"This review is not about the food. It is about the service and honesty of the restaurant staff. I encountered deception from a male staff member when I placed a carry out order tonight around 5:30pm (10/16/24) and it had me boiling. I walked in to a nearly empty restaurant (there was one guest dining) and placed a to-go order at the counter. The team member said it would take about 15-20 minutes (it ended up taking closer to 30 minutes, but that’s beside the point). The brief interactions I had with the female worker (who appeared to be the owner) were curt and uninviting. What infuriated me, though, was when the male cashier rang me up and I went to pay. First, I tried to pay with cash (I prefer this method especially with carry out orders to avoid being asked to tip on a to-go order I am simply picking up myself). The man who rang me up said that he didn’t currently have access to the cash register and asked if I could pay with a card. I then pulled out my card. The man began turning the handheld POS system towards me so that I could insert my card. However, he quickly pulled it back, selected the 20% tip option (which I could clearly still see), and then gave it back for me to swipe. I was stunned and could not believe that a cashier would automatically make a selection like this for a customer. I was furious. Being the non-confrontational person that I am though, I didn’t know how to address this with the cashier, and I did not want to cause a scene. The card reader was not working at first, and after a couple attempts I frustratingly tried to ask again if I could just pay in cash. This request was ignored, and he was finally able to get my card to go through. The receipt printed and it showed that I had left a 20% tip. I was so heated by this, especially since the man never even acknowledged what he had done. I know restaurant margins are slim, and whenever we dine in, we tip well over 20%. But I do not buy into tip culture where workers are expecting to receive tips for merely handing over food to a customer, let alone making that decision for the customer. To knowingly try and deceive a customer like this is appalling. If I ever do place a carryout order at Natraj again, it will be via their online ordering platform where I am given the choice to leave a tip or not (I do try to be generous whenever I can, especially with restaurant workers, but this should be on my own terms and not something that is forced upon customers without any acknowledgement – I understand it’s a completely different scenario when large groups are dining and a gratuity percentage is added to the bill automatically—at least this is MADE KNOWN to the customer), or I will insist on paying cash. If the cash register is conveniently not accessible again, then I will pay in exact change. It’s incredibly insulting to treat a customer like this, and this is a warning to other guests. Use the online ordering system or pay in exact change if you don’t want to have tips forcibly added onto your bill without any notice, consent, or acknowledgement. Service: Takeaway Meal type: Dinner Service: 1"
