Sandra's Next Generation

The beginning of the Customer Statement is true. [redacted] did call my restaurant asking for a catering package for a graduation party. She told me she wanted chopped BBQ, pork ribs and potato salad and Hushpuppies for twenty people and that her mother would call back to pay with a credit card. Her mother later called and added on to the order. Their total was never $60, even before the mother’s adding on of food. She is also correct that the final total was $145.00 which they paid on the day of the event.
Having been in business for as long as I have, I realize that people have varying budgets and I always try to work with my customers to make their budgets work for them. But I know how much food it takes to feed any number of people. Neither customer (mother nor daughter) ever told me they were planning for forty people. I have never, ever recommended anything less than one rib per person, even if they were going to be split in half. One rib per guest is what I told these two customers. If they were planning to feed 40 people, this would have amounted to $80.00, an amount they were not willing to spend. And though I didn’t know there would be forty guests, my recommendation for chopped BBQ for this event was five pounds--$50.00. The customer was not willing to pay that amount so I worked with what she was willing to spend. I would also never, ever have offered to give any customer long pans of food. Prices for long pans of side orders start at $100.00. This customer’s entire order was $145.00. Spending $145.00 when you are expecting to feed forty people is unreasonable. That amounts to a little more than $3.60 per person! For dinner!
At the end of the day, you don’t stay in business for as long as I have by “ripping off” the customers. I am hurt by the suggestion that I would ever do that and of course, I adamantly dispute this claim. I only wish that she had expressed her dissatisfaction to me directly so I could have explained price per person to her. Perhaps that would have prevented this entire misunderstanding.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: I contacted Sandra's on Thursday, May 15, 2014. My mom was giving me a graduation party on Saturday, May 17, 2014. I ordered a pan of chopped BBQ ($10/lb.) which I asked for 2 pounds, 10 ribs ($2 each) which she claimed were big enough to cut in half to be 20, and potato salad. She told me that I could have $20 pans of the chopped bbq and potato salad. My total was $60 without tax. I explained my mother would be putting it on her credit card so I would have her call right back. My mother called and spoke to her and explained we needed food for 30-40 people so Sandra told her she would give her much more food than what I ordered and enough for 30-40 people which would be long pans of the food. She charged my mother $145. When we went to pick the food up Saturday afternoon right before the party was to begin, she gave us a small pan of chopped Bbq, 10 ribs which she cut in half, a small pan of potato salad and a small pan of hush puppies. This was maybe enough food for maybe 20 people. This was quite disappointing, a rip off and left us in a bad predicament.Desired Settlement: I would like half of the money back since we were not given the amount of food worth the money spent.

Business

Response:

The beginning of the Customer Statement is true. [redacted] did call my restaurant asking for a catering package for a graduation party. She told me she wanted chopped BBQ, pork ribs and potato salad and Hushpuppies for twenty people and that her mother would call back to pay with a credit card. Her mother later called and added on to the order. Their total was never $60, even before the mother’s adding on of food. She is also correct that the final total was $145.00 which they paid on the day of the event.

Having been in business for as long as I have, I realize that people have varying budgets and I always try to work with my customers to make their budgets work for them. But I know how much food it takes to feed any number of people. Neither customer (mother nor daughter) ever told me they were planning for forty people. I have never, ever recommended anything less than one rib per person, even if they were going to be split in half. One rib per guest is what I told these two customers. If they were planning to feed 40 people, this would have amounted to $80.00, an amount they were not willing to spend. And though I didn’t know there would be forty guests, my recommendation for chopped BBQ for this event was five pounds--$50.00. The customer was not willing to pay that amount so I worked with what she was willing to spend. I would also never, ever have offered to give any customer long pans of food. Prices for long pans of side orders start at $100.00. This customer’s entire order was $145.00. Spending $145.00 when you are expecting to feed forty people is unreasonable. That amounts to a little more than $3.60 per person! For dinner!

At the end of the day, you don’t stay in business for as long as I have by “ripping off” the customers. I am hurt by the suggestion that I would ever do that and of course, I adamantly dispute this claim. I only wish that she had expressed her dissatisfaction to me directly so I could have explained price per person to her. Perhaps that would have prevented this entire misunderstanding.

Sincerely,

Sandra Pittman

Business

Response:

The beginning of the Customer Statement is true. [redacted] did call my restaurant asking for a catering package for a graduation party. She told me she wanted chopped BBQ, pork ribs and potato salad and Hushpuppies for twenty people and that her mother would call back to pay with a credit card. Her mother later called and added on to the order. Their total was never $60, even before the mother’s adding on of food. She is also correct that the final total was $145.00 which they paid on the day of the event.

Having been in business for as long as I have, I realize that people have varying budgets and I always try to work with my customers to make their budgets work for them. But I know how much food it takes to feed any number of people. Neither customer (mother nor daughter) ever told me they were planning for forty people. I have never, ever recommended anything less than one rib per person, even if they were going to be split in half. One rib per guest is what I told these two customers. If they were planning to feed 40 people, this would have amounted to $80.00, an amount they were not willing to spend. And though I didn’t know there would be forty guests, my recommendation for chopped BBQ for this event was five pounds--$50.00. The customer was not willing to pay that amount so I worked with what she was willing to spend. I would also never, ever have offered to give any customer long pans of food. Prices for long pans of side orders start at $100.00. This customer’s entire order was $145.00. Spending $145.00 when you are expecting to feed forty people is unreasonable. That amounts to a little more than $3.60 per person! For dinner!

At the end of the day, you don’t stay in business for as long as I have by “ripping off” the customers. I am hurt by the suggestion that I would ever do that and of course, I adamantly dispute this claim. I only wish that she had expressed her dissatisfaction to me directly so I could have explained price per person to her. Perhaps that would have prevented this entire misunderstanding.

Sincerely,