The glass as posted by the original complainant. Photo / Facebook
The glass as posted by the original complainant. Photo / Facebook
An Auckland restaurant has hit back after claims from a diner that they short-changed her on a glass of prosecco.
INCA, a Peruvian-themed restaurant from noted Auckland restaurateur Nic Watt which has opened at Westfield Newmarket, responded after an angry diner took to Facebook to complain about the glass of prosecco they were served.
The complainant posted a photo of her glass and wrote: "Ordered a Prosecco for $14 and this is what was served! Seriously almost less than half a glass.
"Sent it back with a complaint to have it returned and say that's the size we serve. What a rip off. Complained again when we left to no avail. Food was good but not that great that we will return."
The post was shared to a popular Auckland hospitality Facebook group, where users said the photo showed that the serving "really is glass half-full" and criticised the restaurant for the way they dealt with the complaint.
Another questioned whether the restaurant had advertised the size of the serving, with the complainant replying to say there was no measure listed on the menu and branding the decision "ridiculous".
Many working in the hospitality industry pointed out the restaurant needed to make a return and that the measure looked small because of the size of the glass, with one man saying that, although the restaurant could have dealt with the situation better, "no self-respecting venue would top it up to above their pour level to start with or refund it after you'd drunk it."
The glass as posted by the original complainant. Photo / Facebook
Emerald Gilmour, doyenne of the Auckland restaurant scene, chimed in to say that the decision to serve the drink in the large glass was "madness".
"It is bound to piss people off," she wrote. "Why wouldn't they get a smaller glass or put more into that one and charge more?"
To put the matter to rest, INCA restaurant manager Irene Karsten responded to the criticism with a video showing the exact size of the pour, "just to clear the air".
The video shows Karsten pouring 125ml of prosecco into a measuring jug before pouring it into an INCA champagne flute, pointing out that the glass is "slightly taller than others".
Karsten then moved the camera to get a shot of the glass from the same angle as the original photo.
Commenters loved the response, saying the explanation was a "great way to resolve it" and "very professionally handled".
Although the original complainant thanked the restaurant for their response, she said that her glass contained less than shown in the video and adding that she lived in Ponsonby and had frequented restaurants for over 20 years but had never received a pour of that size.
Chef Nic Watt told the Herald that he backed his restaurant manager's response and said it was "very evident" from the video that Karsten's pour and the pour in the photo were the same size.
"125ml is a standard pour, that's what we've poured, we've got no problem with that and we'll stand behind that," he said.
Watt admitted the flute was a larger size but said the customers were likely unaware that commercial pressures often led to restaurants using sponsored glassware from suppliers, as it had happened in this case.
"Cost reality in this industry is hard but there is no short-changing because of margins or anything like that," he added.
Watt had no issue with the customer's first public comment, saying it was "her opinion and her perception" but said her subsequent reply to the video was "unfounded".
"I'm not quite sure why she is referring to the fact she lives in Ponsonby," he said, before adding that she was welcome back at INCA and should, given how clearly they had responded to her complaint, "respectfully accept" that the restaurant had acted correctly.
