LIVING IN BELIZE – “Chef Rob Apology & My First Belizean Wedding”– 6/19/12

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As some of you may have read, I had a less than favorable review of my dining experience at Chef Rob’s in Hopkins the other day.  In addition to the blog I wrote, I also posted a review on Trip Advisor, as I often do after I dine at restaurants or stay at hotels.  Well, apparently, he saw the review. How do I know? Because he called me yesterday – to apologize!!

As a fellow business owner, I got to tell you folks, that shows class! I mean, I wasn’t very nice about my experience with both his employees and him personally. But he saw the review, looked up my phone number, and called to say how sorry he was that they failed us with their service. He was very honest and says he really didn’t remember me, but that he was probably very busy.  Nonetheless, he admitted to “goofing up,” and said the next time we are in town, come on by, and he’ll give us a meal on the house. 

Wow! This guy just keeps impressing me more and more.  Obviously I didn’t write the review hoping to get a free meal (and I’m sure he knows that), but what a fabulous way to handle the situation. He wants another chance to show they can be better. Beyond that, he really made me feel special, and I sincerely appreciate the way he handled it.  So, Chef Rob, thank you, and I will take you up on that offer one day soon.  (Editor Note: I have written a small update on the original blog to let any future readers know how Chef Rob handled this-I think that is only fair, as he was genuinely sorry). 

The Justice of the Peace is in the striped shirt-pretty casual affair!

On another note, as most of you who follow me know, I’ve had a lot of Belizean firsts since moving here in October of 2010. But surprisingly enough, I had yet to go to a Belizean wedding.  Well, that all changed yesterday.  One of Nige’s friends was getting married at the Justice of the Peace at the San Ignacio Court House, and we were invited.  They were young (early 20’s), so budget was a concern, which is why they did it at the courthouse.  I’m not sure why they got married on a Monday – maybe the courthouse doesn’t marry people on weekends, or maybe it was a work schedule thing.

The bride and groom from our view in the gallery

The “ceremony” itself was quite touching, even though it was in a court house, because the bride started crying right away. It only took about ten minutes, and the deed was done.  I was glad about that, because they hadn’t turned on any fans, and it was sweltering in there. 

The "Just Married" vehicle

Next, the bride and groom got into their SUV that some of their friends had “tagged” with the standard “Just Married” signage, exactly like we do in the States (without the cans dragging behind),and off they went to the reception. 

The first dance - you can see the decorations above. And no, the bride did not wear white (probably a budget thing more than a virgin thing)

The reception was also on a budget, but the point of getting married isn’t how much you can spend, but rather celebrating two people’s love for each other and their union.  They had it at a local bar, with balloons and streamers serving as the sole decorations.  The moms and aunts all cooked traditional Belizean food, a couple of their friends dj’d, and there was a hosted bar, although rum and sprite or coke were the only offerings. 

They cut the cake together with zero fan fare and no one gathered around (nothing was announced so people didn’t know it was happening).  They also had their first dance, but the parents were not asked to come up afterwards.  Also, I don’t think there really was an official wedding party, as I saw no indication of bridesmaids or groomsmen.  All in all, very few similarities to an American style wedding, with a whole lot less formality and expense.  But it was a fun experience watching it anyway, as well as seeing two people so happy.

Have you ever had someone you gave a bad review of call and apologize?

 

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  • Sherry

    I really enjoyed your perspective on the Belizean wedding. It’s so easy to forget that it’s not about the glitz:-)

    Glad Chef Rob apologized but that’s still no excuse for his and his staff’s behavior. Apparently he still hasn’t learned that excellent food is only part of the equation… I’d be more charitable except that our experience was similar and that was the first week of December. By now he’s had ample time to train his staff IMHO. Perhaps he’s counting on surviving by virtue of hotel guests, who only stay a short time? Hopkins is a small place and I suspect that he needs to have all the local hostelries sending guests his way but they won’t do that if the guests who do go report back a poor experience. We went on Ingrid’s recommendation and told her afterward about the poor service (which was actually worse than “poor”).

    I can’t help but contrast Chef Rob’s to Love on the Rocks where the staff was happy, enthusiastic, a little thin on training but more than made up for it with making you feel so welcome! The food was also excellent and the prices much more moderate. All in all, a better dining experience:-)

  • http://www.wealthships.com Sharon Hiebing

    No, Sherry, I’m not excusing him for his behaviour, simply acknowledging him for his effort in apologizing, which I think is only fair of me, since this blog is now out there on the world-wide web. Ultimately, as you say, he will have to satisfy the dining public, and if he fails to do so, he will continue to get bad reviews.

    Most of the larger hotels actually have meal plans, so I think they do very little referring anyways. There wasn’t a single book or pamphlet anywhere in our hotel with local restaurant choices. I found the places I wanted to go via Trip Advisor. But Hopkins is very small, and locals talk, so if he gets a bad reputation, you’re right, it will affect him.

    Ironically, as I mentioned in my original post, Love on the Rocks is owned by Chef Rob!!! It’s hard to imagine why he can’t find staff like that at his namesake restaurant – then he’d have two excellent establishments! Only time will tell….

  • http://profiles.google.com/emilys7 Emily Smith

    Glad to hear that Chef Rob apologized, but I agree with Sherry’s comment. Receiving a bad review in a public forum and a popular blog was embarrassing for him, but until we hear that others have good experiences with service at his restaurant, there’s no way to know if anything has really changed. I don’t think I want to be the one to test this out as I’d rather spend my dining dollars at establishments that get consistently good reviews.

  • http://www.wealthships.com Sharon Hiebing

    The curse and the beauty of the internet, Emily, is people will ultimately decide whether they want to give him a chance after reading my reviews. However, as I told Sherry, I feel as a blogger I have a responsibility to report when a business owner makes an effort to at least apologize for his crappy service. If nothing changes, though, he’ll pay the price through reduced sales.