Chinese Food Drama in Brookline (Harvard: 2014, how much, buy)

[jayrandom]

I'm sure many of you have seen the story of a (untenured) Harvard Proffesor who got in an email spat with a local Chinese restaurant about overcharging. The popular opinion was that the professor was a totak jerk and was taking advantage of a "poor immigrant struggling to make it". As always the popular opinion was way off:

1) a restaurant with multiple locations no longer counts as a mom and pop shop.
2) the proprietor wasn't some helpless ingénue, but someone who had considerable social media savvy and connections enough to get a private dispute with a customer turned into a national story
3) he WAS overcharging people (or falsely advertising prices) and didn't seem to think that was a big deal
4) instead of fixing the problem he made excuses and when that failed publicly embarrassed a customer that raised a legitimate concern.

I can say that while big business is generally considered "the enemy" small business are able to show considerably more disregard for normal consumer protections (they're also able to show considerably more pro-consumer behavior). I don't buy that they can get menus printed with the right prices but it's too difficult to keep the website up to date.

Harvard professor’s $4 Chinese restaurant complaint: Actually, complaining at overcharges should be applauded.

And the angle that the professor went to all this trouble for $4 (or $12) is totally off-base. He's a consumer advocate who calls out company large and small for predatory practices. Apparently the internet is only OK if the companies are large.

And yes, he does come off like a jerk. I'm pretty sure I'd get frustrated and maybe lose my cool if I pointed out a blatant error and was not taken seriously, as well. I don't think that the restaurant should be given a pass for embarrassing the guy instead of admitting its mistake and fixing the problem.

[elhelmete]

I could not agree with you more, seriously, every point.

Restaurants are notorious for this and I wonder how many people just shrug it off and allow themselves to be overcharged.

I've started to see a lot of restaurants post menus on line without showing prices.

[SpringMom3]

Yup, ever since this story came out I have been saying I am on his side. I actually have been meaning to email him and applaud him bc he is getting so much crap.

Glad there's an article defending him!

[redmaple9]

He is an associate professor. = tenured

[personalensign79]

I agree. I just saw the restaurant guy Ran Duan featured in a Bombay Sapphire ad/spread in GQ magazine for winning cocktail of the year.

[pennyone]

Absolutely. The Ran guy is no FOB immigrant, though he seems very fluent in using his family's humble background to paint a "bully" situation with a tinge of racist victim through in for good effect. And then his incredibly cliche and cheesy final statement to the media asking them to go easy on the customer almost made me throw up my breakfast. The fact is, many small restaurants, and especially Chinese ones, are very good at manipulating their prices here and there. Overcharging one customer out of 3-4 bucks is no bug deal, but how much is that cumulatively over let's say, 50 customers each day, seven days a week? Over the course of several years? Give me a break.

A really sleazy way to make a good living, and completely illegal.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by redmaple9

He is an associate professor. = tenured

Good point. My mistake. Thanks for the correction.

[MikePRU]

There's plenty of blame to go around on both sides IMO.

I always tell my wife: there are 3 sides to every story - his side, the other person's side, and the truth. Obviously, we're mostly hearing the side of the restaurant but even when you get to hear both sides you rarely hear the truth.

[495neighbor]

Jayrandom, I am glad your post cleared this up.

I can't count the number of times I've gone to eat and items from the internet menu or the printed ones in the restaurant were no longer being served or had an improvisational price increase.

The media did have me convinced that the restaurant owners were fully the victims.

[G-fused]

Brookline on the map baby!