The owner of a Toronto restaurant known for its cozy atmosphere and delectable fusion menu of shareable snacks has clapped back at a customer who publicly accused staff of neglecting their table due to the colour of their skin.

Many will know Rasa as a generally revered Harbord Village staple that has a similarly excellent reputation as its sibling restaurant, the Michelin-recognized Sara.

But, among the nearly 1,000 reviews that pad out the spot's 4.7/5 star Google rating is a one-star entry from last week in which a customer describes an extremely disappointing experience that they believed to be influenced by prejudice.

"Service felt racist and classist. Please do not eat here as a person of colour," the concerned diner wrote.

"We were completely ignored while those (all white, dressed in business clothes) around us were given better and faster service. We waited 40 minutes for just one dish which they told us they forgot about. In the end our server wouldn’t even acknowledge us."

The individual went on to give the food itself a rating of 4/5, the atmosphere 2/5, and the service, 1/5.

But, apparently the patron wasn't the only one who was hurt by the encounter, as the owner — Adam Minster of the Food Dudes group — was quick to respond with a lengthy message contending the claims.

Minster started by saying this special case warranted more than his usual reply to bad reviews, which includes an apology and a request to give the establishment another try by returning for a discounted meal.

"In this case, we will do no such thing," he wrote over the weekend, going on to admit that, according to the employees working on the night in question, "you had a less then perfect experience and it was our fault."

"We hate when we do not provide our guests with the perfect night out and we wish this wasn't the case for you and your guest. That being said, you have no right to accuse a group of people that you do not know of being racists/classists," Minster, impassioned, continued.

The one-star review and account of racism certainly are an outlier given the restaurant's impressive Google rating, but the owner's response to the allegations was even more surprising.

"Our team is made up of people of all colours, races and classes, and not a single one of them would ever judge someone or treat them differently based on that of which they are themselves. Before you go blaming a poor experience on racism, think about the people you are hurting. My team is very distraught about this situation, no one deserves to be accused of what you are insinuating."

He then did the opposite of what one would expect, suggesting that the guest "see the error in [their] ways and maybe even have the courage to apologize to [staff] in person."

"If not, we still wish you only the best because positive energy is what we believe in," he concluded.

In his retort, the restaurateur chalked the negative dining experience — which came from a person who unfortunately happens to be named Karen — to "a few miscommunications" that the team "couldn't be more sorry" for.