Wafu, Surry Hills

By ReecesCheckYaPieces - 100% Trust 9th July 2012 11:54 am

Hi X-Bread, This is a very sad situation indeed and could have been prevented with a display of some 'basic' manners. Businesses these days simply cannot expect to treat customers in a 'negative' manner and still survive. It appears as though the residents of Sydney have spoken, but we cannot help but feel that a brilliant restaurant has disappeared unnecessarily. Regards, Reeces

By ReecesCheckYaPieces - 100% Trust 9th July 2012 11:49 am

While the food served at Wafu certainly sounds amazing (and something our family would relish), we would not dine at this restaurant purely out of principal. While accusing diners of being ‘rude’ and ‘greedy’, Wafu Chef, Yukako Ichikawa fails to see that she is insulting the very people who keep her business afloat. In a hypocritical turn of events, she then goes on to confess that she herself is rude, which can be evidenced by the many customers she has ‘kicked-out’ of the restaurant, including ‘non-members’ and diners who were not able to finish their meals. While we personally agree (and empathize) with many of Ms. Ichikawa’s complaints, we feel that things have been taken to the extreme, which is evidenced by the afore-mentioned behaviour and the fact that she bitterly complains about diners who eat ‘too much’ and those who eat ‘too little’. While Ms. Ichikawa’s heart is certainly in the right place and her ethical concerns admirable, there is no doubt that her long list of ‘dining conditions’ have frightened many people away. According to the article appearing in The Age (written by Stephanie Gardiner, July 6th, 2012), Ms. Ichikawa will now close the business (in two months time) and plans to move into a teaching role within the community. She plans to teach people how to cook within their own homes and to educate school children by teaching them how to grow vegetables. While Ms. Ichikawa’s motives (and ethics) are commendable, it is our personal opinion that the fourteen plus ‘rules’ applied to this ‘Member Only’ restaurant have played a part in its ultimate demise. Perhaps a better way of ‘teaching’ manners is to exhibit them yourself, instead of berating and excluding those who need to learn such things. http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/14140570/chef-blames-greedy-diners-for-restaurant-shutdown/ http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/after-the-backlash-ranting-chef-does-the-unexpected-20120706-21ksn.html http://www.wafu.com.au/index.html