Clyde Iron Works Restaurant, Bar & Event Center

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/16) */
On behalf of our company, I am surprised with where this issue has goneFrom the first moment it was brought to my attention that our clients were dis-satisfied with our service we have done nothing but try to make it up to themDiscussions
I have had with the groom and the groom's mother (groom provided permission for his mother to handle the issue tentatively while they were on their honeymoon) have been positive and respectful and the client's mother expressed how her son does not want to cause a big issue or look for a large compensation to make up for it, however, address the issue, their disappointment and see what we can do to fix itFrom that conversation, more were had about what the groom's disappointments were and how we can make it up to themHe stated he didn't want to involve the bride and "ruin her big day", which is why it is even more surprising to see a claim created on Revdex.com by the bride, I haven't had any discussions with her: post event
Issues that were brought to my attention were as follows:
One of the meals served to the guests was not as it was listed on the menu, it was missing a sauce
A vegetable side that was presented with the meal, did not include garlic, as it stated on the menu
The client felt they should be able to take left over bottles of wine with them after the event
The client also felt our staff didn't handle the situation well at the moment the issue was brought to our attention during the event
After considering the groom's disappointments and concerns initially via his email and conversation with his mother, we sent bottles of wine to their home, with an apologetic letter and explanation of the unfortunate turn of events(Later, I found out the letter didn't make it with the wine due to an error at the post office - which I explained to the client once I found out, after he returned from the honeymoon)Based on my discussions with the mother, I felt the client would be happy with the gesture being we had already comped a keg the evening of the wedding(Valued at $- more than what the missing sauce and garlic is valued at)The discussion between my staff and the bride were that we would comp their reserve keg when they needed it and there was no response to not do soAlthough sending bottles of wine with our clients post event is against our policy, we felt it was fair to compensate to them for some of the client's disappointmentI would like to state that the original order for wine was sets of hosted wine and sets of wine on reserve (meaning the client can decide later if they would like to add another set of wine, dependent on the time of night, how many guests are still the event and how many guests they think will continue to drink the hosted beverage) The client called and changed the order to pay for sets of wine, rather than pay for now and wait and see if they would like the other sets of wine later to avoid any additional costs or paying for more wine than what would be drankThe client did not take my advice and chose to purchase sets of wine, with no reservesThis is fine if that is what the client wants, but is contradicting when post event, they want to take the purchased bottles of wine with themThe contract they signed when reserving the venue states, "All liquor must be consumed in the space designated for the event"However, we still provided the bottles to them to ensure they were happy
When the client had returned from his honeymoon, he had called me even more disappointedMaybe he was originally this disappointed, but it had never come across that wayHe was unhappy with the delay in communicating with him (however he was on his honeymoon - and I had been having discussions with his mother, as he wished for me to do so)Now that the communication and what he thought would resolve this issue had been delayed, he was more upset and wanted to be compensated in addition to everything that had already been doneThe client had expressed to me in one conversation how he didn't want us to just "do what he wanted us to do to make it right"My response was, "My goal is to make it up to them for the error made and make sure that even though they were disappointed with a portion of their evening at our venue, that we wanted to make sure they didn't walk away disappointedWe wanted them to walk away feeling that, it was unfortunate, however we made sure to make it right and make sure they walked away happy." We agreed to send them a check as reimbursement for the items they did not receiveAfter my last conversation with the client, he didn't express any more disappointment in that discussion, which is why I am surprised to see a claim on the Revdex.com made by the brideIn my conversations with the groom I clearly explained that I understood what the issue was, I explained why it had happened and took full responsibility for the errorAt no time did I try to make him feel that "they made the mistake" (as stated in the Revdex.com claim) I made it clear that how I type the BEO (Banquet Event Order) is how my chef and my banquet staff are going to execute and prepare for the eventTherefore, by me writing the menu down incorrectly as "Panko Crusted Walleye with Green Beans" rather "Panko Crusted Walleye with shallots and white wine sauce and garlic green beans" the chef prepared the meal as it was recorded and to my banquet lead's knowledge, that is what they orderedAfter discussing the issue with my banquet lead, she had explained to me that she tried to make it up to them initially by explaining