A delivery food order. This photo is not directly related to the article. [Herald]
A delivery food order. This photo is not directly related to the article. [Herald]

A self-employed restaurant owner who runs a delivery-only eatery has sparked debate online after canceling a customer's order when the customer requested 11 sets of metal chopsticks instead of disposable utensils.

The story came to light recently when the owner posted about the experience on the online community Bobae Dream under the title "In three years of running this business, I've never seen a request like this."

The owner, identified only as A, said he was approaching his third year of running a delivery-focused operation. "There have been absurd, unreasonable requests over the years, but I've never heard or seen anything like this," he wrote, sharing a photo of the order slip.

According to the slip, the customer ordered two portions of Andong braised chicken and one rose-sauce braised chicken, paying a total of 86,700 won (about $57) including delivery. In the special requests field, the customer wrote: "This is my first order since moving in. Please send 11 sets of metal chopsticks instead of disposable ones. And send the rose one properly."

"It wasn't something I could accommodate, so I canceled the order," A said. He added with exasperation that the customer had apparently left their utensils behind when moving and would probably soon be asking for banchan on the side as well. "I don't know if other restaurant owners have had experiences like this, but I think this one will stick with me for now," he added.

Readers flooded the comments section with reactions. "Looks like we need to add metal chopsticks to the menu," one wrote. Others said the request was "impressively creative" and wondered how anyone could think to ask such a thing. Several noted the tone was more of a command than a request, while others sympathized with the owner's dilemma: "The order amount makes you want to accept it, but the request makes you want to refuse — that's the small-business owner's dilemma."

Some users suggested A could simply sell inexpensive stainless steel chopsticks as an add-on. A said that was not an option because his store is a franchise and he is only permitted to use chopsticks bearing the corporate logo. "It's a delivery-only store with no dine-in service, so we don't have metal chopsticks to give out," he said.

One other restaurant owner, however, shared a contrasting experience. "Someone once asked me for a set of metal chopsticks, so I gave them a set — and they became one of my most loyal regulars," the person wrote. "They even came back and gave me a silver chopstick set in return." The owner added that he generally tries to fulfill unusual requests as long as they are not truly unreasonable, and that doing so has never cost him. "If it were me, I would have called and asked why they needed them," he said.


bbo@heraldcorp.com