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I am a young, successful full blooded Navajo who has lived in Phoenix, AZ, for 20 years. I recently visited Farmington, NM, to attend a family member’s graduation. While I was there, my family and I stopped at the Sun Ray Casino for lunch. When I first walked in, I stood there for quite some time waiting to be seated. There was a gentleman and two women standing behind the cashier counter. No one greeted us to acknowledge our presence. So we waited patiently and the “hostess” finally seated us. We looked over the menu and had a few questions because this is was our first time dining at this facility. Fifteen minutes later our waitress takes our drink and food order. I asked if the Navajo Taco was good and the waitress responded by saying, “I don’t eat Navajo food.”, I took a chance on the Navajo Taco, and the waitressed asked if I want the green or the red sauce, I responded by asking, “Which one would you recommend?”, and the waitress said, “I don’t know, I’ve never had their sauces”, I thought the waitress lacked knowledge of the menu and her responses to my menu questions were extremely rude and offensive. I believe that she could have handled the situation much better by emphasizing customer service and responding by simply saying, “I have not had the Navajo Taco but it is one of our popular menu items.” If she never had the red or green sauce she should have suggested first to put both of the sauces on the side. Our chips and salsa was placed on the table without appetizer plates. My sister went to the hostess and asked for plates because there were three of us sharing the chips and salsa. Once our drinks and food were dropped off at our table, we never saw our waitress again until she came to drop off the bill. At that moment when we were done eating, she offers to re-fill our water. I believe that the service we received were lacking in many areas so I asked to speak with the manager. The manager comes to our table and I tell her about my experience in her restaurant. The only feedback I received was we were rude to her wait staff, and she demanded we pay our bill and leave! I know I was not dinning in a five star restaurant and I was not expecting five star service but all around the restaurant staff at the Sun Ray Casino lacks customer service, and they are just plain rude. Living in Phoenix, AZ, for 20 years and working in the Country Club industry for over five years, I have had the privilege of serving individuals who live on a monthly budget all the way to millionaires. In my experience it does not matter what color your skin is or how much money is in your bank account, I will treat with the highest respect because my customers provide me with a check. I appreciate my job and everything it has provided. So therefore, I proceed to take my suggestions to a higher level of management and I voiced my concern to the property manager. The property manager saw nothing wrong with the way we were treated in his restaurant. He asked what I want to see out of my complaint and I told him I was not asking for a free meal but I would want to see a change in staff because they lack customer service. He allowed the restaurant manager to argue with me in front of him in the main lobby and keep saying we did not pay our bill, which I was aware of since I had the ticket in my hand. Getting thrown in jail for not paying a $22 tab is not worth it. His response to her rudeness was, “we are going to react to how we get treated!” Honestly with that mindset and attitude explains why Sun Ray could be shut down because the new Navajo casino in Upper Fruitland is taking their business. Like I said before I am not asking for anything free, I simply want to share my experience and concern. After this experience I feel that my race and age had a lot to do with how I was mistreated. I do not fit the typical Navajo stereotype that some have embedded in their brains. The words in this letter cannot explain how upset this situation has made me. I have never been treated this way in my life! I hope my letter will bring a positive change. I would never want anyone to be treated this way by anyone.
Read the full Casino Review
Read the full Casino Review