Dangerous Situation?

I am looking for some feedback from someone in the restaurant industry regarding a situation that occurred last Saturday evening at a new restaurant on Hurstbourne Ln.

We had a group of 12-13 people eating at said restaurant, many of them children. Once we decided where to sit, which happened to be in an enclosed patio area, I sat down and pulled my chair closer to the table. When I did this, there was a very sharp edge on the bottom of the chair, much like the edge of a razor blade. Well, it sliced my finger to the point that there was a good stream of blood, but not to the point of needing stitches. I really didn't want to make a big issue of this, so I wrapped it in a napkin and we ate.

I checked several of the other chairs and they were all razor sharp. As we left, I asked to speak with the manager, and I explained to her that they had a very dangerous situation on their hands. They were super busy and I don't think she really understood how big of a deal that this really was, although she said those were new chairs that replaced others that weren't "good enough", whatever that meant. She did say they would look into the matter, which could be easily taken care of by simply sanding the sharp edges of all the chairs.

So Monday morning I decided to follow up with their main office and sent them a quick e-mail just making sure something was being done about this. In my mind it is a very serious issue that could become an even bigger problem if someone else sliced their hand wide open and really wanted to cause some trouble, especially if it happened to be a young child or an older person. Yet as of tonight, I have not heard from anyone associated with the restaurant.

Am I making too big a deal of this or should someone within the organization reach out and let it be known that this is being taken care of? I don't want anything from this situation other than the peace of mind knowing that they take the safety of their customers seriously.

[Robin Garr]

I think it's serious enough that if I felt I was being ignored, I might reach out to the health inspectors ...

... Am I making too big a deal of this or should someone within the organization reach out and let it be known that this is being taken care of? I don't want anything from this situation other than the peace of mind knowing that they take the safety of their customers seriously.

No, you aren't making too big of a deal of it.

I see no reason not to publish the name of the establishment since you were actually cut and someone else could easily have the same problem.

Just as an additional voice, I too would say something. Perhaps with a follow up phone call to the restaurant when they may not be as busy. Maybe an email accompanied by a photo of your cut finger.

Owners, management and staff rarely, if ever, sit at the tables in the dining room. They probably have no idea that this is an issue until someone tells them. Getting to the right person to fix the problem is key. It typically won't resonate with a lot of the staff as it won't affect them as much as it would the owners or senior management. Not saying the manager you spoke with doesn't care, it's just that he /she is crazy busy at the time it is brought to his/her attention and may not even remember at the end of the shift to report it to someone who will be able to fix the problem.

I'm not saying it is City Bbq but given the description it could be. If that is the case I would send an email. I recently wrote them about an allergy question (I'm allergic to mustard) and heard back within 2 hours. Very responsive and very helpful!
Kris

I'm not saying it is City Bbq but given the description it could be. If that is the case I would send an email. I recently wrote them about an allergy question (I'm allergic to mustard) and heard back within 2 hours. Very responsive and very helpful!
Kris

I have been told the problem has been rectified, but it took 3 days and a 2nd e-mail with a heightened tone before I finally got a response. The only thing I was looking for was some reassurance that they were going to address the problem promptly, because this could have turned into a major injury had it been someone else not paying attention.

I honestly think they totally dropped the ball on this one from a customer service standpoint, but it is all good now. By the way, the food was very good and we will go back.

Good guess!