Woman books table for birthday celebration at Kranji eatery, only to find that it's not open

This celebration was definitely a bit of a let-down.

For her mum's birthday, Sharifah Aishah Mustika planned on having a meal out with the family at Kranji eatery 555 Halal Galore last Sunday (Jan 15).

Her brother had made a booking a week in advance and restaurant management confirmed the 2pm booking.

On the day itself though, instead of enjoying a feast with loved ones, the family arrived to a closed restaurant.

Sharifah aired her grievances via a TikTok clip posted on the following day.

Workers were spotted drinking beer in the vicinity and according to her, they were unwilling to lend her family a helping hand. 

When asked about the restaurant's closure, they "simply shrugged" their shoulders saying they don't know why.

She was enraged by the "very incompetent and unprofessional management" shown by the workers. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@ishashinoda/video/7188885747439619330?_r=1&_t=8Z5gHeYoaEz[/embed]

It was clear that the meal for nine adults and three children was going downhill.

Given the workers' apathy to her plight, Sharifah said she looked to the restaurant's management for assistance. Unfortunately, that did little to help.

"Management refused to answer our calls. How unprofessional," she said.

Given that her family had travelled 45 minutes, from the east of Singapore to Kranji, their annoyance at the situation was to be expected.

In her Facebook post, Sharifah wrote: "I mean, how hard is it to actually just update your customers to inform [them] that you won't be open today so we don't have to waste our time to drive there?" 

The comments on the TikTok clip weren't forgiving either, with some netizens sharing their negative experiences at the restaurant.

On Google reviews, 555 Halal Galore scored 3.2 stars out of 5, with some reviewers complaining about "overpriced" food items and sub-par food quality.

A quick check we did on Tuesday showed that the eatery announced that it is "closed till further notice due to kitchen maintenance".

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the restaurant said that it will be releasing an official statement on Instagram and declined to comment further.

When asked if 555 Halal Galore has resolved the issue, Sharifah told AsiaOne there has been "no update from the restaurant".

The eatery's most recent social media post on Jan 14 didn't appear to show any indication of an imminent closure.

While poor customer service was the deal-breaker in this case, a restaurant in Lucky Plaza has somehow managed to turned it into a unique selling point of sorts.

As-Shifaa Cafe is well-known for its nasi ayam goreng, but the star of the shop could arguably be the notoriously grouchy stall uncle.

According to diners there, he has a tendency to shout at his customers but that has not stopped the queues from forming at the stall.

ALSO READ: Man orders food from restaurant 1km away, receives it 2 hours later

amierul@asiaone.com

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.