A birthday dinner in Houston ended with something guests never saw coming.

HOUSTON — A birthday dinner in Houston ended with frustration for three women who say they each received a $90 parking ticket days after paying $10 in cash for valet outside Confession Restaurant.

Gladys Bradley told KHOU 11 she visited the restaurant on Aug. 2 and later received a $90 citation in the mail on Aug. 7 for “parking in an unauthorized lot,” issued by Parking Revenue Recovery Services.

“I was upset, I was very upset about it,” Bradley said.

Bradley said she disputed the ticket with the issuer, but the claim was denied. She was offered a $20 discount if she paid within 10 days. She contacted the restaurant for help and later approached the valet stand in person. 

“I brought them the ticket and I asked them to accommodate me because they were responsible and take accountability for what they’ve done,” she said, adding, “they laughed.”

Her friend, Taneisha Cornealius, said she received the same $90 ticket after using valet that night. 

“They’re immediately there… they walk up to your car as you’re driving in and they say $10 valet, you leave your key and you go,” Cornealius said, explaining it appeared valet was the only option as they pulled in.

KHOU 11 reviewed the women’s tickets, receipts and dispute emails. When a KHOU crew approached attendants at the valet stand this week, one declined to comment and another laughed.

Confession’s owners told KHOU they were unaware this had happened and apologized to the customers. While the restaurant said it does not control the garage or valet service, which are operated by third parties, ownership offered to step in to help and cover the $90 tickets for all three women. The restaurant also said it validates self-parking for up to two hours and shared a photo of signage posted inside for customers who choose to skip valet.

Full statement from Confessions:

“At Confessions, we take pride in providing exceptional service and customer experiences. We are also upset with the recent parking issues. We offer 2-hour parking validation to all our customers that park in the garage and encourage them to do so and take advantage of this. The valet company in this building is not affiliated with us, and we do not have control over issued tickets by the parking company. To attempt to assist the customers in this situation, we have offered to cover the tickets for the three affected guests.”
— Sherrie Handrinos, Confessions

Power Parking, which manages the garage on site, said it contracts out valet operations and uses a third-party enforcement company.

In a statement, owner Ryan Hawken said mistakes can occur during the parking process and that Power Parking reviews complaints and “will void parking citations issued and/or provide refunds as needed” when the company is at fault.

Hawken added the company is reviewing its procedures and valet staff training “to ensure high standards and professionalism are in place at all times.” He confirmed the citations for the three women have been voided.

Bradley called the outcome a relief. “Thanks to KHOU we got a better outcome, thank you,” she said. She also called the experience a lesson, urging others to be mindful: “Pay with your credit card, take a picture of your valet ticket, anything to protect yourself, I think that would make a difference.”

Full statement from Power Parking:

“Power Parking manages the overall parking operations on site. As part of that, we contract out the valet to a reputable locally owned valet company, and we also use a third-party parking enforcement company.

At this location, we valet park over a thousand vehicles a month and over 10,000 vehicles self-park. We work very closely with the on-site retailers, including popular restaurants Haii Keii and Confessions. Many of these retailers provide 2 hours of complimentary self-parking.

There are times when a parker or on-site valet staff may make a mistake during the parking process, i.e., entering the incorrect license plate at checkout or staying longer than intended. If a complaint comes to Power Parking, we fully assess each situation. If Power Parking happens to be at fault, we are happy to accept responsibility for any errors and will void parking citations issued and/or provide refunds as needed.

In light of these recent complaints, we are currently reviewing our operational procedures to ensure they accurately reflect the current operations. This review will also address valet staff training to ensure high standards and professionalism are in place at all times.

Lastly, the customers impacted in this article have had their parking citations voided.”
— Ryan Hawken, Power Parking

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