What do you do if your steak is medium rare instead of rare? You politely ask the chef to make it as per your liking. And if you are not satisfied with the results yet, you can leave a negative review. But not at this Japanese restaurant. If you are unsatisfied with the ramen from this restaurant, the best thing to do is, do nothing. This is if you plan to live longer.
The owner of a ramen shop in Japan’s Kyoto recently offered a bounty for the information about two customers who left negative reviews of his restaurant. The owner of TOYOJIRO, a highly rated ramen spot, took to social media to vent his frustration over the one-star ratings left by a group of diners.
The negative reviews didn’t sit well with the owner and he called the customers in question ‘weird’. He offered a 100,000 yen ($665) reward to anyone who could help identify the individuals behind the negative ratings.
“I saw your post, and you seem a bit weird. We try not to treat people like you as customers, so it’s fine. But you should probably avoid eating out. Someday, someone like you will get scr***d. I don’t care — just come directly, and I’ll deal with you,” the owner reportedly said in the Instagram post.
He also warned them, “We run a planned business, so if you get in our way, we’ll get in the way of yours too […] The only thing he can do is come back, eat again, and write a good review with a photo. I told him I won’t forgive him otherwise — not even for the safety of his family. If he does that, he’ll be killed right away. This kid is so scared. He’ll really do it, so he’d better just come back and eat.”
The owner’s remarks quickly went viral and sparked backlash from netizens. Following the online criticism, the owner reportedly wrote in another post, “I know there are pros and cons. For an act that went too far I’m reflecting on this. I’m looking forward to reflecting and moving forward. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, according to Complex, the restaurant later penned an apology note for the owner’s comments and said that they would handle such situations in a better way in the future. “Our restaurant, which achieved champion status on Japan’s largest ramen site, Ramen Database, just one month after opening, deeply regrets the recent incident we have caused […] this incident has resulted in a shameful outcome for us. We are committed to transforming ourselves and becoming a ramen restaurant that is truly supported by customers from around the world.”
