Authentic Italian restaurant has a brilliant response to diner's 1-star review over lack of cheese on fish dish

Many restaurants ask their customers for honest feedback to ensure that they give the best possible service and make improvements. However, sometimes, reviews might be a little unfair. A similar thing happened with an authentic Italian restaurant when a customer gave them a one-star review because they refused to put cheese on a fish dish — something that is considered an abomination in authentic Italian food culture. So, the restaurant, Maximo Italian Bistrot (@BistrotMaximo), turned off their "polite mode" and responded to the person most perfectly, as shared by an X account (@joolsd).

The customer gave Maximo Italian Bistrot a 1-star rating and criticized their service in a long review. He expressed that he had entered the place because it looked "cozy and cute." He ordered a crab ravioli in cream salmon sauce. "Halfway through the meal, I felt like the dish needed something. So I asked the waiter for some parmesan cheese, and he gave me a sort of bewildered look." He waited for the waiter's response, who soon enough "refused" to give him Parmesan cheese. The waiter explained, "You do not put Parmesan on any seafood because it takes away the flavor." The diner pointed out that he liked his "cream dishes cheesy," but the waiter refused again and walked away. The diner ate the rest of the meal as he did not want "to make a scene," but thought what happened was "unreal."

The diner, after completing his meal, reached his hotel and called the restaurant to express his dissatisfaction with the customer service. However, the response he got was, "He (staff) said even if I insisted on getting the cheese, he would not give and (he) seemed offended that I could even ask." Seeing no other option, the diner gave the restaurant 1-star review while sharing how the experience turned bitter for him. Not long after, the restaurant's owner responded to the review on Tripadvisor. "I am trying to understand your incredible frustration and disappointment" over the request. "It was very hard to say no to you, and the harder part was explaining as best as I could the obvious reasons for my refusal."

The owner further explained a few rules to the "authentic Cucina Italiana." The rules included, "Never ask for pineapple on pizza, never put cream in your carbonara, never ask for any Alfredo pasta." He joked, "Who is Alfredo anyway?" The list continued, "Never put chicken on an arrabbiata and last but not least, never, never, ever ask for cheese on a fish dish." The owner expressed that the customer should be thankful that the waiter didn't "ruin" his meal by giving him cheese.

The restaurant even reacted to the X post and left a sassy comment, "I wasn't sure to publish it, but after a second reading, I switched off the polite mode." A user, @de_lecq, wrote, "I owned a restaurant once, and I learned to hate the customers very quickly. Everyone's hard work is at the mercy of someone with a phone and a TripAdvisor app. The best day was when I sold it." @whocares1311 commented, "I wish I lived in London just to try this truly authentic Italian experience. It is getting harder and harder to find an authentic Ristorante here in America."

@Robin_Crimes remarked, "In Paris, my partner complained the mussels were overcooked. The waiter tutted arrogantly and said, 'What do you know about cooking mussels?' and walked off. I was impressed because she complains everywhere we go." @UncleButler shared, "I waited tables for a well-known Italian restaurant in Napa Valley, and we would scoff at people who asked for cheese in similar situations. It was a cultured response to point out and mock these uneducated 'foodies' behind their backs."