If I could rate you a zero, I would.

<div>Copy pasted email to restaurant management: I am writing to you today because I believe that my drink was spiked when I visited your establishment on the 24 December 2023, otherwise known as Christmas Eve. I preface this email by saying that I do not have any physical evidence. My focus was not to go get blood tests or go to the police, but rather to get home to safety. This is a narration of my experience, exactly as I remember it.

On the morning of 24 December 2023, I decided that I would take myself out on a solo lunch date. I had visited your restaurant twice before - once on my own and, the second time, with a friend. Both occasions were enjoyable experiences. On that day, I would have preferred to try a new restaurant but, being that it was Christmas Eve, most establishments were either closed or closing soon so I settled and made my way to Hazelwood.

I arrived to your restaurant at 13:50 (Uber receipt with timestamp attached). I asked the waiter who greeted me for a table for one and chose one of the high tables outside, to the right of the entrance. The waiter's name escapes me now but I would recognise him if I saw him again. I ordered a Gin & Tonic (picture attached) and made myself comfortable - unpacking my laptop so I could do some work. My drink arrived and I ordered some sushi to go along with it.

I took a sip or two of the drink and noted that it was quite tart and sweet. I stirred it up with a straw, as one would, and decided to let it sit until my food arrived so I could take another picture or two. When the food arrived, I promptly forgot about the picture and dug into the sushi. Between eating and typing away at my laptop, I took a couple more sips of the drink.

I remember starting to feel full after only two or three pieces of sushi which I thought was strange. What was even more strange, however, was feeling suddenly intoxicated - more so than I should have after only a few sips of a ****tail. I eyed the drink wondering what was wrong and took no further sips. The sudden feeling of intoxication was shortly followed by an equally sudden feeling of immense tiredness. Attached is a screenshot of a message to my partner, with a date and time stamp, noting the tiredness. Not only was I tired, I was drowsy and this was to the extent of desperately wanting to lie down. I remember thinking to myself that I should not feel so tired because I had had a good night's rest and had not exerted myself at all that day.

I would have let all these weird and sudden feelings go had it not been that they were followed by a hot flash and the beginnings of a black out. My eyesight started to blur and a ringing in my ears ****led out the music playing over the speakers in the restaurant. These feelings were reminiscent of blacking out. At this point, I was confused, paranoid, and flustered. I decided to pack up my handbag and sling it over my shoulder so that, should I pass out, at least I would have my phone and ID on my person. I wondered if I should go to the bathroom to splash some water on my face.

When I stood up from my seat, I felt dizzy so leaned myself against the wall. I decided that I could not leave the table. I neither had the capacity to keep myself standing long enough to pack up my belongings and cross the restaurant nor did I want to risk leaving my laptop at the table unattended. "It will pass. It will pass," I repeated in my head.

I sat back down. My vision and hearing started to return but it was still blurred and ****led and the drowsiness persisted. Absentmindedly, I ordered a glass of water and took a drink of that, thinking it would make me feel better. I stopped drinking that, too. I reached for my phone so that I could call my partner. He did not answer but not a minute passed before he called me back. I explained to him what was happening to me and he confirmed my fears - my drink was most probably spiked. He reminded me that he had also been spiked once before and what I was describing was what he, too, had experienced.

On his advice, I asked for the bill and ordered myself an Uber. I was still tired, drowsy, paranoid, confused, and my senses were questionable, at best. I packed up my belongings as quickly as I possibly could while I stayed on the phone with my partner and watched my Uber's ETA like a hawk. My fear was that I would start to black out again before it arrived. I saw my same waiter conversing with whom I assumed to be the woman manager on duty and they glanced at me a couple of times over the course of the conversation. My partner urged me to ask someone for help but my paranoia and fear would not allow.

The woman manager brought me my bill and my Uber arrived (receipt with timestamp again herewith attached) just as I paid. I half ran and half hobbled out of the restaurant. My vision was going again and the silver car momentarily disappeared in a flash of white. I realised my mouth was dry and asked myself why I drank that water.I contemplated asking a group of girls walking past to help me to the car but I was adamant that I would make it on my own (which I did).

