Two diners complained of being ‘humiliated’ by cashier after ordering a S$26 set meal together

SINGAPORE: Two diners at a teppanyaki restaurant felt disrespected and humiliated by the cashier when they ordered one meal for both of them. The incident happened on Aug 31, at around 2:15 p.m. at Express Teppanyaki in Tampines Mall. 

According to the complaint, the diners ordered a S$26 set meal, which only came with one serving of rice. As written in their bill, their meal also included fish, squid, scallops, and a chicken leg or sirloin steak. As there were two of them, the diners asked for an extra serving of rice at a price of S$1.50. 

Reacting to their order, the female cashier said to the chef in Chinese (translated): “It is not possible for two people to order one set meal; they must order one each.” But still, the cashier completed their order.

The diners revealed that the S$26 set meal is actually larger than the regular single-serving set meal. Feeling humiliated by the cashier’s comment, they spoke to another staff member, and they discovered that it was not the first time that the female cashier had done something like this. 

Cashier proclaims her innocence 

When reporters visited the restaurant, the 71-year-old cashier proclaimed her innocence and declared that she had no intention of humiliating anyone — she was simply giving a reminder.

She said that when the two diners ordered food, the restaurant had too many customers, and she just reminded the other person that he might not be full because of what they had ordered. 

Furthermore, she remarked that she had been working for the restaurant for over 20 years, and this was the first time she felt wronged for reminding customers to comply with the restaurant’s regulations. 

“If I used foul language, it would be wrong, of course, but I would never curse at a customer like that,” she declared. 

In response to the issue, the teppanyaki restaurant said that they will conduct an internal review of their employees, and any rude behaviour will not be tolerated. 

The company’s spokesperson said, “At Express Teppanyaki, we value all our diners and strive to provide both quality meals and a pleasant dining experience.

“To clarify, our ordering policy is straightforward: each set meal is designed and portioned for one individual diner. While sharing among friends and family is common in casual dining, our set meals are priced and portioned individually, and we encourage each diner to order their own set to ensure fairness and consistency.”

“That said, we understand there may have been some miscommunication at the counter, and we will look into the matter internally to ensure our staff communicate policies politely and clearly. We do not condone any form of rudeness, and we take customer feedback seriously as part of our ongoing service training.”