New Brisbane restaurant under fire after lone diner was turned away

A woman was turned away from a new restaurant in Brisbane for being single.

All you can eat Japanese style BBQ restaurant Yakiniku Hibiki had a soft opening in Mango Hill from April 13 to April 16.

The restaurant turned the woman away because she didn’t turn up in a two or more-person group.

“As someone who is new to the area and doesn’t know anyone or have family here it really sucks. I was keen to try it out and support a new business,” the woman posted on a community Facebook page.

She said the experience “felt pretty embarrassing being turned away in front of a line of people”.

However, she did say that her experience shouldn’t deter others from attending.

“By no means am I saying don’t go, just a heads up for anyone who is thinking of going alone,” she said.

The woman didn’t have a reservation for a packed Saturday night.

Co-owner Steve Baek said following the woman’s post, the restaurant has been inundated with complaints on social media.

“Even someone [who has] never visited our shop [has] complained about our services and food on social media now,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we could not make a table for her…our staff explained to her we were fully-booked and that we more likely cannot serve the sole person for an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet but we will be able to serve the sole customer when an a-la-carte menu opens.”

“We understand that she feels embarrassed because there were a few groups of people waiting behind her.”

The restaurant hopes to introduce an al a carte menu in the next week or so.

Baek told Yahoo that due to the current set up with burner and ventilation, it was difficult to move tables.

“We cannot move around the table or chairs to arrange a seat for customers casually,” he said. “Because of those reasons, at least my understanding, all Japanese or Korean-style BBQ restaurants require customers to order a minimum of two portions of meat.”

Baek said the restaurant would struggle to survive if it accommodated one person on a table meant for four to six.

The restaurant has come under further scrutiny for its pricing for children.

A small asterisk at the bottom of the menu reads “child 5-12 or over 110cm”.

Baek said the policy means kids under four years old can eat for free, unless they don’t meet the height requirement.

“If a child is four or three years old but over 110cm, we charge the child price because of food consumption,” he explained.

Jonathan Jackson, 26^th April 2023