Billy Angel Headquarters, Official Statement "Promise to Prevent Recurrence"
The owner of the cake cafe Bill Angel caused controversy over a 'No Senior Zone' after handing a note to an elderly customer sitting in the store saying "young customers are not coming." On the 26th, the franchise headquarters issued an official apology.
On the same day, Bill Angel posted a statement on its official Instagram, stating, "The franchise owner admitted the fact regarding the note delivered to the customer at a specific franchise store."
They added, "The headquarters has issued a strict warning regarding the issue of customer service," and "the franchise owner apologized to the customer and promised to prevent recurrence."
Bill Angel stated, "To prevent the same problem from occurring at all stores, we plan to share this case with all stores within this week," and added, "We will strengthen customer service and anti-discrimination training and expand it to all franchises in the future, regularly checking the completion and implementation."
Earlier, on the 25th, a post by a child, A, sharing what their father experienced was uploaded as a review on a map app. The writer said, "My father used the store since this morning, and he came in holding this note he received from the owner," revealing the note along with a photo of the card payment receipt.
The note read, "Dear customer, your time using the store is too long. Young customers are not coming here at all."
A said, "When I asked my father the reason, he said, 'You bought a cup of coffee and stayed too long,'" and expressed, "In that situation, my father's problem would be not reordering and staying too long, so I wonder why there was suddenly a comment related to age." They added, "Is there anything about the customer's age in the rules? The note's mention sounds like the problem is my father's age, not his behavior."
They continued, "If the store is located in front of a university building and only targets 'young customers,' please clarify that it is a No Senior Zone. I will make sure to tell my father that people of his age group cannot go there in the future," leaving a one-star rating.
Afterward, the review was shared on online communities, leading to a surge of 'star rating attacks' and escalating the controversy.
In response, Bill Angel stated, "We recognize that discrimination based on age, gender, race, ideology, and thoughts in customer service is wrong and deeply regret the lack of management," and "We apologize to the affected customer and all customers who were inconvenienced by this incident."
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