HomeMy WebLinkAboutIndia Oven RECEIVED
MAR 242010
Mrs.Dorothy Martin
P.O. sox 2258 City of Port Angeles
Port Angeles,WA 98362
March 22, 2010
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Dear MWyor Dan Di Diguillo:
India Oven, as all Port Angeles restaurants,exists to serve the public. Owners and employees should be
trairied,to behave courteously to everyone who comes into their place of business. We cannot expect
tourism to grow and to thrive if ill-conceived judgments are made by poorly informed or biased
operators of downtown business establishments. i am saddened and outraged by the deplorable
actions of the host/waiter as explained in the accompanying letter. My desire is that this horrific
customer service never be repeated. 1 must add that my close female relative was mistaken for an East
Indian on March first. She,however, let it be known that she was not. i would like to believe that
diversity in all forms is welcomed in all of Port Angeles.
I am also writing: The Washington State Better Business Bureau
The Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce
The Peninsula Daily News
The Port Angeles Downtown Association
Sincerely,
Dorothy Martin
775-7798
Cancer Patient Badly Treated at India Oven
"Why did you come out if you had cancer? It's tike AIDS. I had an Aunt that had cancer, she
died, It's just that I'm young and don't want to be sick." These were the unforgettable words
spoken to me by the host/waiter at India Oven Restaurant on Monday, March 8, 2010.
A buffet was offered for lunch and patrons were expected to eat from the buffet. can March 1,
after a procedure at Olympic Medical Center, I had dined alone for dinner and enjoyed the
menu offerings. When a friend (a cancer survivor) and I decided to meet for lunch, I suggested
India Oven. My friend chose the buffet. When l ordered from the menu,the host/waiter
became rude and responded gruffly.
At that point, I beckoned the host/waiter back to our table and commented that he seemed
offender]that I ordered from the menu instead of eating from the buffet. I explained that I was
going through chemotherapy for cancer(breast)and that my oncologist had advised me not to
eat from buffets anywhere because of the risk of becoming sick. His immediate reply was, "I
don't believe you." If this was not bad enough he came back and said, "Why did you come out
if you had cancer? You could get me sick." When I tried to explain that 1, not him, could
become ill, he said, "I had an Aunt who had cancer. It's like AIDS." The piece de laresistonce
came when he again came back to the table and angrily exclaimed with wild hand gestures, "It's
just that I'm young and I don't want to be sick."
Ignorance is wounding. I tipped 20% my first time eating at India Oven on March 1, 2010. My
tip was 0%on March 8, 2010. 1 am in my 30's,hold professional degrees and have never before
been so insulted and humiliated. I would hate for anyone who is enduring treatment for any
kind of illness to be subjected to the inhumane and intimidating behavior that I and my friend
experienced at India Oven. Speaking out for unjust and discriminating actions outweighs my
apprehension of reprisals from the host/waiter. The wounds are deep and indelible.
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Dorothy Martin, Mother,Aunt, Grandmother
P.0. Box 2258
Port Angeles,WA 98362
March 23, 2010
To Whom It May Concern,
I agree with my friend's detailed observations concerning the unacceptable treatment that
we received from the waiter/host at the India Oven Restaurant on Monday, March 8,
2010,
From the moment I entered the restaurant, his indifference to our dining needs was
obvious. He made it clear tome that I needed to select my lunch from the buffet--which
was depleted of most food selections. He declined my request to bring a spoon for my
soup, saying "We have run out of spoons." Yet, each of the side dishes that came with my
friend's meal had spoons,
As he berated my friend for coming to his restaurant due to her cancer; little did he know
that I, too,am a cancer survivor. I was very saddened and threatened by his ignorance
and his disrespectful demeanor. Instead of great service and delicious food, we received
rude, hostile,and demeaning comments.
I hope India Oven will investigate this incident and ensure its public that this type of
behavior will never again be repeated.
Sincerely,
Laura Lanka
63 Knight Glen
Sequim, WA