A cafe owner has hit back at disgruntled customers following backlash over her decision to stop selling a menu item they’re famous for due to a ‘quality’ issue.
MLK Deli owner Myra Karakelle said she made the difficult decision to pull Risky Brisket off the menu on Saturday after it failed to meet her high standards.
The Surry Hills cafe, which opened in March 2024, has been attracting huge crowds daily, with many travelling far and wide for its signature sandwich – The Risky Brisket, which consistently sells out.
The rye ciabatta is packed with lashings of six-hour slow-cooked smoked brisket, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and the deli’s signature MLK House sauce – served with a side of pickles and salt and vinegar chips.
Despite offering eight different sandwiches on the menu, customers were furious after visiting the cafe on Saturday – only to find that the fan favourite Risky Brisket was unavailable.
‘The reason for that was because the brisket that we had prepared did not pass our quality test,’ the owner said in a video.
‘It was not good enough to serve to you. It was not good enough to take your money for and it was not good enough to put our name to… But I promise you it would have been worse if we served you a cr*p meal.’
Myra said she wasn’t aware of the poor quality meat until after completing the full seven-day preparation process – brining, cooking and then smoking it.
Myra Karakelle, the other of Sydney cafe MLK Deli, has hit back at customers following backlash over her decision to stop selling The Risky Brisket due to a major ingredient issue
‘It generally takes up to six hours every day to slow cook it. Our mornings start from 5am – this consists of smoking the brisket then transferring it to cook,’ Myra told Daily Mail Australia.
‘On average we sell three slabs of brisket a day, which equates to approximately 15-20kg. We keep each slab of brisket in brine for six to seven days before the day of cooking so it’s a lengthy process.’
When it came time to serve on Saturday, the employees realised the meat was ‘not tender enough’ and Myra said she couldn’t risk letting customers eat something she thought felt like ‘chewing rubber’.
‘I asked the team to not sell three slabs of brisket that we had prepared that day. It was very difficult and I’m sure we disappointed a lot of people,’ she said.
‘I am really sorry for that, but I think I would have been much more sorrier if we had taken your money and served you a meal that was not good enough.
‘We put our integrity to it and we also wouldn’t want to do that just in general. I understand it was very frustrating and I’m very sorry, but I think I would have been much more sorry if you had a s*** meal.’
Despite her reasonable explanation, some customers took their frustration online – leaving one-star reviews for her cafe on Google.
‘The customer reactions were wild and not what I expected at all. One person even heavily criticised us on multiple platforms, comparing us to KFC running out of chicken,’ Myra told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We received one-star Google reviews for not having it. Albeit we are susceptible to one-star reviews even when we sell out.
‘It’s incredible how much our customers love our brisket, but their frustrations when they can’t have it are just as intense. We will always strive for quality over quantity/sales.
‘That is out of respect to our brand and also out of respect to our customers. I really hope that can be understood.’
MLK Deli in Sydney ‘s Surry Hills, which opened in March 2024, has been attracting huge crowds daily, with many travelling far and wide for its signature sandwich – The Risky Brisket, which consistently sells out
Myra said she felt it was important to address the issue as she didn’t want to disappoint her customers, especially those who had travelled far for the sought-after sandwich.
‘Everyone deals with frustration differently and I completely understand why it would have been annoying to come all the way to Surry Hills and not get something that you were hoping to have,’ she said.
The owner said they run their business out of a 90-square metre shop with limited space so they don’t have a central kitchen or a cool room.
‘We are only able to brine, smoke and cook certain amounts of brisket every day,’ she explained.
‘I wish we had a bigger space… It would mean that we would be able to produce bigger volumes, but we are not a big fast food chain. We are a very small shop in Surry Hills and we are a family business, so please bear with us.’
Myra said the issue arose after her cafe received a ‘cut of meat that was a different brand’ than what they usually get from their supplier.
‘It wasn’t flagged as a problem but unfortunately it did not behave the same way that our usual cuts of brisket does,’ she explained.
However, she confirmed the venue has since switched back to its usual high-quality meat so she expects the problem won’t happen again.
The Risky Brisket is packed with lashings of six-hour slow-cooked smoked brisket, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and the deli’s signature MLK House sauce in rye ciabatta
She said The Risky Brisket sandwiches are constantly selling out so she urged customers to arrive early to avoid missing out again.
‘Thank you for selling it out, but we cannot produce more. We physically from a logistics point of view, we cannot produce more,’ she said.
‘We do not have the space, we do not have the means and we just don’t have the possibility. So we cook as much as we can every single morning.
She added: ‘I just needed to jump on and to clear the air for anyone who came in and couldn’t have the Risky Brisket or was frustrated or dealt with it differently, I am sorry, I am sorry, but I would have been sorrier if you had a cr*p meal.’
Dozens of loyal customers jumped to the cafe’s defence, with one saying: ‘Thank you for taking pride in quality of the food you serve. Sorry you felt the need to explain it. People need to chill and come back another day.’
‘You are the best of the best on the sandwich game! I’m so sorry for any hate or negativity you got. You don’t deserve it! Can’t wait to see you soon,’ another said.
‘You owned it. You dealt with it. Beautifully handled, you’ll always have our business,’ one shared.
‘These things happen, you don’t owe people an explanation yet you still gave it.. Just shows the type of person you are. Love your business, love your food and love you! Keep pushing, there is always going to be people that complain about something, can’t always please everyone,’ another added.