****** and unprofessional management - Hugo Social Club

My initial review on dine plan app: If you Black please think twice about coming to this establishment. Charl the manager and his hostesses are the rudest and unprofessional people i have ever encountered in any restaurant in Cape Town Restaurant Response - dine plan app Hi Dumile, we take allegations of this nature extremely seriously. At our restaurant, we have a zero-tolerance policy for ************** of any kind and are firmly committed to treating all guests and all team members with equal respect, dignity, and fairness, without exception. In this particular instance, our management team made the difficult decision to intervene after repeated instances of disrespectful behaviour towards our team. Protecting our team from mistreatment is a responsibility we take seriously, and any request for a guest to leave is always a last resort, handled professionally and without prejudice. We categorically reject any suggestion that decisions made by our team are based on race or personal bias. Our doors are open to everyone, and we strive to create a safe, welcoming environment for both guests and our team alike. We remain committed to upholding these values at all times while respect and fairness remain at the core of everything we do. Your response is nothing more than a polished, predictable deflection — the kind of generic statement establishments like yours hide behind whenever legitimate concerns about ****** and discriminatory conduct are raised. What I have gathered based on the above response which Hugo Social Club posted on the dineplan app. My response on Hello Peter to Hugo social Club

Contrary to what you claim, we did complain clearly and directly about the manner in which your hostesses imposed decisions on us that we were not comfortable with while my wife and I were on a private date. Instead of listening or engaging respectfully, our concerns were dismissed outright, as though we had no right to question what was being forced upon our table. That alone speaks volumes about the culture you are trying so desperately to deny. There were no complaints from other patrons, no abusive behaviour, no misconduct on our part. The only issue that arose was your management’s inability to accept that we would not quietly comply with decisions imposed on us without consent. Framing this as “protecting staff” is disingenuous at best and deliberately misleading at worst. Your waiter behaved professionally and respectfully throughout which is why I tipped him handsomely, off the record. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for you and your two hostesses, Charl, whose conduct escalated an entirely manageable situation into something unnecessary and humiliating. Calling security simply because I stated we would finish our drinks before leaving was excessive, hostile, and entirely unjustified. It was a clear abuse of authority. The shift in treatment after I asked the waiter to call you over to pour my water (as I do not consume any alcohol as your security further humiliated me and called me drunk) was immediate and telling and from that point onward, it was evident that this had become personal. Do not insult our intelligence by presenting your establishment as a bastion of fairness and professionalism. What occurred was neither respectful nor impartial, and no amount of corporate language will erase that reality. The experience we had directly contradicts the image you are attempting to project. Regards. Dumile Sogoni