I've been there before for meetings and know it to be a quiet, comfy place with yummy chocolate milk. When I sat down today the staff immediately approached and asked me to order. I said I would like to wait for my appointment so we could order together. So the staff brought me water and some Hershey's kisses - neither of which I had asked for.
After waiting for a bit, a man approached me and said, in good English: "You can't sit in the cafe without ordering. My staff shouldn't give you water. You can go pay for water at the counter." I tried to be friendly and asked if he was the boss. He said yes. I then extended my hand and began to introduce myself but he simply walked away. He gathered his group and they prepared to leave, so I approached and began asking if it would be alright for me to wait to order. He heard me, but wouldn't even look at me and just hurried out of the store.
Then his staff came up to me and we began to talk in Chinese. They told me I could wait in the cafe to order; I told them the boss had asked me to leave. They said, "meiguanxi" but I felt we were already beyond that stage! My scheduled appointment arrived at this time and we went straight to Starbucks.
In evaluating a food business my #1 concern is food safety; however if the management cannot treat customers with respect, how can I trust anything they might say about food safety? In trying to be as objective as possible, I have called the Hershey's office in Shanghai many times this afternoon but no one has answered. The staff at Xujiahui told me the man was only a manager and not the owner, and they said that the Hershey's Chocolate World near People's Square is not managed by the same individual. I will post any response I receive from Hershey's. Until that time, does anyone have any recommendations for a good cafe in Xujiahui that is well-suited for meetings and that treats customers with respect?
June 7, 2015 Correction: In my original post I had referred to the man as "owner" because I am often confused by the Chinese word that has this meaning. I learned later that he is actually a General Manager. I only learned this when I re-visited the cafe, because I have been calling the office on a daily basis but the one-time some one answered they put me on hold for 10 minutes. Since then no one has picked up my call.
June 19, 2015 Email response from Hershey's:
I'm sorry to respond to your message so late.
My name is Wayne. I am the store manager of HCW Metro City mall.
For you to feel a bad shopping experience at Hershey's last time, I am very sorry.
Customer First is our consistent uphold the concept of service. Our job is to provide customers with high quality and satisfactory service. Each guest at Hershey's can have a pleasant experience. But unfortunately, last time you did not feel it well. It’s our fault.
I hope that you can inform me at the next visit if it is possible. Because of our mistakes, I want to say sorry for that happened face-to-face and try to do something compensation.
Finally, we will correct the shortcomings and problems, to ensure it will never happen again.
My phone Number is 13661896111. If you need anything, please let me know.
Thank you for your time.
Best wishes.
Wayne
