The customer is always right? Apparently not.
UPDATE: The owner of the River Oasis Cafe, Craig Beemer, has since disabled the ability for anyone to post reviews or discussions on the establishments facebook page. He has also deleted his response to my review from the website and has deleted his account.
Thank you to everyone for voicing your opinion and letting this man know that he was wrong. My friends and I appreciate it immensely. Keep getting the word out to anyone you know who may be in the Stillwater, Minnesota area to avoid the River Oasis Cafe.
I recently had an encounter with terrible customer service. I posted this review on Yahoo's review website.
I met a few friends for brunch at River Oasis Cafe on a Sunday. Three groups were seated after us. Despite being seated first - it took the waitress ~25 minutes to take our order. My friend (who is a strict vegetarian) ordered a vegetable omelet. When we finally received our food, my friend discovered considerable amounts of meat in her vegetable omelet. She explained the situation to the waitress and another omelet was ordered. When the second omelet arrived - it too had meat in it. My friend was unable to eat any of it. When the owner checked on us, my friend voiced her displeasure with the service. The owner proceeded to tell her that she was making a unreasonable demand for not wanting to pay for a meal she was unable to eat due to the establishment inability to keep meat out of her vegetable omelet. He was extremely rude to all three of us and told us if we didn't want to pay we could leave and never come back.
When our check arrived it was altogether, despite the fact that we had requested for the checks to be split up. But mistakes happen, so I kindly asked him to split up the checks. I paid my $8.10 because there was nothing wrong with my meal. However, my two friends were so displeased with the service that they left without paying. Which, as I said, the owner told them they could do.
I don't understand how an establishment can be run by such a person. Being a vegetarian is not uncommon, and if you market a VEGETABLE omelet - there should not be considerable amounts of meat found in said omelet.
I will not be returning to this establishment which is sad.
As the owner of the River Oasis Cafe, I would like to respond the the review submitted on June 20th.
Your claim that it took our server 25 minutes to take your order is simply not true. It would be impossible for our restaurant to turn as many tables as we turn on weekends if it took us 25 minutes to take orders from our customers. Maybe you're getting confused about the five minutes you had to wait before getting seated...because we had more people wanting to eat at our restaurant than we have seats. It's funny how your review doesn't mention how I greeted and offered you and your friends something to drink while waited for a seat.
Considering our first in first out order system, I can't imagine how it would be possible for three tables to receive their meals if they ordered after you.
With regards to the first Veggie Omelet we served your friend, we agreed to make her a new meal when she informed us she had found a piece of sausage in her omelet without asking any questions. When your friend told my server she wasn't going to pay for her second omelet which she had eaten the majority of (because she had found a single piece of diced ham about a quarter inch square) my server understandably declined her request. When your friend got indignant with my server, I was asked to get involved. When your friend got indignant with me, I told her she didn't have to pay...and that she was not welcome back to our restaurant. It's funny how your review didn't include the fact the we also served a Ham and Cheese Haystack to your table...which I suspect was the source of the ham found in her meal.
Could I have handled the situation better...Yes, I probably could have.
Was it reasonable for your friend to expect us to cover the cost of two meals after she had eaten the majority of her second meal? I don't think so. We're a family owned restaurant which serves 300 to 400 breakfasts each weekend morning prepared on a griddle which 48" wide. Despite our cook's best effort, an ingredient from one meal occassionally finds its way into another meal. Most of our customers are reasonable and understand mistakes will occassionally occur.
Was is it reasonable for you and your friends to leave without paying for two of the three meals ordered? I don't think so and apparently neither did your other friend who came back to pay for the two unpaid meals later the same afternoon.
With regards to your comment about it being sad that you will not be returning to our restaurant...I'm not sad at all...our restaurant is better off not having to deal with knuckleheads like you and your friends. Thankfully, we have an incredibly loyal customer base who appreciate both the food and service we provide.
If by chance your friend is truly as strict of a vegetarian as you have suggested...you might want to make her aware of the high probability of her meal being cooked in fat from meats being cooked at the same time when she orders a meal cooked on a griddle.
In closing, I would like to leave you and your friend with a quote from Groucho Marx: I'm not a vegetarian, but I've eaten many animals that were"
I find a few things interesting.
1. He says mistakes occassionally occur - yet the same mistake happened twice within 20 minutes.
2. He solidifies the fact that his establishment is unable to fulfill the task of providing a clean workspace for meals to be prepared.
3. He is angry that my friends did not pay, despite the fact that he told them they need not pay.
4. Knuckleheads? Really? That's how you address your customers?
5. Implying that my friend is "stupid" (for lack of better word) for being a vegetarian.
I can't believe a man like this is running a profitable establishment.
