April 13, 2006 Issue                                               

©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

‘Garden’: good food, but won’t accept CHBA gift cards
by LEN LEAR

Yu Hsiang Garden became the first sit-down Chinese restaurant in Chestnut Hill 16 years ago (there are now two others), but don’t try to use a CHBA gift certificate there. (Photo by Len Lear)

For several years I have been purchasing lots of gift certificates at Christmas time and other times of the year from the Chestnut Hill Business Association. With each gift certificate comes a brochure with the names of the dozens of businesses that are members of the CHBA. All have agreed to accept CHBA gift certificates, and according to CHBA spokesperson Peggy Miller, a businessperson merely has to present the gift certificate to the business association and will immediately be reimbursed in full.

Thus, on March 28 my wife and I, along with my sister-in-law and brother, went to Yu Hsiang Garden, 7630 Germantown Ave., which has been listed in CHBA brochures for many years. At the end of the meal we were presented with a check for $107.70. We handed the server four $25 CHBA gift certificates and $29 in cash, thus covering the cost of the dinner plus a 20 percent tip.

Shortly thereafter, however, the server returned and said the restaurant would not accept the gift certificates. We explained that Yu Hsiang Garden was listed in the current CHBA brochure as one of the many businesses that have agreed to accept the gift certificates.

Another woman who clearly had more authority than the server came over and explained that the manager was off that day, but he was called on his cell phone, and he insisted that only gift certificates purchased directly from Yu Hsiang Garden would be accepted, not those from CHBA. We indicated our displeasure that they refused to accept the gift certificates which all CHBA members had agreed to accept. Furthermore, in our experience this was the first time that any business in Chestnut Hill had ever turned down a CHBA gift certificate, which is as good as cash. Since I had no choice, I paid by credit card, adding a 20 percent tip.

The following day I called the manager, Vincent Lee. (By an amazing coincidence, the previous owner of Yu Hsiang Garden was named Vincent Ly, pronounced ‘Lee,’ but Vincent Lee told me that Vincent Ly left the restaurant seven months ago.)

When I asked Lee why he would not accept our gift certificates, he said thjat Yu Hsiang Garden had dropped their CHBA membership seven months earlier. I asked Lee if any other customers had tried to pay with CHBA gift certificates during that seven months. Only once in January, he replied, and that one was also refused.

That same day I went to the CHBA office at 8426 Germantown Ave. and picked up their latest brochure, which had just been printed. It still lists Yu Hsiang Garden as a member that will accept CHBA gift certificates. When I explained my tale of woe to Peggy Miller and asked why Yu Hsiang Garden was still listed as a member, she replied, “They have never told us they wanted to drop their membership. This is news to me. In fact, we have received payments (dues) from them within the past seven months, so I really don’t get it. They certainly should have accepted your gift certificates.”

I should mention that most of the food at Yu Hsiang Garden was quite good and reasonably priced, and the portions were huge. An exception was the seafood soup for two, which had a bland, nondescript broth. My Thai-style shrimp were excellent. My brother ordered an entree of shrimp wrapped with eggplant. He complained that the shrimp taste was practically nonexistent, and an assistant graciously offered to bring out a new shrimp entree, even though my brother had already consumed a good deal of the original entree. Fifteen minutes later she brought him a hot new shrimp entree, which which was proclaimed as “very good.”

There was definitely a problem with drinks, however. I ordered a glass of Mondavi Chardonnay, which was on the wines-by-the-glass list. The server came back after a while and said they were out of the Mondavi Chardonnay. My second choice was a Singapore Sling, but the server said there was no one on the premises to make mixed drinks. My third choice was warm saké, which was fine.

For more information about Yu Hsiang Garden, call 215-248-4929.