Keep thieves out of restaurant

On Aug. 2, we were enjoying a pleasant family dinner at the Kenny Rogers Restaurant in Pondok Indah Mall. About three- quarters of the way through the meal, a somewhat thin, scruffy- looking man in his late 20s approached our table. He called me "Uncle" and asked for the correct time in Bahasa Indonesia as his watch had apparently malfunctioned.

Somewhat surprised at the request, I noted the correct time and provided it to him. Then I noticed there were three other men in his group as they walked away from our table, in the middle of the restaurant, toward the door.

We finished the excellent meal and headed off to do some last- minute shopping. It was then that we notice our mobile phone, which had been placed on top of the dining table next to one of the children during dinner, was missing.

We returned to the restaurant and alerted the management to the fact our phone had disappeared in their restaurant during our evening meal. We asked them to kindly pay close attention to the loss in the hope of a possible recovery. Several days passed without a response.

We returned two weeks later to discuss the details of the theft with the restaurant's management. We found out that this was not the first time such an incident had occurred. They were sympathetic to our situation and explained that there was mall security to help safeguard the perimeters of all stores.

Likewise, they explained, it was difficult to monitor all customers during peak dining hours. Despite their repeated apology, we have again heard nothing further.

We find it difficult to accept the management's lack of responsibility for patron losses during their visits to the Kenny Rogers Restaurant. We feel they should be liable for incidents which occur as a result of insufficient attention to guest safety.

Although we have no interest in any type of compensation, we are surprised at the lack of compassion displayed by the restaurant's management.

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