- Thread starter DavidZ
- Start date
Papi's in Cabarete...not my favorite restaurant anymore...
Start posting your honest reviews on Tripadvisor and we'll have Papi back in 2 weeks asking forgiveness for his rude reply.. either that or a NEW papi will come on and say he would never reply so rudely. The response that we've gotten is very embarrassing and I hope people don't assume this is a Dominican thing or anything.. I've seen similar responses from restaurants on a downhill slope all around the world.
BB is right. This could absolutely be a competitor of this restaurant... taking a chance to damage the reputation of this place.
Oh boy!!!! I heard of an employer's market now a days, but, wow, the owners just lost hundreds, maybe, thousands of guests INCLUDING me.
Go figure............. Maybe the post are not from the owners but a sock!!!!!
@ Papi's
Please disregard this post, if you are not the real owners of the restaurant.
But, if you are...
You guys have a death wish? What is wrong with you? Someone complained about your restaurant, even giving you the benefit of the doubt. Two or more people confirmed the complaints.
And then you have the nerve to deny everything. You even compare the complainers to pigs!
Let me tell you. I have been in the hospitality business as well. And the customer is almost always right... even if you have to grind your teeth.
The original OP is almost considered to be the Michelin inspector of the NC. His opinion was confirmed by several other regulars of your establishment. Should that not tell you something????
The right way to handle this, would have been to invite those people over to discuss it. But you chose to compare them to pigs.
I feel sad for you.
BTW... I make a sauce which is highly similar to the Papi's sauce. As a matter of fact, we are having camarones a la BelgianK tonight... hmmmmm
BelgianK
Please disregard this post, if you are not the real owners of the restaurant.
But, if you are...
You guys have a death wish? What is wrong with you? Someone complained about your restaurant, even giving you the benefit of the doubt. Two or more people confirmed the complaints.
And then you have the nerve to deny everything. You even compare the complainers to pigs!
Let me tell you. I have been in the hospitality business as well. And the customer is almost always right... even if you have to grind your teeth.
The original OP is almost considered to be the Michelin inspector of the NC. His opinion was confirmed by several other regulars of your establishment. Should that not tell you something????
The right way to handle this, would have been to invite those people over to discuss it. But you chose to compare them to pigs.
I feel sad for you.
BTW... I make a sauce which is highly similar to the Papi's sauce. As a matter of fact, we are having camarones a la BelgianK tonight... hmmmmm
BelgianK
It sorta reminds me of those french restaurants in the movies where the customer has a complaint and the chef comes out and says " Joo know nothing about zee food pig! "
Damn, another thing I just noticed is that this thread has 2000 views.. Hey, guys from Papi, maybe you need to hire a PR person or something because I can guarantee you are going to feel the effects of your last post for a long time
Will be in Sosua next week. My thought was that I would take my wife to Papi`s restaurant on our anniversary. Even with all the negative comments, I would anyway and judge for myself. NOT ANY MORE. I am appalled at the arrogance of these owners. Yes, word spreads very very quickly on line. Too bad. Obviously they have to really work on their people skills before it is too late and they find themselves CLOSED.
I find it hard to believe that the response from Papi's owners is genuine, but the specifics of the response make it hard to believe it was done by someone else. Either way it was either a pitiful statement by the owner or a sad excuse for a joke or way to defame a competitor...
I guess for a guy that suggests a 20+ group of guests with prior reservations to take a hike as another poster experienced, it's not that surprising of a response. Good to know, I will never spend another peso in there, that's a guarantee.
Prices go up, portions get smaller all the time. Many restaurants think customers will complain if prices go up but may not notice smaller portions.
I am in Brasil right now and a few short years ago went to a churrascaria. Not a top level place but decent. Two people, all we could eat meat, salad, desert,I had two beers and client had a glass of wine. The cost? 15 bucks.
Last week I went to a place famous for selling grilled hens. Small hens deboned and grilled. Two people. Two hens and white rice. Water to drink. Cost? 80 bucks.
So 40 bucks for a grilled chicken and white rice. Yeah I think 27 bucks is OK for 3 baby lobsters but I don't eat lobster.
Food prices are going up globally. I will wager that most other restaurants in Cabarete will raise prices and/or decrease portion size.
It is fine to raise prices because of the increased food prices; increased electricity bill, etc...
Maybe at the same time one should offer half portions as well (at decreased prices).
Many people would appreciate an honest business saying; sorry but had to raise prices, because of electricity or food cost.
But for the love of God, don't degrade the product/service. It is what attracted the customers in the first place.
A good restaurant can always raise it's prices within reason and still be booked solid.
Maybe at the same time one should offer half portions as well (at decreased prices).
Many people would appreciate an honest business saying; sorry but had to raise prices, because of electricity or food cost.
But for the love of God, don't degrade the product/service. It is what attracted the customers in the first place.
A good restaurant can always raise it's prices within reason and still be booked solid.
It's gone way past quantity, quality, and pricing.................
It's appears to be an attitude problem and that is more difficult to correct...........
B in Santiago
It's appears to be an attitude problem and that is more difficult to correct...........
