I have mentioned in an earlier post, Sweet Sixteen, that we would go to Max’s yesterday morning to try out their Power Breakfast line. I was given 10 free passes by Max’s PR agent, Press Inc. I gave 2 free passes to my neighbor who owns an internet cafe. My mom, myself and my 3 boys (B.A., Vince and Alan, Jr) were to meet Angelo and family at Max’s Circle Branch, which was a 5-minute drive from our home. Seeing Angelo’s 2 kids again was enough attraction for the boys to wake up early on the first day of summer break.
Verdict? A big disappointment! All because of the long wait, poor service, and the feeling of being singled out because we were non-paying customers. Angelo has written lengthily about this experience in his site at The J Spot, so I would not repeat it anymore. My big disappointment is more of the feeling that I failed my boys, my mother and my neighbor at that moment. I felt that had I been a paying client, my kids would not have been subject to the humiliating feeling that were being discrimated upon.
Oh, yes, we have seen a number of paying customers who came 30 minutes or 1 hour after us, and who were served their food pronto. Such an experience was new to the kids. All the time, I was trying to make them feel comfortable, explaining that there could be reasons for the delay. After more than an hour, and after several follow ups, the food was served, cold and soggy. We could not even appreciate the food. We lost a whole 2 hours of our precious time, leaving a bad taste in the mouth. I even saw my neighbor walking away (am not sure if he was patient enough to wait or if he was served his breakfast).
I would not have written about this, but I have earlier promised J Angelo that since I was not able to write about announcing the promotional launch, I would write about the experience later. I am writing this post with a heavy heart, as I borrow J Angelo’s words,
After all, being bloggers, we are usually honest and candid about our reviews. And we don’t even need to be given free stuff to write favorable reviews. If we really like something, then we would be glad to blog about it in a positive light, even if—or perhaps particularly if—we were paying customers.
The review about Cello’s Doughnuts and Dips is a typical example. Until now, readers visit this post, and I can say that it has somehow generated interest. I have not even heard from the owners at all, if they have indeed seen it. Another review, entitled Patience, Patients has, I was told, reached the hospital’s management.
I just hope Max’s management will learn a lesson from this launch. For now, I would just like to believe the manager when he said that our perception of being discriminated upon was unintentional on their part. He blamed it on the influx of clients that morning, making it difficult for their kitchen staff to cope.
If you ask me if I would return to Max’s, my answer is a YES, not for their Power Breakfast, but for their fried chicken, which for me is still one of the best for a restaurant that is not fine dining. And I just heard that Vince had dinner a few hours ago at another Max’s branch. Of course Max’s treated them—paying customers well.
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43 responses so far ↓
benj // Mar 20, 2007 at 2:53 am
I got an e-mail invite – I heard everyone who attended the Blogparteeh received one.
I guess this publicity campaign totally blew up in their faces. tsk tsk. Some people might get fired.
Lisa // Mar 20, 2007 at 3:34 am
Recently, I reiterated to my staff at my Baguio bed & breakfast inn that breakfast must be served hot (food gets cold fast here) and within 5 minutes (the service standard for breakfast as it is your first meal of the day).
And I remember explaining to them also that the “reach” of a dissatisfied customer is no longer just 20 other persons. With the internet, service folks must realize that a dissatisfied customer can reach a few millions of people in an instant and leave the bad review online for eternity.
Of course one should render good service not for fear of a bad review but to ensure happy, raving and (hopefully) repeat customers.
I had a bad experience years ago with Max’s in Cebu. And as a courtesy to a fellow restaurateur, I told the owners about it because I was sure they would appreciate learning about the incident. The staff tried to cover it up but I was able to specify the time, table number and our food & beverage orders to prove I was there. They all got fired. It was a very, very, very severe offense. My point is, the owners did act on the complaint and I am sure they will take your review seriously and act decisively.
dimaks // Mar 20, 2007 at 3:45 am
That’s disappointing. Perhaps it’s with the low ranking personnel. I assume, had the top management known this, those kids could have been scolded. But then I could be wrong. It can be a fault of both.
noemi // Mar 20, 2007 at 7:27 am
too bad , if you went to the the Katipunan branch it was great. The manager treated us like royalty even if we were non paying customers. We didn’t have to wait for long. Breakfast was yummy. We had fun.
Kyels // Mar 20, 2007 at 7:37 am
Discrimination will always be around. It is part of human nature. Albeit you got the coupons free, but I guess people would not take a moment to even think that you may have won it or whatever.
Bah, humbug!
Rach // Mar 20, 2007 at 8:05 am
I’m sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. I could imagine myself in your shoes and I would have felt the same.