Still on the phone with my partner, both of our focus was my getting to safety. I arrived to my mother's house, drank water, and took a nap. When I woke up from the nap, I had a headache as though I was hungover. The headache was the size of an entire bar of bottom shelf liquor. My focus now was recovery. I was in bed, feeling tired and in pain, for the two days following. By the time I was feeling almost back to myself and realised that I should have gone for blood tests and/or the police station, it was too late. In vain, I visited the doctor who advised that blood tests would not render anything given that I spent the previous two days hydrating in an effort to recover.

My last and only hope would be to revisit the establishment, speak to the manager, and ask for their help in trying to find out exactly what happened to me. I returned with my dad. We walked into the restaurant and I noted how the waiter who served me on Christmas Eve did not make any eye contact with me. My dad could see that I was visibly shaken so we ordered glasses of water before asking for the manager. I noted how this glass of water did not make my mouth dry like the one I had two days ago. I further noted how the bartender stared at me intermittently and would promptly look away whenever I looked at him.

The manager approached our table and introduced himself as George. I would later learn that George was not just a manager, but also the owner of the restaurant, as he so mentioned. My father introduced the both of us and, strangely, quite rudely in my opinion, George stayed standing instead of taking a seat. My dad gave me the platform to speak and I told my story. I thought that, as I continued to speak, George would gauge the seriousness of the conversation and take a seat so as to facilitate proper engagement. George remained standing. I glanced around the restaurant as I spoke and noted that the bartender's shifty behaviour continued.

At the end of my story, my expectation of George was compassion and empathy. I was very sorely and deeply disappointed. George retorted with something along the lines of "What exactly are you saying?" I proceeded to tell him outright that I believed my drink was spiked. He was incredulous; springing to the immediate defence of his establishment and employees. Again, no compassion or empathy from George. He explained that he has owned the restaurant for seven years and that he has never heard of anything of the sort happening. He went on to explain that he did not believe that any of his staff could have done such a thing. Mind you, I did not accuse anyone of anything; I simply narrated an experience that took place in his establishment.

George then asked if I did not perhaps come from somewhere else where this could have taken place before visiting his restaurant. For the record, I did not. He then asked if I had any evidence such as blood tests. We bluffed that we did, in the added hopes that he would soften and offer to help us. Instead, George said that we can share the results once received so that he can conduct an investigation of his own. To this, my dad asked what his own investigation would look like. George had no memorable response of substance.

My dad and I asked if we could possibly have a look at the CCTV footage. George's response was that he has had trouble with the CCTV cameras in his restaurant before. Exactly what that meant and how he could possibly conduct an investigation of his own without CCTV footage, we do not know.

Still standing, George offered us a meal on the house. My dad declined and George bid us farewell. We remained seated and discussed this man's brash response in hushed tones. The bartender disappeared into the back of the restaurant after a brief aside with George. George returned to offer us a free meal again, saying that it was the least that he could do. In my view, the least that he could have done was apply basic customer service etiquette - take a seat, listen intently, apologise for my experience, commit to a substantive way forward. Again, my dad declined his offer and asked instead for his contact details. He obliged and we took our leave.

This is my story of my experience visiting RAYA in Hazelwood on 24 December 2023. I believe my drink was spiked but have no concrete evidence that would allow me to open a case against the restaurant. I have no way of knowing how, when, who, or why. All I know is what I went through upon visiting this restaurant for the third and, unfortunately, unlucky time. I am sharing this narrative in email with you so that you might maybe understand how upsetting an incident this was. Even if the restaurant has a clean record and even if the staff were not involved, it happened there. Some assistance on the day we returned to speak to the manager would have been appreciated, but we were met with none.

I do not know who will get a hold of this email but I will wait a full day for a response. If none is received, thereafter, my intention is to share this story as widely as possible so as to perhaps prevent this from happening to someone else on your premises.</div>