This is disheartening to write because I feel strongly on supporting local, small businesses. However, I can’t look the other way when instances of discrimination and heartlessness go unreported.
My 80 year old mother and her friend went to dinner at Toscana. Mom, who is...widowed and has limited mobility due to two recent knee surgeries which did not result in positive results, was interested in grabbing dinner out on a quiet night. They went to Toscana and enjoyed their meal, had a pleasant experience with the waitress and tipped above the suggested amount to reflect their satisfaction. This, however, is where the experience sours.
Because of mom’s handicap, it is difficult for her to stand from a seated position without some assistance. Of course her friend is there to assist, but in most cases, she often uses the dining table to leverage her weight and utilizes it to help her stand. Unfortunately, when attempting to stand, the table moved and her shoes also began to slide- a dangerous situation for any elderly person with limited ability. So, she sat back down and tried to flag someone from the restaurant to assist by simply holding the table while she stood.
They found a different waitress (their original waitress was not available) and asked if she could help by just holding the table still so that it would not slide. The waitress heard her and said she would return. About 10 min later, she returned and said to my mother “There’s nobody here who can help you.”
Now, to be crystal clear, there were only about 4 remaining tables left of diners- it was towards the end of the evening so it was not very busy. But the damage had been done where the waitress’ complete lack of empathy caused my mother to cry and worry about how she would get up to go home. She strongly considered calling 911 to help her get up so that she could leave. Finally, her friend was able to assist and slowly and carefully mom was able to stand and leave the restaurant.
She continued to cry on her way home- depressed that as a widow with a handicap, this would be how every situation would be for the rest of her life.
When I called the restaurant and spoke with the manager, I was calm, clear and not aggressive. It was simply to inform him of what happened the night before and to let him know that it’s important to not just take care of customers but also elderly customers who might need a little more help. Instead, he proceeded to say “I find this very hard to believe- we have lots of people in the restaurant who help. I will check the security camera to see if you’re telling the truth.”
I’m sure he rewound the tapes and find the old woman trying to stand with no one, absolutely NO ONE helping her out except the friend who went with her. So you see, how could I, in good conscience, write a good review for a place who so clearly doesn’t care about their customers.
This is not an issue of whether we will return or not. We won’t. As long time residents of AH (almost 50 years) we’ve never experienced this lack of empathy from any business in town. I have yet to review whether this restaurant is within Illinois ADA compliance. With the floor being as slick as it was, I’m wondering if this has been an issue with other handicap guests. However, I will leave it to the ADA officials to decide if there was any formal violation here.
Short story- be kind, be helpful, be empathic towards others. If we’re supposed to support local businesses who need our business to be successful, we should expect them to have basic human kindness in return. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for- especially when there are hundreds of other restaurants who prioritize people.More