A customer who was caught secretly grilling meat brought from outside at a restaurant left a lowest-rating "revenge review" after being asked to leave, a story that is drawing attention online.
A, who runs a bungalow-style barbecue restaurant with a spouse in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, revealed the recent incident on social media (SNS) on the 2nd.
According to A, a party of nine—six adults and three children—ordered only two packs of samgyeopsal. At first, A thought the small order was because the mealtime was awkward, but when they asked four times for refills of basic side dishes such as lettuce, garlic, and chili peppers, A said it felt suspicious.
Upon checking, they were grilling samgyeopsal brought from outside on the griddle, and they had reportedly prepared their own drinks and bowls of rice as well.
A said outside food is not allowed and asked them to leave, but the customers stayed, saying, "We'll finish the meat we've already grilled and the remaining food before we go." When told the charcoal would be cleared away, they instead reportedly shouted and protested.
A lamented, "For the first time in five years of running this business, I raised my voice with customers," adding, "I thought they weren't that hungry and actually felt concerned, but I never imagined it would be like this."
A added, "Far from apologizing, they acted like, 'When did we bring in outside food?,' and they revised the review they had written for a review event to a 0.5-star rating," and said, "We have secured payment records and closed-circuit (CC) TV footage and are considering legal action."
As the story spread, online commenters reacted by saying, "Isn't this blatant business interference?," "They don't even have the most basic common sense," "Outside food should be stopped on the spot, just like clearing boxes," and "The owner really had a hard time."
Other self-employed business owners also shared similar experiences in comments, saying, "Some customers bring alcohol into bars," and "I've even seen people secretly grill beef at a pork restaurant."