It should be noted that my family has dined at Cafe Old Vienna many times over the past several years, dating back to when they were in their smaller location on the northern end of Myrtle BeachThe food and service have always been great, however on our most recent visit, there was a situation involving the restaurant's owner that I can't allow to pass due to his actions both on that day and after the fact
On May 7, my family went to Cafe Old Vienna in celebration of two birthdays (my girlfriend and my mother) as well as Mother's DayAs usual, the service and the food were excellentOn our way out of the restaurant, however, there was a vehicle parked in the "No Parking" zone directly adjacent to the handicapped accessible parkingIt's important to note that I have not one but two family members who have a physical handicap, one of which is my 90-year old great-grandmother
Because this vehicle was parked in the "No Parking" zone, we were forced to move our vehicle from the handicapped parking space and block the restaurant's sole driveway while loading my great-grandmother into the carI went back inside the restaurant to inform them that there was someone parked in that zone and was told by the hostess, "Oh, well, we use that for extra handicapped parking if we get too busy."
I was willing to accept that explanation - after all, the restaurant has posted an "Authorized Parking Only" sign at the front of the zoneHowever, the vehicle in that spot did not have a handicapped placard, nor did it have a handicapped license plateWhen I returned to the restaurant to inform the hostess of this, she told me, "Oh, I meant to tell you - that's the boss' car." As though that was supposed to make me feel better about the matterWhen I attempted to inform her that it would not be legal for "the boss" to park there if it were an actual handicapped spot, and it certainly was not legal for "the boss" to park there when it is clearly lined as a "No Parking" zone - she simply stared at me and walked away before I could finish my sentence
After speaking with MBPD traffic enforcement to confirm that it is, in fact, illegal for them to be using this space for parking even with the "Authorized Parking Only" sign, I asked that no formal complaint be filed, but that a traffic officer be sent to educate the owner that they were in the wrongThis should have been the end of the story; sadly, it is not
After reading a two-star review posted on their Facebook page by my mother, the owner of Cafe Old Vienna responded with a smarmy meme about "When a rude customer says they are never coming back" along with a photo of their "Authorized Parking Only" signMy family was not rude during our visit - we spent nearly $on our meal and tipped above 20%I was not rude to the hostess regarding the parking issue, and when I attempted to explain that it was illegal, I was brushed off
The real kicker of the story is that, because my grandmother had previously signed up to be on Cafe Old Vienna's mailing list, the owner had her phone number - WHICH HE USED TO CALL HER TWICE on May to harass her about my mother's negative Facebook review
Because of the owner's actions, I will no longer allow this situation to pass without some sort of fight or without informing people that they should never patronize this business againMy family is many things, but rude and inconsiderate to others (ESPECIALLY those in the service industry) is not one of themI will be filing a complaint with the Revdex.com, and again would implore everyone reading this to never patronize a business with such a classless, rude, and inconsiderate owner ever again
It should be noted that my family has dined at Cafe Old Vienna many times over the past several years, dating back to when they were in their smaller location on the northern end of Myrtle BeachThe food and service have always been great, however on our most recent visit, there was a situation involving the restaurant's owner that I can't allow to pass due to his actions both on that day and after the fact
On May 7, my family went to Cafe Old Vienna in celebration of two birthdays (my girlfriend and my mother) as well as Mother's DayAs usual, the service and the food were excellentOn our way out of the restaurant, however, there was a vehicle parked in the "No Parking" zone directly adjacent to the handicapped accessible parkingIt's important to note that I have not one but two family members who have a physical handicap, one of which is my 90-year old great-grandmother
Because this vehicle was parked in the "No Parking" zone, we were forced to move our vehicle from the handicapped parking space and block the restaurant's sole driveway while loading my great-grandmother into the carI went back inside the restaurant to inform them that there was someone parked in that zone and was told by the hostess, "Oh, well, we use that for extra handicapped parking if we get too busy."
I was willing to accept that explanation - after all, the restaurant has posted an "Authorized Parking Only" sign at the front of the zoneHowever, the vehicle in that spot did not have a handicapped placard, nor did it have a handicapped license plateWhen I returned to the restaurant to inform the hostess of this, she told me, "Oh, I meant to tell you - that's the boss' car." As though that was supposed to make me feel better about the matterWhen I attempted to inform her that it would not be legal for "the boss" to park there if it were an actual handicapped spot, and it certainly was not legal for "the boss" to park there when it is clearly lined as a "No Parking" zone - she simply stared at me and walked away before I could finish my sentence
After speaking with MBPD traffic enforcement to confirm that it is, in fact, illegal for them to be using this space for parking even with the "Authorized Parking Only" sign, I asked that no formal complaint be filed, but that a traffic officer be sent to educate the owner that they were in the wrongThis should have been the end of the story; sadly, it is not
After reading a two-star review posted on their Facebook page by my mother, the owner of Cafe Old Vienna responded with a smarmy meme about "When a rude customer says they are never coming back" along with a photo of their "Authorized Parking Only" signMy family was not rude during our visit - we spent nearly $on our meal and tipped above 20%I was not rude to the hostess regarding the parking issue, and when I attempted to explain that it was illegal, I was brushed off
The real kicker of the story is that, because my grandmother had previously signed up to be on Cafe Old Vienna's mailing list, the owner had her phone number - WHICH HE USED TO CALL HER TWICE on May to harass her about my mother's negative Facebook review
Because of the owner's actions, I will no longer allow this situation to pass without some sort of fight or without informing people that they should never patronize this business againMy family is many things, but rude and inconsiderate to others (ESPECIALLY those in the service industry) is not one of themI will be filing a complaint with the Revdex.com, and again would implore everyone reading this to never patronize a business with such a classless, rude, and inconsiderate owner ever again