ETA: Is there anything I can do at this point? I find it hard to believe this place is up to code of they find are unable to keep ingredients separate.
Thank you to everyone for voicing your opinion and letting this man know that he was wrong. My friends and I appreciate it immensely. Keep getting the word out to anyone you know who may be in the Stillwater, Minnesota area to avoid the River Oasis Cafe.
I recently had an encounter with terrible customer service. I posted this review on Yahoo's review website.
I met a few friends for brunch at River Oasis Cafe on a Sunday. Three groups were seated after us. Despite being seated first - it took the waitress ~25 minutes to take our order. My friend (who is a strict vegetarian) ordered a vegetable omelet. When we finally received our food, my friend discovered considerable amounts of meat in her vegetable omelet. She explained the situation to the waitress and another omelet was ordered. When the second omelet arrived - it too had meat in it. My friend was unable to eat any of it. When the owner checked on us, my friend voiced her displeasure with the service. The owner proceeded to tell her that she was making a unreasonable demand for not wanting to pay for a meal she was unable to eat due to the establishment inability to keep meat out of her vegetable omelet. He was extremely rude to all three of us and told us if we didn't want to pay we could leave and never come back.
When our check arrived it was altogether, despite the fact that we had requested for the checks to be split up. But mistakes happen, so I kindly asked him to split up the checks. I paid my $8.10 because there was nothing wrong with my meal. However, my two friends were so displeased with the service that they left without paying. Which, as I said, the owner told them they could do.
I don't understand how an establishment can be run by such a person. Being a vegetarian is not uncommon, and if you market a VEGETABLE omelet - there should not be considerable amounts of meat found in said omelet.
I will not be returning to this establishment which is sad.
As the owner of the River Oasis Cafe, I would like to respond the the review submitted on June 20th.
Your claim that it took our server 25 minutes to take your order is simply not true. It would be impossible for our restaurant to turn as many tables as we turn on weekends if it took us 25 minutes to take orders from our customers. Maybe you're getting confused about the five minutes you had to wait before getting seated...because we had more people wanting to eat at our restaurant than we have seats. It's funny how your review doesn't mention how I greeted and offered you and your friends something to drink while waited for a seat.
Considering our first in first out order system, I can't imagine how it would be possible for three tables to receive their meals if they ordered after you.
With regards to the first Veggie Omelet we served your friend, we agreed to make her a new meal when she informed us she had found a piece of sausage in her omelet without asking any questions. When your friend told my server she wasn't going to pay for her second omelet which she had eaten the majority of (because she had found a single piece of diced ham about a quarter inch square) my server understandably declined her request. When your friend got indignant with my server, I was asked to get involved. When your friend got indignant with me, I told her she didn't have to pay...and that she was not welcome back to our restaurant. It's funny how your review didn't include the fact the we also served a Ham and Cheese Haystack to your table...which I suspect was the source of the ham found in her meal.
Could I have handled the situation better...Yes, I probably could have.
Was it reasonable for your friend to expect us to cover the cost of two meals after she had eaten the majority of her second meal? I don't think so. We're a family owned restaurant which serves 300 to 400 breakfasts each weekend morning prepared on a griddle which 48" wide. Despite our cook's best effort, an ingredient from one meal occassionally finds its way into another meal. Most of our customers are reasonable and understand mistakes will occassionally occur.
Was is it reasonable for you and your friends to leave without paying for two of the three meals ordered? I don't think so and apparently neither did your other friend who came back to pay for the two unpaid meals later the same afternoon.
With regards to your comment about it being sad that you will not be returning to our restaurant...I'm not sad at all...our restaurant is better off not having to deal with knuckleheads like you and your friends. Thankfully, we have an incredibly loyal customer base who appreciate both the food and service we provide.
If by chance your friend is truly as strict of a vegetarian as you have suggested...you might want to make her aware of the high probability of her meal being cooked in fat from meats being cooked at the same time when she orders a meal cooked on a griddle.
In closing, I would like to leave you and your friend with a quote from Groucho Marx: I'm not a vegetarian, but I've eaten many animals that were"
I find a few things interesting.
1. He says mistakes occassionally occur - yet the same mistake happened twice within 20 minutes.
2. He solidifies the fact that his establishment is unable to fulfill the task of providing a clean workspace for meals to be prepared.
3. He is angry that my friends did not pay, despite the fact that he told them they need not pay.
4. Knuckleheads? Really? That's how you address your customers?
5. Implying that my friend is "stupid" (for lack of better word) for being a vegetarian.
I can't believe a man like this is running a profitable establishment.
ETA: Is there anything I can do at this point? I find it hard to believe this place is up to code of they find are unable to keep ingredients separate.