Alex // Mar 20, 2007 at 8:10 am
Tsk. Screw the Pareto principle.
Customer service is really lousy in this country.
pining // Mar 20, 2007 at 8:18 am
that’s a disgrace! that’s one restaurant off my list then…
lady cess // Mar 20, 2007 at 9:21 am
tsk, very disappointing nga ito. would you consider sending a letter, or the link to this post, to max’s head office?
Zherwin // Mar 20, 2007 at 9:44 am
i also had my share of dissappointing and slow Max’s service, even as a paying customer. no question about their fried chicken being good, but serving the food an hour later, cold and without ANY explanation are enough for me not to patronize Max’s. it was just bad.
tofubaby // Mar 20, 2007 at 10:07 am
That’s very disappointing. I dislike bad service as well as I am on a service-kind of industry. I don’t keep my “clients” wait for too long as the saying goes “time is gold”. I symphatize with your feeling. Hope they read this and at least apologize. :-/
ba // Mar 20, 2007 at 10:15 am
Toldya. Sabi sa’yo Katips na lang tayo eh. Para mas malapit sa School of Stat. Hehe
Skipping class for this was so not worth it. Max’s breakfast wasn’t that exceptional (except for the tocino, it tasted better than the others).
Michael // Mar 20, 2007 at 10:34 am
What ever happened to the customer first policy? This reminds me of Connie’s entry about endorsement.
By the way you might be interested:
Infidel Links #1
Max’s Power Breakfast Day: Disappointing » The J Spot // Mar 20, 2007 at 11:10 am
[...] Also, apparently other branches were better. I hear they treated coupon-holders like royalty, as Noemi relates here (she also has a review of the Power Breakfast, but she dined at the Katipunan [...]
Gypsy // Mar 20, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Sorry to hear about your experience. This reminded me of the hugely disappointing experience my friends and I had a couple of years back with Eastwood’s Longest Buffet in the world, thumbs down talaga, as in. So far, McDo has not disappointed me.
Chateau // Mar 20, 2007 at 3:03 pm
The service industry in our country has yet a looong way to go…
Note to self: keep Max’s Circle out of Sunday-breakfast list (even if we live nearby).
I hope the management reads about your review and does something about it.
Mr. Saint // Mar 20, 2007 at 3:50 pm
It’s alwayys like that in Max. Makakain ko na ang napkin sa gutom hindi pa darating inorder.
toni // Mar 20, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Oh my! Our experience was pretty okay. The food was good but sadly, the service did suck eggs. They were asking us to pay for the champorado we had used 1 pass for and the food took forever to arrive. I hope the guys from Max’s do get to read this!
tin-tin // Mar 20, 2007 at 5:02 pm
wasn’t the pr manager of max’s the one who gave you the stubs? has he heard the story? what did he say?
nao // Mar 20, 2007 at 6:02 pm
naku, favorite ko pa man din ang chicken dyan sa Max
carey // Mar 20, 2007 at 6:12 pm
i think the management is at fault…they should have told their staff that those power breakfast free pass holders be given special treatment and great service considering that they are to give reviews later on in their blogs. big mistake for them to have your family as clients, coz you have your blogs to rant about them… i wonder about the others who availed of the free passes.
annamanila // Mar 20, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I suppose they gave away the free stubs for promotional purposes—to be written about in a good light? It’s too bad it boomeranged on them. THUMBS DOWN!!
ghee // Mar 20, 2007 at 9:42 pm
thats too bad…they spoiled the occasion.,and isnt it a discrimination?
but that would serve as a tip for all of us who read this entry.
niceheart // Mar 20, 2007 at 10:02 pm
That’s really bad press for Max’s Power Breakfast. I hope this is a one time only incident.
vic // Mar 20, 2007 at 10:27 pm
My take is it was a combination of Poor Planning in the part of Management of scheduling and also enough staffing and preparation of foods for the power breakfast event and the other is the typical attitude of ours that we still discriminate in just about every aspect of our every social activities.
I also get this experience, everytime I go home for a visit that I could easily get preferential treatment even in airlines by letting them know that I’m a tourist, but it make us feel so awkward because we are used to be treated the same despite our colours and our race in north america.
iskoo // Mar 21, 2007 at 5:17 am
sayang lang ang promo nila kung di naman maganda ang service, i am sure kung makakarating ito sa management nng Max manghihinyanag sila sa free coupons na ipinamigay nila kasi magiging dissappointed lang ang susubok ng promo nila dahil sa panget na service na ibibigay nila.
mr nice ash // Mar 21, 2007 at 9:24 am
benj, i was at the blogparteeh too.. but i don’t get an invite…
eric aka senor enrique // Mar 21, 2007 at 2:57 pm
I rarely go to Max; would rather go to Aristocrat’s.
