A Birmingham restaurant owner hit back at a negative reviewer on Tripadvisor after a diner complained about the "excessive" price of food there. The owner of Raja Monkey, who posted as MK on the site, added that the criticism was an "insult" when restaurants are "struggling to survive" with the cost-of-living crisis following hot on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unnamed reviewer added that they felt the Indian restaurant, based in the Hall Green area of the city, had "lost authenticity". Such comments are unusual for Raja Monkey, which has an average rating of 4.5 on Tripadvisor from more than 550 customer reviews with one recently describing a meal there as the "best dining experience in the UK", as reported by Birmingham Live.
But this critical write-up from June gave their visit a "terrible" rating of one and, under the heading "Disappointed that quality gone down", it read: "Prices are excessive for quality of food. Tailored for western market, lost authenticity the restaurant previously had, reduced menu compared to before the extension.
"Was better when Aktar from Lassan was involved. Service was good but did not make up for poor food."
In a perfect response to the fault-finding critic, MK wrote: "Thank you for taking the time to write your review. We are disappointed and surprised to learn of your dissatisfaction.
"You provided no such feedback when our staff did check back on your meal. We had not a single complaint on the night on any of the items you described as poor.
"Aktar Islam has not been actively involved with this establishment for over a decade and had very little input prior to that. I suggest you visit his establishment for an 'authentic experience'.
"Please describe what you mean by authenticity? You ordered Pau Bhaji, Samosa Chaat and Paneer Makhani, etc. What is not so authentic here?
"In terms of your comments of excessive price, let’s put this into perspective. Dining out is a privilege.
"Someone has to cook, wash, clean and bring the food out to you whilst you sit in comfort in a warm and pleasant environment. Our average meal costs £21-25 including VAT - not too far priced from fast-food places - when we are one of a very few restaurants that actually do fresh live cooking.
"Then the taxman takes 20 per cent. Guess who pays for that, when the average restaurants make five to 10 per cent profit if lucky.
"I’m sure you would like us to pay a fair wage too, yet unwilling to pay for it when we pass the costs on. In the current economic climate when restaurants are struggling to survive it’s an insult on an establishment to complain about price. We hope you reconsider your opinions next time you dine out."
Of Raja Monkey's 557 Tripadvisor reviews, 478 rate their dining experience "excellent" or "very good" rating, with one highly-satisfied visitor Tanya saying: "The food and service was the best we have had while travelling the UK.
"The staff were friendly and attentive, always checking on our every need. From start to finish, it was the best dining experience we've had in the UK."
Another described it as the "absolute jewel of Birmingham", adding: "Just come back from a fabulous meal at Raja Monkey. The food was off the scale, so flavoursome, and the service was brilliant.
"Already plotting our next visit. Can’t recommend this place enough!"
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