A Korean restaurant in Quezon City said that it would not tolerate any “fraudulent attempts” to damage its reputation after two diners were caught placing “foreign objects” in their side dish and blaming the restaurant for the incident.
Leann’s Tea House posted CCTV footage on Saturday, March 15, showing two diners who allegedly placed a “wet tissue inside their radish side dish” and attempted to blame one of their workers.
At the 0:16-mark of the video, a man was spotted placing something in a dish.
“Ayun, o,” a voice can be heard in the background as the management reviewed the footage.
“May ginawa siya,” someone else said.
“Binalik? Oo,” another person said.
“Tapos inangat ng girl,” one of the restaurant’s workers said.
The individuals who reviewed the footage noticed that the diners waited for “Arian,” their personnel, to leave before lifting the side dish onto their plate.
Later, Arian retrieves the dish.
“We recently caught on CCTV two individuals putting foreign object (a wet tissue inside their radish side dish) and then falsely claiming that our restaurant is at fault, which we find alarming and deeply concerning,” the restaurant’s management said on Facebook.
It was added that the complaining diners threatened to report the restaurant to the Department of Health if they did not provide a “solution.”
“However, when they saw us reviewing the CCTV footage, they immediately made a scene and quickly left, claiming they had to be somewhere,” the restaurant said.
“This act is not only dishonest but also harmful to our team and our commitment to serving high-quality, safe, and delicious Korean food. We will not tolerate any fraudulent attempts to damage our reputation,” it added.
The restaurant also urged its customers and fellow businesses to remain “vigilant and cautious.”
“If you ever have concerns, please feel free to approach our staff directly—we are always happy to assist,” Leann’s Tea House said.
Some social media users suspected that the diners may have attempted to avoid paying for their food, hence the act.
“Masisibang gusto maka-libre. Napaka-slapsoil ang peg. Ikalat ang mga mukha [niyan], for sure, uulit sa iba ‘yan. Nakakasuka sila,” a Filipino wrote on the restaurant’s Instagram page.
“Aguyyy, mga wala bang pambayad?” another online user asked.
“Kakapal ng mukha! Ang lalaki ng katawan, ayaw magbayad!” a different Instagram user exclaimed.
Leann’s Tea House is a family-owned business that has been operating since 2014.
Some of its menu offerings include unlimited Korean barbeque, seafood pancake, Kimbap, and Samgyeopsal, among others.
The restaurant is considered among the “best Korean dining options” in Quezon City.
