September 21, 2022, 05:25 PM
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Two brothers in Singapore got a little more than they bargained for when they went for lunch at the newly-opened Crystal Jade Pavilion at VivoCity.
A glass floor lamp had fallen over and narrowly missed the pair, leaving one brother with a small cut.
Near miss
The unfortunate incident happened just days after the restaurant chain posted a video about the branch's "glow-up" on Facebook.
Promising waterfront views and a revamped menu, the video shows off the restaurant's attractive new space, featuring marble facades, a sleek black bar counter and multiple floor lamps lining the windows.
A row of floor lamps at the new Crystal Jade Pavilion at VivoCity. Image from Crystal Jade's Facebook.
Speaking to Mothership, Julian Tang shared that he was dining at the restaurant with his brother at around 12:35pm on Sep. 20 when he experienced what he described as a "near-fatal accident".
A floor lamp had fallen over, missing Tang and his brother by "mere centimetres".
The glass lampshade shattered into pieces, leaving Tang's brother with a minor cut on his hand and glass particles in both of their shoes.
The fallen floor lamp and its shattered glass lampshade. Image courtesy of Julian Tang.
Image courtesy of Julian Tang.
Tang's brother suffered a minor cut from the accident. Image courtesy of Julian Tang.
Staff eventually waived the whole bill
After the accident, the restaurant's assistant manager brought over the bill "while we were still recovering from our shock and cleaning up".
The brothers had called for the bill prior to the accident, Tang explained. Their meal had amounted to less than S$80.
The staff then offered 20 per cent off their bill as compensation.
However, Tang claimed that the restaurant was already offering 20 per cent off as part of their opening promotion, and alleged that the staff was lying to them.
"We called her out on it and only then she said that she would waive the whole bill," he said.
Tang also claimed that upon questioning another staff about how the lamp fell over, she responded with "I don't know, I was pouring tea".
"I shudder to think of the outcome if we were seated centimetres nearer to the crash... In any case, it was a total nightmare," he added. "Never, ever again."
Restaurant's response
In response to Mothership's queries, a Crystal Jade spokesperson acknowledged the incident.
They admitted that after reviewing the restaurant's CCTV footage, a member of the wait staff might have brushed past and knocked the lamp over.
They said:
"We are very sorry that this happened. We acknowledge that our staff could have managed the situation better and have also taken steps to ensure that service quality is improved upon."
As a preventative measure, the restaurant has engaged contractors to affix the floor lamps to the carpet.
The restaurant is also attempting to reach out to Tang to convey their apologies and provide an update on the matter, the spokesperson added.
Mothership also understands that the 20 per cent discount offered by the staff after the accident as compensation was on top of the 20 per cent discount from their opening promotion.
Top image courtesy of Julian Tang.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.