B in Santiago
David,
1.) I didn't know that restaurant pricing and service was a "Ridiculous issue." How is restaurant pricing and service a "Ridiculous issue"? Since when?
2.) When someone posts a question about whether or not to live in Sosua or Cabarete, why is it "ridiculous" to point out the glaring differences?
3. When a group of "24 year old men" ask for suggestions about where to stay for their vacation, why is it "ridiculous" to suggest a brothel--and by the way--a very clean and well run & well organized brothel at that--to a group of "24 year old men," who are presumably, coming down here to party, party, party and get laid. Their certainly not here as part of a church outing. And although i'm more than twice their age, i still remember what it was like to be 24...and let me tell you, the last fu%&*ing thing i'd want to find myself as a 24 year old male, is in an AI resort surrounded by a bunch of screaming children and obese families from the Ohio Valley and Quebec. Now tell me, how is this a "ridiculous" suggestion to a group of 24 year old men who are old enough to go fight in war, vote, get married, settle down, graduate from college, puke their guts out, but somehow not old enough to visit a brothel?
One more thing, David...I have no doubt that you are a very intelligent, well read, well traveled individual, but please, don't come down to this island and get on a "Moral high horse." You're not from here, you did not grow up here, you are not part of the moral landscape of which brothels and prostitution is a very accepted part of the survival mechanism and dynamics of the people and culture, and nor are you a Dominican.
If you want to label places of worship as "Whore houses," well then, may i suggest you move to the Bible Belt of America or Utah--where you will be surrounded by like minded individuals. There, you can espouse your dissatisfaction and angst against prostitution and brothels. Here however, it's fully accepted and that's why prostitution and brothels have been here long before you were born, and they'll still be here long after you've gone.
Nothing is more demoralizing to me to than to see people come down to the DR, and bring with them all of their religious presumptions, stupid prejudices, and moral judgements, and then try and project them onto a culture that their neither a part of, nor born into.
So, please, keep up your good reviews, i enjoy them, and so do many other people here. You're obviously very intelligent and articulate, but, please, let 24 year men be 24 year old men.
Love Frank
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Frank:
You seem like an intelligent and creative guy yourself, and while I rarely get your humor, or believe giving sarcastic advice to someone who asks a sincere question is appropriate on a site like this, I want to respond to your last post...
1) I didn't say restaurant pricing was a "ridiculous issue", I said you seem to get off on espousing ridiculous opinions about trivial issues...
I gave my personal opinion about an experience I had at a very famous and popular restaurant that appears to have gone, or at least be on it's way to going downhill. I didn't trash the restaurant, the staff, the owners, or even the food. I compared my recent experience to my previous experiences. Many people seemed to have had similar experiences recently.
For some reason you decide to lecture me and/or anyone else commenting on the thread about how restaurants are run. The "responsibility" of a customer to inform the owner when they are dissatisfied with their meal. You also compared my comments and those of others to every silly comment you've every received while working in a restaurant. You picked the most "trivial" point I made in my post, my SUBJECTIVE opinion of the relative size of the portion compared to previous experiences there. You brought up pre-packaged meat at restaurants, you mentioned uniformity in size of multiple lobsters on a plate, etc.
2) I remember at least one thread about the differences between Sosua and Cabarete where you "waxed poetic" about things that had nothing to do with answering the question. Sure you pointed out some real differences that would matter to the OP, but the majority of what you wrote was totally off point, much of it was just inane IMO.
3) If this group of 24 year old guys asked for recommendations on where or how to find hookers in the DR, your post would make sense. But they specifically asked for a 4 star resort that had a "young crowd". Why would you assume they're looking for hookers and interested in staying in a motel behind a brothel?? YOU are the one foisting your morals and ideals on someone who didn't ask for them. You said you wouldn't want to be at an AI surrounded my kids and families...I doubt the OP is an idiot, I assume he knows prostitution is legal in the DR and knows most resorts are family-oriented, therefore asked about those that are not. There are several AI resorts that cater to singles, a few were mentioned in the thread. There are even a few that don't allow children, Blue Bay Village in Playa Dorada for example, that I would think is more inline of what the OP was asking. Why not simply point out the bars or areas near the nice resorts he can go to if he's looking for something "different"?
If you bothered to look at posts Ive made in the past regarding Sosua, Cabarete, or young guys looking to get laid for that matter you'd know I'm the last person you should paint with the "holy roller" brush.
And while I am not Dominican, never purported or pretended to be, I have worked with the DR Government, consulted with the Ministry of Tourism, the former Governor of Puerto Plata, the former President of the DR, and most of the associations and organizations involved with the Hotel and Restaurant and Tourism industries on the North Coast. I was very vocal with these groups as well as on this board about the attempted "clean up" of Sosua. I have NEVER knowingly posted a negative or judgmental comment to someone legitimately asking about brothels or prostitution in the DR...but the thread I referred to was obviously not about that...YOU made it about that, then added the dubious comments about various magazine articles/reviews on the subject.
