Restaurant owner hits back at diner who wrote a negative TripAdvisor review accusing the manager of offering 'Ryanair style service' - saying he was 'rude' and is banned from returning
The owner of a restaurant hit back at a customer who wrote a scathing two-star TripAdvisor review.
Gary Usher, who is the owner and chef at the Sticky Walnut in Hoole, Chester, blasted the review, calling out the customer for being rude and intimidating towards his staff.
In the review titled 'excellent food let down by Ryanair style service', the diner had blasted the manager for 'not giving a toss' about customer service, which Usher vehemently denied.
It is not the first time Usher has taken aim at a negative review - he went viral in September last year after a similar outburst.
In his blistering take-down, restauranteur Gary Usher pointed out that the Sticky Walnut has achieved a top 100 position in the National Restaurant Awards in the UK
The unsatisfied diner, known only as Rob V, wrote: 'The good news is that the food here is very, very tasty and deserves a high rating.
'The bad news is that the restaurant management doesn't give a toss about customer experience.
'I ate here on July 9 had a complaint that was dealt with badly enough by the manager that I wrote to the owner.
'A restaurant that aspires to offer fine dining experience but has lost the ability to empathise with customers and ignores them when they complain? That really is a shame.'
Restauranteur and chef Mr Usher was quick to respond with his own blistering write-up. He replied: 'For goodness sake Robert. I'm supposed to be in TwitAdvisor retirement so let's not waste any time. After all, you've waited 11 years since joining Twitadvisor to write your first review.'Rob you reserved a table on a Friday evening and agreed to a 1 hour 45 minute time slot. A standard practice, particularly on busy periods, that guests and restaurants worldwide agree to.
'After your dessert course the Manager, who you said "doesn't give a toss", gently reminded you that we would need the table back shortly. You ignored the Manager and proceeded to order another round of drinks.
'Perhaps if your party had arrived on time for your reservation this could have been avoided.'
He continued: 'When the Manager came back a final time to politely let you know we needed to clear the table for our next guests you got up out of your seat, towering over the Manager, pointing in their face.
The review - which was emphatically debunked by restaurant manager Gary Usher - accused the Sticky Walnut of 'Ryanair-style management'
Restauranteur Gary Usher posted a savage reposte to the two-star article, pointing out that the reviewer had lied to staff, pretending they were friends with Mr Usher
'The Manager's response was "Sir, please can you stop pointing in my face". You proceeded to tell the Manager that they didn't deserve to be a Manager and weren't qualified to be in the position.
'Your Mother then joined in by adding to the vitriol being directed towards the Manager.
'That's when both you and your Mother showed your true colours with the classic "We've both worked in restaurants so we know how it works. We should be getting these drinks for free".
'You, Rob, then threatened the Manager by telling them that you would be contacting the owner because you know him and that Gary (me) would be appalled to know how you, "my friend", had been treated.
The Sticky Walnut in Chester has a 4.5 star rating out of 5 on TripAdvisor, where it has amassed almost 2,000 reviews
'The Manager politely pleaded with your whole table to just listen whilst they explained. No one did.
'In a strange turn of events you emailed me, your "friend", at Sticky Walnut's email address.
'You must have lost my number Rob! Not surprisingly, to either me or the Manager, you and I don't know each other Rob.
'Every few months in a restaurant a rude guest will use the "I know the owner!" line to try and intimidate team members and bully them into thinking that they will get into trouble because they didn't look after the owner's "friends" well enough.
'I did read your email. I did "give a toss", but not about you Rob, but about the way you treated the team. So instead of replying to you we chose to block your number, and your Mum's, and put a note on our booking system to not accept any future bookings from you.'
Mr Usher concluded his response: 'With regards to the Manager who "doesn't give a toss" they have managed Sticky Walnut for the last 8 years.
'Coincidentally the same length of time that Sticky Walnut has achieved a top 100 position in the National Restaurant Awards in the UK. I think that makes them both extremely deserving to be the Manager and absolutely qualified to hold that position.'
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