ComplaintsforThe Garlic Knot

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 15, 2021 @ 8:37 PM, I ordered take out from inside the Garlic Knot Restaurant. It was a kids pasta dish with added bacon ad mushrooms. I paid in cash and kept my receipt. 15 min. later, I picked up my food and my son began to eat. Halfway through, he stopped chewing and spit the bite back out into the pan. A long dark hair was in the food he was chewing. I turned around and took the food back to the restaurant. a very large man was locking the door as I walked up. He opened it and I apologized that he was ready to close, but that there was hair in my food. He ripped it from my hand and threw it down on the counter I was shocked at the aggressiveness of his demeanor. After opening it up, he growled, "Get **** outta here, he basically ate the whole thing!" which was not true, there was more than half of the serving left and the whole container of exra alfredo I paid for, and the garlic knot that came with it was untouched as well. I asked him, "Excuse me? please don't speak to me like that. Is there a reason none of your employees are wearing gloves or hairnets?" On the company website, there is a promise that the Garlic Knot is doing everything possible to maintain a clean workplace and acceptable hygiene practices from all the employees, which is a promise that is not being enforced. He looked at all 3 people standing in the kitchen area, none wearing gloves, hairnets, or even facial coverings even though they are required by the health department, and said, "They must have taken them off. Go on, you stupid *****, get the **** outta here." again being very aggressive and taking a step toward me. My heart started pounding a little faster, I was honestly afraid that he was going to physically assault me. I never got a refund of $10.05 even though he took all the food and threw it away. He never apologized once or tried to resolve the issue. As a paying customer, I dont believe an individual with such a lack of self- control should be running a business.

  Business response

  12/13/2021

  Hello, 
  
  I am the owner/operator of The Garlic Knot in Fort Collins and would like to respond to this complaint.  I am the "large man" referenced in the complaint.  My recount of the situation is somewhat different from the complaint.  I remember preparing the pasta order that is being discussed that night.  I remember the woman banging on the front window of the store, as we were already closed, the front lights were off and the doors were locked.  I was finishing cleaning and closing the kitchen with my staff.  I went to the door and unlocked it.  At the door, the woman shoved the nearly empty container towards me and shouted, "this had hair in it, I want my money back."  I responded, "Listen, we are closed, if you call tomorrow we can talk about it."   She continued to shout saying I should just give her her money back and then proceeded to point at my employee and say, "she has long hair, it must have been hers."   The employee had her hair pulled back in a ponytail her entire shift, which does comply with the health department requirement of using hair restraints.  She did point out that we did not have our masks on, to which I said, along the lines... we are closing, it's been a long night, we are just trying to go home.  Reasonably, we were cleaning in separate areas and had masks nearby to use.  She did not ask me about hair nets or gloves.  At that point there was no food out in the kitchen, the stations were closed and the floor was being mopped.  I again told her to call tomorrow, that everything, including the money, had already been put away and we could talk the next day.  She persisted arguing, saying she would "blow me up on social media" and that was when I told her to leave.  I have worked in the restaurant business for 30 years and have dealt with many situations where I needed to resolve a professional conflict.  It is serious to suggest I would physically threaten someone.  I can say that is the most jarring piece of this complaint and is wholly false.  This person did not try to contact me directly again, as I had asked her to do, and I believe we could have come to a reasonable conclusion if she had.  
  
  Please let me know what more is needed from me.  Included in the letter it states desired settlement: Refund: I am prepared to provide the $10.05.
  
  Thank you, 
  Stephen M*****
  Owner/Operator The Garlic Knot Fort Collins

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