Holiday spirits dashed when Christmas Eve roasts don't show up

Dec 27, 2007, 1:00 GMT

Singapore - Holiday spirits were dashed after roasts ordered by 36 customers from a caterer did not show up on Christmas Eve, the disheartened patrons said in a published report Thursday.

Three ovens at Expirito Santo Gourmet and Butchery broke down, resulting in ruined dinner parties with family and friends.

Pauline Khew, 57, told The Straits Times she ordered a pork roulade, a slice of meat rolled around a minced meat filling, on December 14 for the Christmas Eve dinner.

'By 8 pm, when the roast did not arrive, we had to start the dinner, and we ate whatever we had,' she was quoted as saying.

The meal consisted of potato salad, ham and soup.

'How can a professional butchery do something like this on Christmas Eve? They didn't even call to apologize that night,' she said.

Shop owner Fabiane Mendes Braga said that three ovens overheated and broke down.

'As it was Christmas Eve, it was hard to find a technician,' she said.

When a technician was located, it took hours to fix the ovens.

With 3,000 orders that day, the owner said the staff could not catch up.

The butchery imports meat from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Brazil.

She said that managers called as many customers as possible to inform them of the situation but could not reach all of them.

The company plans to refund the purchases and pay for eating costs incurred, such as dining out.

It is also offering these customers roasts for the New Year free of charge.