Bangkok Bistro In The Alley

Food was decent. In fact we quite enjoyed the marinated steak drizzled in massamun curry (Chef’s special). However we were quite disappointed with the service side of things. Despite the dish being listed at $18 on all the menus, we were charged $24.95 on the bill. That’s a $6.95 upcharge on an $18 item (39%). When we brought this up. Instead of simply fixing the issue, we were lectured to about how the price of beef has gone up and that the menu has not been updated to reflect the current pricing. And we were asked what we want to do. Honestly the customer centric response would have been to simply apologize and refund the difference. Or if you want to really generate some good will, refund the entire item. In the end, I simply zeroed out the tip just to keep it simple. It isn’t really about the money anyways. I understand it’s a tough time to be in the restaurant business, but there are some rules that should be followed. In addition, I was charged a 3.99% credit card processing fee for using an Amex card. This was not disclosed to us in advance. This was the first time I’ve ever been charged a credit card processing fee at a restaurant. We won’t be back.

They need to hire and train more staff. Came on a Sunday night and was seated only to wait for 20 minutes to not be attended to. I can understand being busy but at least acknowledge the customer and take a drinks or appetizer order. We got up and left and while they apologized I was disappointed with the service.