Help Me Hank: Dining Disaster

Having his own restaurant was always chef Roger Williamson's dream.

Roger Williamson, Rinaldi's Restaurant
"My life savings went into this place."

Opening here in Marblehead, he hoped the buzz would be about his lobster and pasta special. But as it turns out that buzz wasn't just about the food. The dining room itself was making some noise... literally.

These aren't trick camera shots or special effects, the salad bar is shaking, the wine on the table is shaking, the restaurant is shaking and no matter how perfect the pasta, no one wants to have it end up in their lap. It seems funny but it's wasn't.

Roger Williamson
"We've estimated we've lost probably six to seven thousand dollars since this has happened."

Roger Williamson
"They said well everything is great, the food is great, service is great but what's the deal with the shaking?"

So what was the deal? Roger followed the noise. The bad vibrations led him to what looked like a broken piece of machinery in the store downstairs.

Roger Williamson
"...I basically got lip service. They weren’t going to do anything."

Since Roger was a renter, he hoped the landlord would step in, but he says he didn't get good vibes from him either.

Roger Williamson
"...Pretty much thought I was out on a tree limb by myself and I wasn't going to get any help."

The noise got worse, the shaking got worse, roger says his business got much worse.

Roger Williamson
"...I said well let me see if I can call Hank Phillippi Ryan and see if there’s anything she can do."

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"Can they do that?"

Richard Brooks, Atty., Marcus, Errico, Emmer & Brooks
"If the landlord won't do it, if the next door neighbor won’t shut down the noise, then maybe you need to bring legal action, but in the end you should win."

Now there's no more rumbling and rattling restaurant, you can actually hear the plates clink onto the table... And they even stay put! Now roger hopes that he'll just hear the jingle of his cash register.

Roger Williamson
"The shaking is gone the dining room is once again peaceful, come in and enjoy a meal."

If you're fighting a consumer battle, maybe I can help!