Musafir after the outcry: restaurant admits mistake in incident with military man and promises to change staff’s work
2 January 18:07
The Kyiv-based Crimean Tatar restaurant Musafir apologized for the situation when a table with a soldier at it was left unattended on New Year’s Eve. The administration of the restaurant called the incident the result of staff inattention and promised additional conversations with employees about sensitive issues in working with guests.
Representatives of the restaurant told this to the publication Informator after a wave of criticism in social networks, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What happened
Before the holidays, one of the visitors said that the waiter did not come to their table for a long time, where he was sitting with a military friend. The situation quickly gained publicity, as the incident occurred amid heightened public attention to the attitude of businesses toward the military.
The Musafir administration claims that there was no intent in the actions of the staff.
Explanation of the restaurant
The restaurant’s manager, Oksana Dokanova, explained that the guests were caught in a so-called “steamy moment” – a moment when the waiter was busy with other tables and did not notice that no one approached these visitors.
According to her, it was “stupid inattention,” not deliberate neglect. The restaurant’s administrator tried to apologize to the customers on the spot, but, according to the restaurant, it was not done in time.
Response and next steps
Musafir said it is already holding internal meetings with staff to discuss such sensitive situations separately. The establishment emphasizes that helping the military is one of its policy priorities: servicemen are allowed to enter without a queue, receive discounts and regularly contribute to collections for the army.
The administration has publicly apologized to customers and admitted the mistake, calling the incident a “slip-up” that occurred at the wrong time and inappropriately.
