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5/17/10
A letter to a hotel restaurant...
Dear Shutters on the Beach,
You and I have a problem. I will explain...
You are a lovely establishment. I mean, look at the above photo. You sit on Santa Monica sand in Southern California, staring out at the Pacific Ocean all day long. How could you be anything less than charming?
My family and I came to visit you this weekend. More specifically, we came to eat at your Coast Restaurant to celebrate a 29th wedding anniversary. We sat at a beautiful table, and were served with warmth and efficiency. There was alcohol, bottles of wine, and lots of food. (A polite way of saying we gave you a lot of our money.)
The food was pretty good, but not excellent. Is this my problem with you? No, because the view and the ambience made up for the moderate-to-good food. My problem came at desert time. I brought a coconut cake, you see, for the grandparent's anniversary. When it came time to eat this cake, you explained your homemade dessert policy...
A $4.50 fee per piece of cake sliced.
WHAT?! WHAT?! Hold on a sec, let me calm down.
You see Shutters Coast Restaurant, if you would have told me that you charge a cake slicing fee, I would have understood. I get that. It's extra work for you. Understood. But for you to basically charge me to eat my own cake is ABSURD. PREPOSTEROUS. LAUGHABLE!! WRONG!!!! Yeah I can't calm down, it's SO WRONG AND IDIOTIC AND RUDE. We spent enough money on your stupid food so that you can pay your stupid rent for your stupid view. Just let us eat our own dessert that I slaved over. Next time we come I'm going to bring a GIANT cake and pass it around the table so that we can eat it with our hands like animals in a barn. That will show you!
But sadly, there will probably not be a next time Shutters. You have wronged me.
Good day,
Siriously Steamed
Oh, I completely agree! After all the money we spend at a place like Shutters, how on earth could they charge almost $5/slice as a cake cutting fee??? I love Shutters as much as the next guy (I live just a few blocks from there) but I feel like I can't go there anymore on principal. The last time I went, I had a $6 cup of coffee and a $9 side salad (literally about 3 leaves of salad) and saw their B health code rating in the window and decided we were through. But why aren't there more places in Santa Monica that have a view of the water? It's too bad.
ReplyDeletexo
Valerie
HORRIBLE!!! You should have all just started digging in with your forks. Or fingers.
ReplyDeleteNo way! $4.50 a slice?! That's insane!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is completely absurd! I would be very upset if this happened to me!
ReplyDeleteThat is outrageous!! Did you post a review on Yelp?
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe there is a fee like that! So ridiculous! I hope you sent that letter.
ReplyDeleteDamn straight! That's my girl!
ReplyDeleteUgh, BRUTAL. That's ridiculous!!!
ReplyDeleteA.Co @ A.Co est. 1984
That is absolutely ridiculous! Now that I go to California very often, but I will NEVER go to Shutters on the Beach! What a joke....I probably would have thrown the cake at someone after hearing that, so way to hold your temper!! lol
ReplyDeletei never heard of such a thing! - i would of gotten' all Jersey on them and started flippin' tables (ok not really, but thought it would be funny) ..
ReplyDelete*hugs*
Erika
http://tiptoebutterfly.blogspot.com/
Wow that is just ridiculous! I'd feel the same way as you. It's rude & bad service & not worth it even for the view.
ReplyDeleteOh god, I am going to be shot here. But, I agree with Shutters. Maybe not in your case; because, you and your family CLEARLY spent PLENTY, but that policy is for cheap people who purposely bring desserts to save money. Trust me, it happens all the time all over. I do think, the server should have told the manager, "Hey, these fine people have spent a ton, I'd like to waive the cake fee." I bet a pretty penny (s)he would have said absolutely.
ReplyDeleteNext time come here, I will cut and serve it for free...if I can have a piece!
You go girl. How dare a place like shutters do that. A leading hotel of the world? A frequent destination for some of the world's wealthiest individuals and A-list celebs? Its like once I had to pay $60 for a martini that had only a splash of King Louis in it, i mean the bartender put like nothing in it at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel..Lets just say i didnt pay one cent over $45.. Like, do they all think we're just made of money or something?
ReplyDeleteNext time, why don't you just bring a New York strip in and ask them to cook it. That's basically what you did. $4.50 is pretty reasonable at a luxury hotel for a cake slicing fee. Even Chilli's charges $3.00.
ReplyDeleteGood idea Anonymous, I will bring a New York strip in next time and ask them to cook it.
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