‘Please come down and try’: Shami Banana Leaf owner addresses criticism over food and service standards

SINGAPORE: After one branch of an Indian restaurant received poor feedback for rude service and a drop in food standards, the owner took to social media to read some of the comments aloud, and then proceeded to tell the public how he and his team have been addressing these issues.

As a result, commenters have been praising Mr Murali, the owner of Shami Banana Leaf, as a good boss and leader.

On TikTok on June 19, the eatery shared a video of the owner reading comments about Shami Banana Leaf’s branch at Northpoint.

“Your staff at Northpoint is very rude, terrible service!” one wrote, while another commented, “Northpoint food standard drop la… I stopped going there already!”

The third was perhaps the hardest, with a netizen saying, “wanna charge so much for Northpoint, but the food lesser, quality drop and service like s**t!”

Mr Murali acknowledged his restaurant’s responsibility to correct the faults pointed out in the feedback Shami Banana Leaf’s Northpoint branch has received.

First, he said that the “rude” staff had been brought to the main branch so that they could receive extra training on how to talk to customers.

Importantly, the owner added that he is personally overseeing the outlet’s day-to-day operations.

As for the comments about the quality of the food, Mr Murali said that he has replaced the old chef with a new one who is more experienced.

“I can reassure you that food quality is back to the old standard,” he said, inviting the public to come and try the food at the Northpoint outlet.

He also addressed comments that said the dishes have gotten more expensive, saying that the prices of raw materials and salaries have already gone up. Mr Murali added that he has had to raise prices to sustain his business.

The owner added that Shami Banana Leaf has not, in fact, raised any prices in the past year.

However, the Northpoint outlet is offering a 10% discount for Merdeka cardholders, and anyone who has an NTUC app also receives a similar discount when they use the app to pay.

“Please come down and try, and give us your feedback, and we will do what we can,” he said, acknowledging that there is room for improvement, but adding how thankful he is for the support he and his eatery have received.

TikTok users commenting on his post did not hesitate to show him some love back.

“This is an example of a GREAT BOSS. Hats off,” one wrote.

“Boss can talk very well. Much better than many corporate leaders,” added another.

A TikTok user commented, “Down to earth, humble, and receptive of feedback! Will try!”

“U didn’t hide review and openly shared and showed you will improve… Respect,” another added.

One chimed in to say, “Thank you, boss! I really appreciate your rectification at Northpoint! Rest assured, I’ve tried the food, and I can very surely say that the quality has improved!” /TISG

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