one of the things that i envy about other countries is that they really have good service when it comes to their restaurants. they make sure you are properly seated, they make sure they get your orders right, and they do anything they can just to make sure you are enjoying your stay, your meal and most importantly, your experience with them.
here in the Philippines, hmm, let’s just say that most of them don’t follow such practice. even giant fastfood chains are no exception. and here is my little experience with Chowking Velez – Cagayan de Oro.
because of the daily power outage, i have no choice but to hunt for coffee shops or bistro that has WiFi connection for the past few weeks. and since i am starting to run out of cash, my brother and i went to Chowking Velez (near Gaisano City and Capitol Hall of Misamis Oriental), just to have black gulaman, rather than having gourmet coffee (malayo pa ang Friday).
at first we were disappointed that they took time to clean up tables. i have asked 2 waiters a couple of times to kindly clean our tables. but they just nodded and never returned, until me and my brother said in a composed but demanding tone “bida, ganiha ra mi dire, unaha mi dire (for God’s sake, we’ve been here for a while now, please clean this table up first). and so off he cleaned it. and our order arrived soon after cleaning.
moments later, the supervisor came close to my table and asked if i was waiting for something. i said no, and i found out that the cue is still on my table, so he grabbed it and, i don’t know but i felt he hates my presence. and in a matter of seconds my WiFi connection was gone.
i panicked because i was still in the middle of a conversation with a client. we were not finished yet with our talk but it suddenly cut-off! wth!
i then went to the cash register to ask if there’s something wrong with the connection, apparently my brother’s connection got cut off, too (just to show that it’s not my laptop’s fault). i asked one of the cashiers, and she pointed me out to that supervisor who approached me on my table while i was doing work. he then told me that he will refresh the router or something, so i went back to my table. i refreshed it but still, no darn connection.
i was about to lose my cool, when i approached a waiter who was busing out dishes, i asked him “kuya, may time limit ba internet niyo?” he said wala. and then i told him “eh bakit naman nawala connection ko?” he asked if i have entered, the right password, i said yes. and just as soon i was about to ask something, he left, as if he was done with my problem. no, he was not yet done!
i asked my brother if we could leave immediately, and so off we went.
and if you might think i am just being dramatic, see, i am not the only one who has experienced the same problem with the same establishment.
a year ago, my friend Robstroy shared his sentiment with Chowking Velez. you can read his post on how Chowking Velez sucks here.
one of the things that our food and beverage industry lacking is the proper training of their staff and crew. nakakainis isipin, to think we are known for being hospitable, but we can be so rude and judgmental to our own brothers and sisters.
i am deeply disappointed with this because it could have cost me a good client and my job just because my connection got cut off. i am so lucky enough my client understood the ordeal i had gone through. but what if i was not? what if he would reject my work right then and there? and what if it could happen to you, and you are not as lucky as me? hassle, right?
so if you want to go out and you are looking for WiFi location around the city, going to Chowking Velez in Cagayan de Oro City is not really a good idea.
i hope that this entry will come to the establishment’s attention.
6969,
atty magman
*i updated some major typos. i was rushing to finish this post because my lappy’s battery was about to go kaput. sorry about that* -magman
