# Owner of a Restaurant - How to find details?



## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

Hi, my question is already in the title.We had a horrible Take Away experience on Friday and want to log an official complaint. The girl/woman who took our call (and orders) said she is the Manager and Owner but we found that strange or simply hard to believe. How can we find out who owns this specific Take Away (which is also a small restaurant)? And if she did tell the truth who can we complain to?

She refused to replace our dishes or give us a refund by the way.

Thanks


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## truthseeker (23 Feb 2011)

Google the name of it and see if you can get the company registration details?


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## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

tried but except for bad reviews this Take Away seems to have no online presence....couldn't find a thing


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## truthseeker (23 Feb 2011)

What about solocheck.ie - use the name in the search box?


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## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

no nothing, tried several different search ways, nothing. can I name that take away or is it against the AAM guidelines? not sure...


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## truthseeker (23 Feb 2011)

Is there any company registration info on the menus?

What about the Food Safety Authority of Ireland - any useful info on their website.


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## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

Well I threw their menu out as I was disgusted with them on Friday. I don't fancy going back into that place to get another menu...is there no other way?

How effective would it be to complain to the National Consumer Agency?


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## truthseeker (23 Feb 2011)

You could phone consumerconnect and ask for some advice.


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## Mers1 (23 Feb 2011)

Is your problem with the food? if so all you have to do is contact the food safety authority, they really are very proactive regarding bad take away food, and act very quickly.

If it is just bad manners on behalf of the staff - there is very little you can do except go to the take away and make your complaint, also make it know that you will let as many people in the area know how unprofessional they have been.


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## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

The food was bad and not what we ordered (e.g. ordered a Korma but got a tomato based curry which would be rated a 2 on the spice level, Pilah rice looked like grated cheese and tasted like nothing etc.).

The food was not hot when delivered.

The food was above average price for the area (2 people = 27 Euro!).

Their customer service is not existing.

When we called that day to ask for a Manager the woman on the phone told us, she takes the orders, is the supervisor, manager and owner of the place....

We don't believe she is the owner, hence me trying to find out who the TakeAway is registered with (so far no luck).

If she was the Owner...obviously no point in going back there complaining.


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## liaconn (23 Feb 2011)

The CRO would have details of whose name the company is registered in (if they are registered, If not, they are operating illegally).


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## eastbono (23 Feb 2011)

They will only appear on the CRO if they are a registered company if they operate as a sole trader they will not be on CRO.


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## Staples (23 Feb 2011)

alaskaonline said:


> The food was bad and not what we ordered (e.g. ordered a Korma but got a tomato based curry which would be rated a 2 on the spice level, Pilah rice looked like grated cheese and tasted like nothing etc.).
> 
> The food was not hot when delivered.
> 
> ...


 
Be careful what you're complaining about.

There's no point giving out about the price of the food if it was the same as quoted on the menu.  And while it might be nice to think they should have good customer service, they have no obligation in this regard.

If the order was wrong and the food was cold you would have good grounds for a refund.  If they refused to entertain any such request, you could report them to the NCA and/or the Small Claims Court.  If the person on the phone represented herself as the manager, this is all you need.  You wouldn't be required to establish whteher she was teliing you the truth.  If, however, you ate the food regardless, your grounds for complaint would be weak.

While it would be nice to think that any subsequent verbal complaint would be received sympathetically, this clearly isn't the case and their doesn't seem much you can do about it except to learn from the experience and to make others aware of teh standard of service you received.  

You could go to a lot of trouble to find out the real owner but would strengthen your hand?  How likely is it that the real owner (assuming it's different) would be any more sympathetic?


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## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

well i couldn't find them on any suggested websites here 

was thinking, if they run more than one restaurant/ takeaway and they register the main one and let's say the one i used last week was more of a sub outlet, would the sub outlet still be registered on its own or is it under the main one hence the reason why i can't find them?

the name is quite common, so the main one could be any


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## alaskaonline (23 Feb 2011)

Staples - you made some good points. 

I didn't eat the food by the way, only a spoon full and requested that the driver picks it up again and A) brings the one that I ordered (a Korma) or B) brings a full refund. The reaction was "oh you want a refund, how handy. first eating it and then want your money back?". I said, no it's still in the containers and only a spoon full was taken out. She hung up on me. I had to call back and the 2nd time it wasn't any better and ended in her hanging up again when she ran out of excuses.

The reason why I stated that the food price was above average is simply because I expected at least that = value for what I ordered. I ended up with no dinner that day because of it, so menu prices or not, I paid for something I didn't order and couldn't eat.


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## Staples (23 Feb 2011)

alaskaonline said:


> Staples - you made some good points.
> 
> I didn't eat the food by the way, only a spoon full and requested that the driver picks it up again and A) brings the one that I ordered (a Korma) or B) brings a full refund. The reaction was "oh you want a refund, how handy. first eating it and then want your money back?". I said, no it's still in the containers and only a spoon full was taken out. She hung up on me. I had to call back and the 2nd time it wasn't any better and ended in her hanging up again when she ran out of excuses.
> 
> The reason why I stated that the food price was above average is simply because I expected at least that = value for what I ordered. I ended up with no dinner that day because of it, so menu prices or not, I paid for something I didn't order and couldn't eat.


 
Well then go the NCA/Small Claims Court route.  You probably won't be any better off but at least you'll inconvenience the restaurant.


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## Sandals (23 Feb 2011)

In my few experiences over consumer issues I find to write a calm letter/email to a named person, detailing your experiences (ie dates, times, problems, how you'v allowed this business the chance to fix the issue etc) and following the letter on the consumerconnect website state a date (10 working days) that you will apply to the small claims court and leave it at that. If they don't reply you then have the choice of what to do next (follow it up or leave it). In my experience (two times in last year they'll respond).


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## Bronte (24 Feb 2011)

Your experience was really bad but is it worth all this effort?  Do your talking by walking.  

If you want to find the owner, you can try going into the restaurant and looking for one of those official health board or permit signs, might have the name on there.  You could telephone the health board or whoever does inspections these days, they may give you the owners name.  You could have a chat with a local shopkeeper/chemist and ask do they know who is the owner.  If it's a company then the company registration office.  If the property is owned by the people running the business you could check the land registry.

All this for a takeaway .  It must have been truly awful but your awful might be someone elses delightful .


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## alaskaonline (24 Feb 2011)

You're right Bronte and usually I would let it go but the experience was horrific and for the money spend, I'd like to think that with a complaint I could make a difference for other customers....then again, read a few reviews online yesterday and others had similar bad experiences. Rather have them closed down then taking money off people who end up with no eatable dinner (no one is messing with my dinner ). I'll see if I pursue this further...


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## fizzelina (25 Feb 2011)

alaskaonline said:


> Rather have them closed down then taking money off people who end up with no eatable dinner (no one is messing with my dinner ). I'll see if I pursue this further...


 

I don't think you would get the place closed down for receiving bad customer service and the wrong order. There would need to be breaches of food safety preparation legislation to close it down. Personally in cases like yours I do my talking by walking like another poster said.


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## RonanC (25 Feb 2011)

eastbono said:


> They will only appear on the CRO if they are a registered company if they operate as a sole trader they will not be on CRO.


 
False information here. 

The CRO holds the registers of Companies and Business Names (sole traders, partnerships and body corporates) 

You can search for sole traders, but thats if they have registered in the first place. If the person is trading under a name which is not their own true name they must by law register with the CRO.


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## Macattack (25 Feb 2011)

is it against posting rules to name the restaurant/takeaway?


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## Leo (28 Feb 2011)

Yes, as it is potentially libelous.
Leo


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