that the BEO did not state that there was a sauce included with the walleye, however she could have something made quickly for them so they wouldn't go withoutIt is unfortunate that they felt she was rude or didn't handle the issue appropriately, when really, she was trying to fix the issue and make it better for them in a time crunchI explained to the groom that Clyde staff wasn't trying to be rude and she was doing what she could to make them happy in the moment and not take away from their eveningwith the information she had (was provided by me)I understand why the client thinks this is a ridiculous error when the menu states something very specific, however our venue is very flexible with our clients and their menus, so if I type a menu with different items or specific details than it is listed on the menu, my kitchen and banquet staff will prepare the order I providedI explained this to clientHis response was, "If a guest were in a restaurant, ordered an item and didn't receive it, they would expect to not have to pay for it." I agreed with him and ensured him we would send a check for the amount of the items they did not receiveHe did not dispute anything else and the conversation ended until the claim with the Revdex.comThe request of 25% of their $9,event does not equal the amount of items that there was an error to or what they did not receiveThere are room rental fees, misc rental items, food, misc beverages orders, tax and service fees all included in this final balance25% does not equal the error made on that evening, and as stated before the keg that was comped was already a larger value than the mistake itself
Although I took full responsibility for the error on the BEOI would like to point out that the BEO was presented to the client before the event via email on September 17, and confirmed by them before they made their paymentThe menu was stated as I have listed the walleye and greens beans above for guestsIf they wanted to be specific about the way the menu was typed and the banquet event order, prior to the wedding would've been the appropriate time to bring up the specificsThey were presented the exact same order as my kitchen and banquet staff
My greatest disappointment is that this issue has gotten to this point with no more discussionOur venue has hosted hundreds of weddings and additional events in the 5+ years we have been open and a claim with the Revdex.com is a firstItems that have now been brought up in the Revdex.com claim are issues I'm hearing about for the first timeFor example "frozen chicken" or "raw fish"
The chicken we served to the guests was received by our purveyor fresh, meaning it at no point was frozenPreparation of the chicken is par-grilled, then cooked in a convection oven to degrees or higherThis was monitored by the use of a digital thermometer and held in the regulated temperature appliance at degrees for a short time prior to service (approximately 15-minutes)
I look forward to further discussion on this matter and hope it can be resolved soon
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We are disappointed to hear that this is being turned around, again, as our fault by not checking the menu sent by ClydeAttached is the menu sent to us and although it doesn't state the missing sauce(s) it is clearly stated in their menu that the mentioned items comes with the sauceAgain, these were the items we tasted and chose from the menuIt was never communicated to us that Clyde makes non-menu items so we were not looking for the sauce to be included in the description rather thought it was a givenIt is not about the cost of the sauce, it is much more about the guests that chose the items with the sauce and were let down when the items came out wrongIt also changed the flavor completely from what we were expecting
We never signed off on receiving the "free" keg that was used as a bribe to please us and our guestsThe keg was tapped with minutes remaining and most of the guests had already leftThe reserve keg was Coors Light valued at $(I can provide pricing from Clyde if necessary)We are not exactly sure where the price listed above came fromMy guess is that less than pints of beer were poured from the keg
It is not Clyde policy to return uncorked bottles of wine to the customers who purchased themThis is fine if the bottles are discarded after the eventI am looking into the legality of selling future customers bottles of wine that have already been purchased once, or twice for that matter
As for the undercooked chicken, it was pink in color and cold to the touchI am willing to move past this as I understand that things like this happen when catering for a group this largeIt is disappointing to hear that they are not willing to admit to the mistake
Bottom Line: Clyde has done everything they can to place the blame on us, the bride and groomI hope that the information provided can help us resolve this issue in a timely manner
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 12, 2015/10/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
If the Revdex.com would like, we will provide proof of the reserve keg priced at $We are still surprised we are being called out for being incorrect about the price
At this point we would like our compensation
If Clyde is unwilling, we would like the Revdex.com to conduct a full investigation
Final Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2015/11/04) */
Unfortunately we won't be able to meet the request of reimbursing 25% of the customer's final bill, as we have already reimbursed an amount that exceeds the value of the mistake made