We were the only customers at 1 pm, so I wouldn't call it a huge business......The head honcho did speak good English....

This place will seat about 50 or more + more out back at the pond so probably not the same place.....That's about the best half way stop.....Might have the business card - will check....

[SoiBiker]

I'd pay anyway - given that it's likely to be next to nothing - chalk it up to experience and not go back.

[alfalfa19]

Pay & politely walk out.

Yes.

[fang37]

Pay & politely walk out.

Yes.

& why?

No altercation with big, bad bouncers!

[rgs2001uk]

Pay & politely walk out.

Yes.

& why?

No altercation with big, bad bouncers!

Depends on whether HiSo or LoSo?

[xen]

If this is the first time you have experienced this , you may not have spent much time in Thailand. Learn to read a good restaurant or even roadside stall , by how busy they are , especially at lunch time . As a general rule , the more customers sitting in there eating indicates that they do know something about food service. You may have to wait a bit longer for food because they are busy but that is the trade off.

By the fact a restaurant does not have basic ingredients such as eggs in the kitchen indicates that they are either incompetent as restaurant managers or don't expect much business because of their incompetence .Admittedly it may also be a sideline business at the front of the pig and duck raising farmyard at the rear.

[eldragon]

Chinese-Thais would complain in a heartbeat, so there's no reason you can't. But if it's a mom & pop, it won't accomplish a darn thing. They don't know what they don't know. You'll always be the crazy one to them.

Edited November 16, 2015 by eldragon

[puukao]

As a restaurant owner, I would pay, tip (no tip in most places in Thailand), and then never go back.

NONE OF US ARE THAI....we don't know....burn the place down, give 100% tip for Karma, throw up in the fan...how do we know??

In America,you do the same and then bash them on social media (yelp)....but not in Thailand, unless you like prison

OK, you got ripped off....paid for bad food.....i bought $10 USD wings the other night and didn't like them.... I have 28937432 other examples..... it's life

[bazza40]

If this is the first time you have experienced this , you may not have spent much time in Thailand. Learn to read a good restaurant or even roadside stall , by how busy they are , especially at lunch time . As a general rule , the more customers sitting in there eating indicates that they do know something about food service. You may have to wait a bit longer for food because they are busy but that is the trade off.

By the fact a restaurant does not have basic ingredients such as eggs in the kitchen indicates that they are either incompetent as restaurant managers or don't expect much business because of their incompetence .Admittedly it may also be a sideline business at the front of the pig and duck raising farmyard at the rear.

I've been here 6 years, have had some restaurant experiences I would describe as ordinary, but never this bad. I'd agree a busy restaurant usually indicates good food.

It wasn't a mom and pop, seated about 25 people with a combination of formal tables/chairs and sofas with lower profile tables. Had a bar as well.

The consensus seems to be pay and never go back. I did pay without saying anything, and never going back is set in stone. Thanks everyone for the input.

Edited November 17, 2015 by bazza40

[Langsuan Man]

Pay and leave,

Does no good to tell any Thai business that they are wrong or offer poor service, they don't care, their success is based upon luck, not competence

mai pen rai = I don't give a sh...