Rant Alert!
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Hi everyone, if you're planning to visit Jinmen, a small island near China and belonging to Taiwan, I need to warn you before you fall into potential pitfalls!
We discovered this restaurant through Xiaohongshu (a popular social app in China) where people were recommending it as somewhere worth visiting. So we specifically took taxis there.
Our team consisted of six people, and we split into two taxi rides. My friends reached the restaurant first and sat down at the available seats immediately.
When others in our group arrived later, they saw a large table which had just been cleaned. We wanted to sit there,
However, a waiter then said, "We are still wiping down the table," forbidding us to sit there.
At first we didn't mind much, and said casually, "It's okay, we'll wipe it down a bit ourselves," before taking our seats.
When we were just about to order food, another waiter came over, staring at us constantly, and then finally said angrily, "You have six people, so you must order six orders!"
It is worth noting that the six of us had just eaten some breakfast with dim sum, and what we wanted was simply to "patronize" one of the local food stores (meaning trying the taste and experience) by ordering four dishes altogether.
However, since it would look rude if we ordered only four dishes while having six members, we kindly told the waiter if they could just provide four big portions and two more small bowls for everyone else to enjoy.
But to our surprise, the waiter refused, saying bluntly that they only count the number of customers, so they must order the food in quantities equal to their人数. We simply couldn't comprehend why this restaurant would require us to consume forcibly just because we happen to have six people. Although if it’s a private dining room in some high-end restaurants with their minimum consumption (they call it “minimum”), but here we just came here to taste the beef noodles, why do they require us to pay according to the number of people?
Finally, the waiter had a very rude attitude, making us feel as though we were unworthy of eating there, and his tone was full of hostility! Eventually, we couldn't stand it anymore, left without eating, and switched to another restaurant across the street!
Note well!First of all, throughout our visit, we communicated kindly and politely with them.
However, as soon as we walked into the restaurant, the waiters saw that our group was large and didn't want us to sit at the big table.
Most outrageously, they strictly required that we order six bowls of beef noodle! They said they would only serve us by counting the number of people, not giving additional bowls.
Moreover, I believe that although some upscale restaurants may indeed have a minimum order requirement, eating the usual beef noodle should never have been subject to such a regulation! Travel Advisory:Don't go to this restaurant! Avoid it at all costs if possible!
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So, the takeaway is: six people wanted a large table but only planned to order four dishes. Then they got upset and complained online...
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If you can't get your facts straight, don't even bother summarizing. Their attitude was bad from the moment we walked in. They didn't want us at a large table, claiming it needed cleaning – and this was before we even ordered!
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Well, it's true some shops in Kinmen have a pretty mediocre attitude, especially towards mainland tourists. It was like this even before the pandemic.
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Their attitude is just plain wrong
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The noodles here are on the firm side, which I don't like. It's just okay, not worth getting worked up about. Don't be upset.
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It's especially frustrating since we made a special trip by taxi to get there.
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At the end of the day, it's all about being cheap.
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Yeah, it's totally outrageous!
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I skimmed through your post; I think I saw you guys on the road yesterday. These local eateries often have a minimum charge or require ordering per person for dine-in. You can't just have two people share one bowl because table turnover is quick. If people just sit without ordering enough, other customers won't get a seat. When I ate there, as soon as someone finished, the next customer was right there. The shop was constantly taking reservation calls; they were incredibly busy. Their food is genuinely authentic Kinmen flavor – the half-tendon, half-meat dry noodles or noodle soup are both delicious. Compared to Liang J or Yuan T, I prefer Lao Die Beef Noodles.
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I don't quite get calling their attitude 'atrocious.' If they verbally abused or discriminated against you, then okay, call it bad. But the restaurant's rule is a minimum of one order per person. They're just following their rules. If you couldn't finish it, you could have gotten it to go, and then the minimum charge wouldn't apply.
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Haha, let me tell you, I experienced something similar before the pandemic. There was this Cantonese congee place in Jincheng Township, and the owner had the exact same attitude. He claimed mainland tourists always share one bowl among several people. Most people in line at the time were actually mainland tourists! It was clearly hostile; they prioritized serving locals and didn't follow the queue order.
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Their attitude was bad right from the moment we sat down.
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Try Zhang Ji nearby; that's where the locals eat.
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That's exactly where we ended up going instead.
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Several shops in Kinmen are quite discriminatory towards mainland Chinese. There's another Cantonese congee place with an even worse attitude. These noodles were terrible; it's not worth spending money there.
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Zhang Ji is worth a try! The lady boss is super sweet and has a great attitude.
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What a coincidence, we went to Zhang Ji too! Great attitude and they give you plenty of beef in the noodles.
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It sounds like you guys might have been more of the problem.
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You seem to have a pretty big problem yourself.