Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?

Around lunch time yesterday, my phone rang and a woman with a very apologetic tone of voice said hello and asked me if I was AJ. She told me she was the Branch Manager of the Cabalen branch in TriNoMa and she has received my email about the unfortunate incident that transpired inside their branch last week.

After apologizing more than ten times, she introduced herself as Jenny Montero, then continued to apologize some more. By the tone of her voice, I sensed that she was sincere, but I also sensed an urgent damage control tone of voice. I have been working in the service industry for quite some time now and I knew where she was gonna lead me to. Initially though, when I heard the word manager, I half-wished it was that “manager” Anne.

Jenny asked me to narrate to her what happened during that unfateful day and I gladly and calmly recounted what happened. At every negative turn of the story, she would gasp and react sympathetically. She informed me that corrective measure has already been done on the behavior that was displayed by Annabel Pangilinan (aka Anne), who turned out to be a Duty Supervisor and not the Manager. Jenny said that it was her rest day and she delegated the tasks of welcoming the bloggers to Anne. The event, as Jenny said, would have been good marketing and publicity for them.

I told Jenny that unfortunately for them, the opposite of what she would have wanted has already happened, and still is happening – online. I added that no one has the right to treat customers the way we were treated. And one lesson learned is that even if people are there to dine for free, they shouldn’t be treated any differently from the paying customers.

I think it’s about time they knew the power of bloggers and the power of the Internet. I am not saying that bloggers have all the right in the world to complain about every single thing they want to. All I’m saying is that if it is with good reason and you were really offended, then go ahead and spread the word.

Jenny then invited me to go back to their branch anytime I want to and bring some of my friends and she would personally take care of us. She said that Anne’s behavior was very unprofessional and is way below the standards that Cabalen expects from their employees. Jenny said that she would personally attend to me and the friends that I bring so that I can experience the real Cabalen treatment. She also offered to give me discounts in case I plan on throwing a party or holding a function at Cabalen. I asked her how many friends I can bring with me and she told me it was up to me, but maybe around 5? or 6?

I told her that her apology was accepted but I’d still think about her offer.

What do you think? Should I go back to Cabalen, Trinoma?

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Posted in Cabalen, From Bakla, Reklamo, Trinoma

Bakla and His Cabalen TriNoMa Experience

January 10th, 2008

I’ve always liked Kapampangan food. I never had bad things to say about any Kapampangan restaurants until recently, during the TriNoMa Blogger Food Tour. I cannot speak for the other bloggers who were in my group, but I will speak based on my own experience. I have been working for a service industry for more than three years now and I know that customers should be treated well, if not that well, at least they must be treated with some dignity and respect.

Inside the Cabalen branch at TriNoMa, I felt like my dignity was trampled upon by no less than their manager named Anne. At least that’s what she told me she was. The blogger food tour was supposed to be fun and the participants were expected to learn more about the restaurants, their food and the whole dining experience. So I was expecting that all the partner establishments of the tour were gonna treat us well. I did not want special treatment, all I wanted was decent treatment.

In most of the establishments that we went to during the tour, the managers and staff welcomed us with smiles on their faces and they were very accommodating. I noticed that some of them went the extra mile just so we would feel special (and probably write good stuff about them). And yes, if you treat us well and we truly, honestly love what you offer, we will write good stuff about you.

But we will not write good stuff about Cabalen. The experience was so bad I wanted to make a scene. However, thanks to the previous restaurants we’ve visited, my stomach was no longer grumbling and the bugnuting bakla in me decided to keep cool.

I have never been treated so badly in an establishment the way I was treated, by no less than the manager, in Cabalen. Here’s what transpired based on my own recollection:

When we went in, we were welcomed by an almost-empty restaurant with no wait staff nor other staff i sight. I saw a woman at a table on a corner with what seemed like tons of paperwork. She saw me and the other bloggers I was with but she stayed put until I called her attention with a courteous smile and a friendly “hi.”. When the woman finally approached me, I told her courteously that we were there for the Blogger Food Tour.

She gave me a look and replied with a very dismissive “ok.” She proceeded to the buffet table full of what seemed like very delectable dishes. I knew they were good since I have dined at Cabalen (not the TriNoMa branch) on more than one occasion in my lifetime. In a very unfriendly tone, the woman quipped: » Read more: Bakla and His Cabalen TriNoMa Experience