AZE.US
A receipt from the Kəndimiz Mərdəkan restaurant in Baku’s Mardakan settlement has sparked discussion on social media after a customer complained about high prices, poor service and the way several food items were listed on the bill.
According to Globalinfo.az, the complaint was shared by a social media user who said the group knew in advance that the restaurant was expensive, but argued that the quality of service and food did not match the prices.
A photo of the receipt shows the total bill came to 259.60 manats (about $153), including a 10 percent service charge of 23.60 manats.
The customer said that several ordered items were replaced without prior agreement.
“When we ordered different dishes, the waiter would bring something else and only then say, ‘We did not have that, so I brought this instead.’ This happened several times. Then they brought us a knife to cut the cake, but it was dirty and smelled of meat. We asked twice for a clean one, but no one brought it. In the end, we had to find a knife ourselves,” the customer said.
The part of the bill that drew the most attention was the way vegetables were charged separately.
The receipt shows three cucumbers listed as “Ofetli xiyarı” for 9 manats, meaning 3 manats (about $1.76) per cucumber. One Shamkir tomato was charged at 4 manats, while a large onion was listed separately for 1 manat.
The customer also complained that pepper added to tomato and eggs was listed as a separate item.
“There was only one thing left: to charge separately for the egg and the oil. People go to a restaurant to enjoy the meal, but the food was so tasteless that it was not worth a single coin of the amount paid,” the customer said.
The post triggered debate online, with users saying restaurant prices should be clear to customers in advance and that replacing ordered dishes without consent is unacceptable.
Some commenters also said complaints about cleanliness and service become especially serious when a restaurant charges premium prices.
The original report did not include a response from the restaurant.
AZE.US