The chief executive officer of an Italian restaurant vowed to meet with his team in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, following complaints about dining experiences at its branches there.
David Sison, CEO of Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen, responded on Tuesday, July 14, to Filipinos on Threads who claimed to have had unpleasant experiences at one of its branches in BGC.
Threads user Victoria Atienza shared her “first time” dining at the restaurant’s Avida Towers Verte branch with her friends, noting that they “never” received the complimentary bread that other diners had enjoyed.
Despite that, it was still listed on their bill, even though there was no charge since it was a complimentary snack.
Mama Lou’s serves customers a complimentary snack of focaccia bread with dips, such as balsamic vinegar and olive oil, while they wait for their main order.
The diner said she experienced the same thing when she dined alone at the same branch.
She told the waiter about it, who asked her to “wait” for the complimentary bread.
Atienza received the bread only after bringing it to the staff’s attention, even though the complimentary item had already been listed on her bill before it was served.
“The staff even said ‘wala naman pong charge.’ It’s not about the price. Yes, it’s free. But I never received it and it’s in my receipt. It was a nice gesture from the staff, but I shouldn’t have to ask for something that should have been the standard. Especially when other customers are being served the bread upon sitting,” she said.
View on Threads
View on Threads
The incident led Atienza to wonder whether she was being “profiled” by the staff.
Sison, who was tagged in the post, responded that he would meet with his team in BGC following the reported incidents.
“Thank you for flagging this, and for doing it so fairly. You’re right: if it’s on your receipt, it should be on your table without you having to ask. Twice at the same branch tells me this is a gap in our system, not bad luck (and I promise, no profiling). I’m on it with our BGC team this week, and I’ll make sure the fix sticks. Salamat for giving us the chance to get better,” he said.
Another Threads user shared an experience from a friend who allegedly dined at the same branch and was served complimentary bread only after becoming “upset about the serving delay.”
The Threads user claimed the staff was “profiling customers,” saying his friend wore “plain clothes,” while others who received the complimentary snack had “cozy vibes.”
Sison responded to the comment and denied the allegation, calling it a “process gap.”
“We don’t profile guests. No dress code check, no vibes filter, and honestly, our staff have zero reason to hold back a free item from anyone. The real story is more boring: our bread wasn’t tied to a kitchen fire trigger, so it went out inconsistently, and sometimes, only after a guest spoke up. I get why that looks like favoritism from the table,” he said.
“From our side, it’s a process gap, and it’s the exact thing we’re fixing at BGC this week. Your friend’s experience matters to me, too. If he can send me the date and time of his visit, we’ll pull the ticket data and I’ll tell him exactly what happened. We investigate, we never assume, and that applies in every direction,” Sison added.
The restaurant CEO acknowledged the reviews, saying he appreciated the customers’ “honest feedback.”
Mama Lou’s is a homegrown Italian restaurant known for serving authentic Italian cuisine, including a variety of pasta, antipasti, zuppe, pizza and main dishes.