Omakase owner ridiculed for 'no-show'
A self-employed individual was not only scammed by a customer who 'no-showed,' but also received a mocking text saying, "You got what you deserved."
On the 13th, JTBC’s 'Incident Report' shared the story of informant A, who runs a Japanese omakase restaurant in Bundang, Gyeonggi-do.
A disclosed that around 10 AM on the 9th, he received a phone call from someone with an elderly voice stating, "I would like to make a reservation for 28 people at 12:40 PM tomorrow."
The staff member who answered the call neglected to ask for a 'group name' or collect a deposit, as it was a rare group order.
The problem arose that evening. A instructed his staff to call back to confirm the reservation, but the reservation holder did not respond.
This situation occurred under the circumstances where he had prepared 2 million won worth of additional ingredients and even hired one more staff member to accommodate the expected group customers.
On the reserved day, A decided to trust the reservation holder one more time. He said, "I came into work two hours earlier than usual that day and started calling them from 10 AM, but couldn't reach them."
He continued, "Around noon, a young man called from a different number, saying he was calling on behalf of the company because it was busy, and asked me to prepare as agreed."
According to A, the young man requested that he also prepare expensive whiskey worth over 1 million won.
As the reservation time approached, A hurriedly prepared meals for 28 guests, but the group ultimately did not show up.
A texted the number from which the initial reservation was made, stating that he would report the matter to the police, but the response was utterly ridiculous.
The troublesome customer replied with taunts such as, "You seem really angry," "Live your life diligently," and "You got what you deserved."
A lamented, "In the end, I had to throw away all the leftover ingredients that day,” adding, “I’m also juggling a second job to pay my employees, and I've suffered significant losses."
Meanwhile, there are no legal provisions in place regarding 'no-shows' at businesses or restaurants, making criminal penalties impossible.
Unlike simple no-shows that occur due to individual errors or mistakes, intentional no-shows with malice can be prosecuted under the criminal law for obstructing business operations. However, proving the 'intent' of customers who commit no-shows is often difficult, making it hard to pursue criminal penalties in practice.
Image source: Reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank, youtube 'jtbc news'
