Kevin Chin
Brought some Japanese friends over for dinner over the weekend and our experience was somewhat tainted by the attitude of a single staff - which was unfortunate because everything else was top-notch. The staff in question - Lewis - was stone-faced and emotionless throughout the evening. There were no smiles, no acknowledgements, no thank you when she tended to us. This may sound like an exaggeration but she acted as if everyone owed her a living. That's the best way I can describe it. She would come to our table, look at us silently with a pissed-off expression, take down our order and leave without saying a single word. At first, I thought it was just our table she was upset with but we observed that her attitude was consistent with every customer. At one point, I had to apologise to my Japanese friends for her behaviour and from that moment on, we made a deliberate attempt to approach the other staff whenever we needed anything. We understand that everyone has bad days but this is where professionalism comes in. If she was having a bad day she made no attempt to hide it. This is in stark contrast to the other staff there - a young lady and an elderly woman - who were both attentive, patient and friendly. Lewis served us again at the cashier and after making payment, she handed us the receipt without saying a single word. We don't expect restaurant staff to ask about our dining experience but when they can't even bring themselves to say "thank you" or "see you again" when we leave, it's safe to say there's something fundamentally wrong. As much as we enjoyed the food and ambience and rest of the service staff, I don't think I'll be going back there again if Lewis has another bad day.