A wedding is one of life's biggest events, and the banquet carries the heartfelt intentions and dignity of the newlyweds' families. In Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, local resident Mr. Hu spent more than half a year in advance preparing for his son's wedding, booking a high-end banquet package at 2,599 yuan per table at the Bojin Xiyue Banquet Center in Xinjian District, Nanchang. He hoped the wedding would be held with dignity and perfection. However, he later claimed he encountered the frustrating problem of the dishes served not matching the pre-booked menu, which left his family deeply embarrassed in front of relatives and in-laws.

According to Mr. Hu, in February of this year, he finalized the banquet scheduled for October 3 and paid a deposit of 10,000 yuan on the spot. After the wedding, Mr. Hu settled the remaining balance of 54,900 yuan as agreed. He thought the happy occasion had concluded successfully, but the day after the wedding, multiple relatives and friends gave feedback that the banquet dishes were of poor quality, and his in-laws also told the newlyweds that the dishes served were different from the menu previously provided to them. "My friends and relatives all said my banquet was too poorly done, the dishes were too bad. My in-laws told my son that it seemed the dishes had been swapped and were different from the menu previously sent to him. This made me lose a lot of face," Mr. Hu said.

Prompted by relatives and friends, Mr. Hu took out the banquet menu he had confirmed with the hotel and compared it against his memory of the dishes served that day. After checking, he found that 7 of the 14 pre-booked main dishes were inconsistent with the original menu, and 2 staple dishes had also been replaced. All 26 tables had this problem:

Grouper was replaced with mandarin fish

Hand-torn lamb chops were replaced with braised mutton

Cantonese roast goose with char siu was replaced with tea-scented duck

Cantonese black pepper beef short ribs were changed to pepper-flavored crispy ribs

Chicken broth with shredded pork and pickled bamboo shoots was replaced with a rich golden broth with assorted mushrooms

Garlic vermicelli with Cuban lobster was changed to garlic vermicelli with steamed Boston lobster

The originally planned potstickers and glutinous rice cakes as staples were replaced with fresh meat buns and egg tarts.

After the incident, Mr. Hu immediately contacted the hotel to discuss compensation, but after multiple negotiations, the two sides could never reach an agreement. This matter also had a significant impact on Mr. Hu's family. "Because of this, I didn't sleep all night, and even my relationship with my in-laws has become somewhat strained. This mistake is entirely the hotel's fault. My demand is at least a 50 percent discount," he said.

Facing the controversy, Mr. Tang, the person in charge of the Bojin Xiyue Banquet Center, admitted to reporters that this was a hotel work error and explained the reason: "At the time, he chose a menu that was 2,599 yuan. We had two sets of menus, one new and one old. During the process, the salesperson may have placed the order under the old version of the 2,599 yuan menu. Of course, its value is also 2,599 yuan, but the guest booked our new 2,599 yuan menu, which has six or seven dishes that are different."

Mr. Tang said that after the incident, the hotel immediately reviewed the problem and proactively proposed remedial solutions. Initially, they offered compensation at three times the price and also suggested arranging for Mr. Hu's relatives and friends to dine at the hotel so the hotel could apologize in person. "We offered compensation at three times the price, and because the guest cares about face, we also said we would arrange for 10, 20, or 30 of his relatives and friends to have a meal, and our hotel would raise a glass and apologize. But the guest may not have been able to accept the solution we offered."

Later, the hotel upgraded the proposal again, raising the compensation amount to 20,000 yuan, but still could not gain Mr. Hu's approval. On October 7, a reporter called the hotel involved to verify the matter again. A staff member said the menu is divided into an old version and a new version. The guest booked the new version, but the dishes served were from the old menu. However, it was not a last-minute dish swap, and there was no fraud against the guest. At present, the two sides have temporarily failed to reach an agreement on the compensation plan. The hotel is also actively handling the matter and hopes to resolve it properly.

A staff member from the Xinjian District Market Supervision Administration said the matter is still under investigation. Mr. Hu said he will subsequently safeguard his lawful rights and interests through legal channels.

Netizens: It really is distressing when a happy occasion is ruined like this. Now that things have come to this, how should it be remedied? What do you think, readers? Have you ever encountered unexpected situations at a wedding banquet, and how were they ultimately resolved? You are welcome to leave a comment and share your thoughts.