And do you really consider Passions as a place of worship??? C'mon...is that supposed to be insightful? Ironically humorous? I'm sorry, but to me it's just ridiculous. If that makes me a judgmental tightass, religious zealot, right wing Neo-Con as you seem to believe, so be it. The irony is that anyone who's spoken with me for more than 90 seconds knows that to be the polar opposite of who I am...yet somehow, I guess because I don't agree with some of your posts or get your humor, you assume I must be so.
What have I EVER posted on DR1 that would lead to to suggest I should move to the Bible Belt, get off my moral high horse, etc?? Have you seen one instance of me espousing my "religious presumptions, stupid prejudices, and moral judgements" or where I've tried to "project them onto a culture that I'm neither a part of, nor born into"?
BUT... If a 24 year old guy asks me what 4 star resort is best suited for him and his friends, I wouldn't assume what he really wants is to be surround by hookers and stay in a brothel rather than a nice resort surrounded by people his age that he can party with...
So Frank..take all this for what it's worth...just some ramblings on a local bulletin board...next time you're here in the DR, let's have a drink...even at Jose Oshay's if you want...In the meantime, I hope the people ordering $100 lobsters and expensive oysters at your current restaurant tip well! :bunny:
You seem like an intelligent and creative guy yourself, and while I rarely get your humor, or believe giving sarcastic advice to someone who asks a sincere question is appropriate on a site like this, I want to respond to your last post...
1) I didn't say restaurant pricing was a "ridiculous issue", I said you seem to get off on espousing ridiculous opinions about trivial issues...
I gave my personal opinion about an experience I had at a very famous and popular restaurant that appears to have gone, or at least be on it's way to going downhill. I didn't trash the restaurant, the staff, the owners, or even the food. I compared my recent experience to my previous experiences. Many people seemed to have had similar experiences recently.
For some reason you decide to lecture me and/or anyone else commenting on the thread about how restaurants are run. The "responsibility" of a customer to inform the owner when they are dissatisfied with their meal. You also compared my comments and those of others to every silly comment you've every received while working in a restaurant. You picked the most "trivial" point I made in my post, my SUBJECTIVE opinion of the relative size of the portion compared to previous experiences there. You brought up pre-packaged meat at restaurants, you mentioned uniformity in size of multiple lobsters on a plate, etc.
2) I remember at least one thread about the differences between Sosua and Cabarete where you "waxed poetic" about things that had nothing to do with answering the question. Sure you pointed out some real differences that would matter to the OP, but the majority of what you wrote was totally off point, much of it was just inane IMO.
3) If this group of 24 year old guys asked for recommendations on where or how to find hookers in the DR, your post would make sense. But they specifically asked for a 4 star resort that had a "young crowd". Why would you assume they're looking for hookers and interested in staying in a motel behind a brothel?? YOU are the one foisting your morals and ideals on someone who didn't ask for them. You said you wouldn't want to be at an AI surrounded my kids and families...I doubt the OP is an idiot, I assume he knows prostitution is legal in the DR and knows most resorts are family-oriented, therefore asked about those that are not. There are several AI resorts that cater to singles, a few were mentioned in the thread. There are even a few that don't allow children, Blue Bay Village in Playa Dorada for example, that I would think is more inline of what the OP was asking. Why not simply point out the bars or areas near the nice resorts he can go to if he's looking for something "different"?
If you bothered to look at posts Ive made in the past regarding Sosua, Cabarete, or young guys looking to get laid for that matter you'd know I'm the last person you should paint with the "holy roller" brush.
And while I am not Dominican, never purported or pretended to be, I have worked with the DR Government, consulted with the Ministry of Tourism, the former Governor of Puerto Plata, the former President of the DR, and most of the associations and organizations involved with the Hotel and Restaurant and Tourism industries on the North Coast. I was very vocal with these groups as well as on this board about the attempted "clean up" of Sosua. I have NEVER knowingly posted a negative or judgmental comment to someone legitimately asking about brothels or prostitution in the DR...but the thread I referred to was obviously not about that...YOU made it about that, then added the dubious comments about various magazine articles/reviews on the subject.
And do you really consider Passions as a place of worship??? C'mon...is that supposed to be insightful? Ironically humorous? I'm sorry, but to me it's just ridiculous. If that makes me a judgmental tightass, religious zealot, right wing Neo-Con as you seem to believe, so be it. The irony is that anyone who's spoken with me for more than 90 seconds knows that to be the polar opposite of who I am...yet somehow, I guess because I don't agree with some of your posts or get your humor, you assume I must be so.
What have I EVER posted on DR1 that would lead to to suggest I should move to the Bible Belt, get off my moral high horse, etc?? Have you seen one instance of me espousing my "religious presumptions, stupid prejudices, and moral judgements" or where I've tried to "project them onto a culture that I'm neither a part of, nor born into"?
BUT... If a 24 year old guy asks me what 4 star resort is best suited for him and his friends, I wouldn't assume what he really wants is to be surround by hookers and stay in a brothel rather than a nice resort surrounded by people his age that he can party with...
So Frank..take all this for what it's worth...just some ramblings on a local bulletin board...next time you're here in the DR, let's have a drink...even at Jose Oshay's if you want...In the meantime, I hope the people ordering $100 lobsters and expensive oysters at your current restaurant tip well! :bunny:
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