Restaurant chain in Thailand in hot soup over buffet shortage complaints

MK Restaurants’ US$9.17 buffet promotion drew long wait times and led to food shortages, prompting the chain to apologise to its customers

A restaurant chain in Thailand has apologised after food shortages at a buffet promotion left diners hungry and angry.

MK Restaurants was overwhelmed by the public response to the launch of a promotion offering unlimited premium dishes for just 299 baht (US$9.17), with customers reporting long wait times and unavailable menu items, according to The Bangkok Post.

In response to the growing backlash, the chain posted a statement on Facebook on Tuesday, acknowledging the issues it faced over the promotion and vowing to improve its service.

“We sincerely apologise to all customers who experienced delays or incomplete service. We are fully aware of the issues encountered at some branches and are working urgently to resolve them,” it wrote.

MK Restaurants is known for suki – a Thai variant of hot pot – and is one of the country’s biggest suki chains.

The chain launched its “MK-Koom-Koom Eat All You Can” promotion on Monday, offering diners unlimited servings of items, such as Australian brisket, sliced pork and seasoned seaweed. Groups of four or more also get free unlimited freshwater prawns. The offer is set to run until the end of the month.

The overwhelming public response to the offer on Monday led to customers flocking to MK’s branches, which struggled to keep up due to their staff shortage.

Affected customers posted complaints on social media, citing long wait times and popular menu items running out faster than they could be replenished, according to local media outlet The Thaiger.

“The food never arrived, and we had to wait forever for refills. The restaurant just couldn’t keep up,” said one customer on Facebook.

MK Restaurants promised in its statement to deploy more staff and expedite food replenishment at all locations to address the shortages and service delays.

“We encourage customers to contact their intended branch directly to check service availability before visiting,” it said.