Hot Tomato @ Westgate

Picture Credit: Hot Tomato

Our family decided to dine at Hot Tomato when we visited Westgate today.

The whole restaurant only had 2 staff on the floor. One was receiving and placing guests at their table while the other takes order and serves customer's orders.

We had to wait for a fair bit although it wasn't the peak dinner hour yet.

Finally, we get to place our order. I ordered the sirloin steak set again. I also requested for the aglio olio that comes with it to be changed to a tomato based pasta. The waiter said this request cannot be done. I explained that I had done that before at our outlets with a top up. The waiter then said he would check. The waiter receiving guests came and said other requests cannot be met. I explained that my 3 year old child doesnt eat aglio olio and he cannot finish a main course by himself so he will be sharing my set. Hence I need to have the pasta's sauce based change.

No matter how we try to explain and even offered the top up, they simply do not bulge. They were not even keen to check with the kitchen if that can be done.

In a huff, we decided to walk out without eating. If they do not value customers with young kid(s), they don't deserve our patronage! Despite us asking nicely, they turned down our request which in our opinion was not something they cannot do or something that is very difficult to do.

If they had offered kid's set or kid's meal, that would have minimized the problem. If not, they should exercise some flexibility in allowing customers to make changes to their meal on a case by case basis.

I wrote to Hot Tomato after this incident and this was the reply I got from their BRAND & MARKETING MANAGER:

We hear you and understand where you are coming from but would like to share that as we are now a chain of restaurants, it would no longer be possible for us to customise the menu offerings to customers' requests.

I don't think I am very impress with that. If you had really heard me, you wouldn't have shut me out with the 'no longer possible....' Within a span of 5 days, their policies changed? And if they had heard their customers, they should have taken this as an opportunity to review, improve and not insisted they cannot customise the menu. They did none. As a marketing person, if you cannot take feedback and review what your customers want, your company will not grow. Instead of welcoming your customers to return, you shut your customers away. What a shame, Hot Tomato!

Website: http://www.hottomato.com.sg

Will I Return to this Outlet: NO
Got Service: 1/10