An East Kilbride restaurant has openly apologised to disgruntled customers after failing to deliver a Mother’s Day afternoon tea.
The Ostentatious Fox, situated in The Village, was offering a Mother’s Day afternoon tea costing £23.50.
Included in this was a selection of finger sandwiches, mini filled rolls as well as scones, cakes and five teas.
However, when people received their delivery they were shocked to find store bought cakes and tiny sandwiches.
The family run restaurant is run by Lisa Skilling and her husband Michael. Opening in September of last year, the restaurant has had a tough opening with lockdown restrictions setting them back.
Now, Lisa has apologised for the what happened on Mother’s Day and has explained that this was out with their control.
She said: “A couple things went wrong on Mother’s Day and Michael couldn’t catch up and couldn’t fix it, and everything snowballed.
“And rather than people getting nothing, he tried to give them something.
“We know that it wasn’t good enough and we hold our hands up and admit that. I have seen some of the pictures and I wholeheartedly agree with some of the customers I have spoken with that it isn’t good enough.
“I have been phoning everyone affected and we are offering refunds, and everyone that was affected with breakfast deliveries. I will be offering a replacement delivery next Sunday.”
The couple have both experienced mental health problems, with Michael having a breakdown before Christmas.
Paramedics were called to the restaurant yesterday, with Michael now on bed rest as well as the restaurant being closed foreseeable future.
Lisa said: “It has been a horrendous situation and we have never had a day like that before.
“Michael has been a chef for nearly 20 years and has never had a problem with that before. I agree that people have the right to be angry.
“It has been such a tough time as well with the restaurant opening. We have never opened under ‘normal’ times, and when we have been able to be open its not been for anymore than a week.
“We opened in September but had to close shortly after as we both caught COVID.
“We closed early so that there was no risk and were shut for several weeks which was so hard for us.
“Everything that could go wrong when opening a new business has gone wrong. We have put everything into the restaurant.”
But with restrictions slowly starting to ease, the restaurant is preparing to operate as normal and welcome customers through their doors once more.
Lisa added: “It looks like it could be the end of April that we might be able to open in some capacity.
“Michael won’t be back at work until then either as he needs to rest.
“We don’t want what happened on Sunday to be what we are known for. We want to invite those who had a bad experience back and see what The Ostentatious Fox is, and what we can do.
“I’m doing everything that I can to try and fix it. We are fighting to save the business, and to save our lives really.”
The Ostentatious Fox received some harsh criticism online from customers who were angry at what they received for the Mother’s Day deal.
People were angry that they had paid over £20 for ‘a few small sandwiches and store bought cakes’ – and they didn’t hold back in letting their feelings known on social media.
One comment said: “Ordered two, both an hour late, terrible presentation and terrible portion not a happy camper.
“It’s not as if Mother’s Day was a surprisingly busy day, you knew how many orders you had well in advance.
“Makes you wonder if you can’t put a few sandwiches together and deliver them on time, what chance you have with the rest of the menu.?
Another said: “Absolutely unacceptable service.
“I pre-ordered for between 10-1, asked my gran not to have lunch as had a surprise coming and we are still sat waiting for this delivery.
“Shocking way to run a business, do not take on more than you can handle.”
But others quickly jumped to the restaurant’s defence, saying that mental health has to be taken seriously.
One said: “Mental health isn’t a joke.
“To watch someone spiral into a mental and physical breakdown is one of the scariest things.
“The lack of help and support is shocking. Especially in these uncertain times.
“Lisa posted that today she will do her best to sort things. Please remember it’s her husband and she is going through this also.
“I also agree if orders had been cancelled certain people would of still been nasty.
“No one knows what is going on behind closed doors.”
With another customer adding: “Guys see before you are all quick to judge maybe you should just give them an opportunity to explain, clearly something serious has happened.
“You would think with everyone posted the saying “be kind” you can all practise what you preach.”
