Every so often, both Jean Scott and I yield the floor to casino customers who have a beef with The Man. One such gentleman approached me today and, with his permission, I am reprinting his letter, which he has also shared with Jean and with the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Heidi Rinella. I've made a couple of discreet elisions and bold-facings but otherwise you are reading the letter as I received it.
"I had a major incident concerning a comp/coupon I received in the mail early in September that I feel I need to relate. This incident made me 98-degrees angry. Please read the following as I attempt to explain …
"Early in September, I received a coupon from Suncoast for a $50 credit for dinner at the newly-opened Salvatore's Restaurant in the Suncoast Casino. I decided to go over there tonight to redeem this coupon, have a nice dinner and gamble for a few hours afterwards. When I approached the maitre d', I asked for a table for one (I am single) and informed them I had an offer I received in the mail. After about a 10-minute wait, I was ushered to a booth located in the back corner of the room, a location I really did not mind. I was brought a menu and wine list and a glass of water. The restaurant was not crowded … However, I was refused service: I waited a good 25-minutes before I walked out without having anyone approach my table to take my order. As a matter of fact, no one approached my table. No waiter/waitress. No busboy. No bread sticks. No acknowledgement. I was left there and forgotten.
"I then went over to the Club Coast booth across the casino floor and asked to speak to a manager. I was given a Supervisor after I was told the manager was off-duty. Not a problem. The Supervisor offered to make a call to the restaurant owner and I was told to wait a few minutes while a representative from the restaurant would come over to offer an explanation/apology.
"Finally, after several long minutes, the Assistant Slot Shift Manager came over to apologize. The restauarnt [sic] personnel didn't even care enough to come over to discuss this matter. The Slot Shift Manager … was gracious and apologetic, and offred [sic] to comp me and a friend a meal on a subsequent visit. I told him — and on this I will stand on — that I would never step foot in Salvatore's again, and I will not come back to gamble at any Coast Casino as long as that restaurant remains in the confines of Suncoast. I then proceeded to go to Red Rock Casino, where I had a quick meal and gambled a few hours.
"I cannot believe how I was treated at Salvatore's. If they didn't want to serve me, they should not have shown me a table. And, they should not have been part of this comp! I am not only angry, but offended, and consider this offer a cheesy way of getting me into the casino.
"They have lost a valuable customer."
