Fancy Breakfast Club In KL Closes Down After Bad Bout With Damage Control
At this time and age, one small slip in judgement could turn into a viral social media crisis for anyone, let alone an enterprise.
By Samantha Khor — 27 Jan 2015, 01:55 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Fancy Breakfast Club May Be No More, But Founders Say That They're Not Going Anywhere
While Fancy Breakfast Club May Have Decided To End Its Underground Dining Services, The Establishment's Founders Are Still Continuing With Their Other Business Activities And Are Open To Collaborations
They further explained that the decision to pull the plug on FBC was due to concerns that the brunch parties they host in their home may be lawfully illegal, and that the decision was made to safeguard the security of their home and livelihood.
One of FBC's founders Basira Yeusuff runs catering services yay, sammich! and yay, cake!, while husband-and-wife duo Edan Hasan and Aida Azwar run floral and multi-disciplinary creative studio, A&E.
In The Spirit Of Being Upfront, The People Of FBC Proved That They Have Not Lost Their Quirky Sense Of Humour By Disclosing That One Of Them May Be "snoring In Bed Upstairs Sans Pants" While Their Brunch Parties Were In Full Swing
27 January: No Matter What Business One Is In, There's One Thing They Simply Can't Escape - Customer Service. Having Said That, Fancy Breakfast Club's (FBC) Recent Brush With A Customer's Complaint Did Not Quite End Well For Them.
As its name suggests, Fancy Breakfast Club is a home-based private kitchen nestled within the residential area of Jalan Limau Purut in Bangsar. For context, the establishment is primed to fit up to 33 guests in one sitting. While guests are not required to call ahead for brunch on weekdays, they are required to make reservations and confirm with payment for weekends.
The Complaint, Which Was Posted On FBC's Facebook Page, Outlined A Customer's Dissatisfaction With The Rude Response She Received When She Called Up The Establishment To Enquire About A Weekend Reservation
It was understood that the customer attempted to make a reservation for Sunday, 25 January but only received an e-mail about an opening on the evening before. As she did not have access to online banking, she was not able to make the payment and subsequently, did not manage to secure her reservations.
The customer then made a call to FCB on Sunday morning to ask about her reservations, only to be told that the place is full and that she was "the first person to have a problem with this".
FBC Then Responded To The Post, Apologising For Their Tone And Not Handling The Case Within Expectations.
However, They Felt The Need To Further Explain Their Reasoning For The Way They "Do Things". Read On:
Citing That Their Establishment Can Only Fit Up To 33 Guests At A Time, FBC Stressed That All Reservations Will Only Be "Confirmed Upon Payment" To Give A Fair Chance To Patrons Who Are Serious About Joining Them For Brunch
This Is Where Things Began To Go Wrong. Fbc Turned The Tables On The Customer In Question, Implying That She Was At Fault For Not Replying To The E-mail And Hence, They Took It As A "Non-Serious Reservation".
FBC Further Explained That They Are "Not A Restaurant" And That They "Do Not Owe Anybody An Answer", Nor Do They "Owe Anybody A Prompt Reply" As They Are Doing What They Do "Out Of Courtesy"
Looks Like FBC's Explanation Of Things Turned Out To Be A Response With No Small Amount Of Snark, Thinly Veiled By What Netizens Called A Half-Hearted Apology And A Complete Failure In Damage Control
Some Have Also Called Them Out For Their Arrogance And Don't-Care Attitude, Saying That The Situation Could Be Straightened Out With A Simple Phone Call Or By Personally Addressing The Issue Rather Than Publicising It
While FBC Stated That They Are Not A Restaurant Nor A Business, One Particular User Pointed Out That Their Services Involved Charging Guests For Food And Thus, Is Considered A Commercial Transaction, Which Is Illegal Without Approval From DBKL
The Issue Also Caught The Attention Of Local Actress And TV Host Sarah Lian, Who Commented That She Was "Disappointed" With Their Response And Wished That They Had "Handled This Differently"
Despite The Uproar, Fans Of The Establishment Backed Their Favourite Brunch Spot With Messages Of Support And Criticised The 'Haters' For Provoking A Small Matter And Jumping To Their Own Conclusions
However, On 26 January, FBC Announced That They Have Decided To Pull The Plug On Their Underground Dining Activities And Apologised For Their "Abrasive" Response
