07/13/2026
First and foremost, we are not the type of establishment that handles situations like this publicly, and we apologize in advance for having to do so. However, what is currently being said is not accurate, and the truth should also be shared.
Regarding our recent post, attached are the messages exchanged between us and the upset patron who visited our restaurant. She has repeatedly claimed that I ran outside to confront her about the tip she left. That is not what happened.
I did not see the check or know what they had tipped until after the encounter outside. While I was in the kitchen preparing salads for another guest, our owner, Maggie, informed me that the customers had been speaking among themselves at their seats about their bill. I went onto our porch only to make sure I had not overcharged them or charged them for anything they did not receive.
Before I could properly ask what the concern was, she screamed in my face, “You suck, and so does your service.” I chose not to engage and immediately walked back inside. At no point during that encounter did I know whether they had tipped or how much they had left.
Several people inside the restaurant witnessed the entire interaction.
I fully acknowledge that I made service mistakes that evening, I take accountability for those mistakes. However, the customer was not ignored. Although the restaurant was not especially busy, I was the only person working behind the bar and had seven guests sit down at nearly the same time. In addition to serving the guests seated at the bar, I was also preparing drinks for patrons seated at tables throughout the restaurant. I provided the best service possible while managing all of those responsibilities on my own.
From the first mistake, I was met with an attitude and repeatedly brushed off while trying to ask questions, which made the interaction uncomfortable from that point forward.
I am not a bartender. I am the General Manager with limited bartending experience, and I have been helping cover shifts while Rondelle is away during an extremely difficult time. That does not excuse any service mistakes, but there was no reason for this situation to escalate the way it did.
Everyone who visits Dorada is given the same warm, welcoming environment and treated with the same level of respect, regardless of who they are. We continue to receive messages and now another public post claiming that I ran outside to complain about a tip. That statement is simply untrue. I was far from worried if I made any tips or not. All my tips from that night were donated towards a fund in honor of Rondelle’s partner.
We understand that everyone is entitled to share their experience, but the facts of what actually occurred should also be respected.
This will be our final post regarding this situation. We would like to move forward and will no longer be engaging, regardless of whether any further comments or posts are made.
Thank you.
Kevin, General Manager