Were those 10 free stubs good on a particular day only? Nonetheless, it wasn’t nice at all what they did.
chase // Mar 21, 2007 at 3:04 pm
You should have hinted that you are sort of from the press since you got those free passes.
I usually do that when I was working as a lifestyle writer and the staff immediately pamper me like a princess coz they are afraid I might write something bad.
Even though the manager on that said resto told you that it was because of the influx of customers. It is still not an excuse for a bad service they gave you.
Flor P. Velasco // Mar 21, 2007 at 3:41 pm
They should remember and understand that their salaries of these Max’s Staff to include the siiting Manager are coming from their Customers
! Customer is No. 1 in this type of Business
!!
This is MAX’s management culpability….I will get my notebook and show this article and all these comments to Max’s Restaurant here in Baguio since I am using a wireless Internet service..I do not want them to repeat the same mistake and because I like very much their spring chicken…..
Beng // Mar 21, 2007 at 5:14 pm
hello dine,
which Max’s ba? is it the good old famous Max’s Fried Chicken or iba?
anyways, the influx of clients is a very poor excuse. pero bilib din ako sa patience mo
benj // Mar 21, 2007 at 9:13 pm
mrniceash, seriously, you didn’t? Wow, almost everyone I know got theirs. We were sent emails asking if we wanted a free breakfast meal at Max’s. Oh well, at least you weren’t subjected to the same treatment as sexy mom.
KK // Mar 22, 2007 at 4:03 am
Sorry for the wasted two hours Sexymom. Quality of service should be given to paying and free pass customers. You should be given a medal for your patience waiting, gosh I couldn’t even wait 15 minutes. I get very grouchy when I’m hungry.
Leah // Mar 22, 2007 at 5:07 am
Definitely a bad publicity for them. Sayang yun efforts nila in bringing in customers.
Naku, sa susunod, dont wait too long. Alis na lang agad kayo. You guys were patient.
My Apologies…and Thanks | The D Spot // Mar 22, 2007 at 5:47 am
[...] « Max’s Power Breakfast – A Review [...]
BA // Mar 22, 2007 at 10:43 am
Weird. I googled Max’s Power Breakfast and other reviews were praising Max’s. But your blog was the number 1 result so, lagot ang Max’s :p
Shari // Mar 23, 2007 at 5:31 am
We (the family) have received the same treatment from Max’s more than once, and hey, we’re paying customers! It’s really disappointing especially from restaurants as seemingly great as Max’s.
Blog Marketing Gone Awry » Jack Of All Blogs // Mar 24, 2007 at 12:18 pm
[...] and boy did we give a bad review. Now people—or at least those who know and trust me and my blogger mom—would probably think twice about eating at that particular Max’s branch. Talk about [...]
tutubi // Mar 25, 2007 at 3:32 pm
note also that some bloggers now do sponsored reviews much like payola of media
i won’t mention names but some of my blogger friends know who those people are…
i no longer read their blogs
Maxki Pano // Mar 28, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Experienced the long wait, too.
There were only two other tables, aside from ours, yet the food took forever. And when it did arrive, it came in two batches.
With a 17 minute wait between batches.
So half our group was eating, while the other half just stared and tried to make small talk.
Before, when we ordered breakfast, and when there were about four other tables, our tapa meal arrived in about 10 minutes.
Strange, this Power Breakfast promo. Kung kelan mas konti ang tao, dun pa tumagal ang pagdating ng tapa ko.
I won’t name the branch of Max’s because I don’t want those folks fired (they were quite cheerful and spritely at 830am).
Ala Eh on Max’s Power Breakfast · Ala Eh, The Batangas Blog! // Mar 29, 2007 at 11:22 am
[...] issues around is the Max’s Power Breakfast. Dine Racoma, aired her reviews with Max’s Power Breakfast post on her blog and it was sort of negative regarding their service.. (and some [...]
~iMoM~ » Heaven(?) & Eggs // Apr 1, 2007 at 4:35 pm
[...] power breakfast; besides, there’s a Max’s nearby. But then again, I remembered some not-so-nice review I read about this branch so I retracted my suggestion. Husband suggested Gloria Maris dimsum [...]
Bababa ba? » Blog Archive » BA Goes to BK // Aug 3, 2008 at 8:57 pm
[...] pampering us when we said we were the bloggers who were there for the free food. :p (not like some other restaurant I know who would do the exact [...]
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