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Bad service in restaurants

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awg

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25 September 2007
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Just wondering what people think is the acceptable amount of time one should wait for food in a restaurant before becoming cranky?

Went out last night and had the most appalling service ever experienced, actually walked out after not having one bite to eat after 2 hours

Admitedly it was a busy Sat night, but I felt 1 hour after yr order is placed, you may enquire politely about the progress.

The wait staff were equal to the worst I have experienced ( and that was over 30 yrs ago), and never once came to my table willingly all night.

They continually, blatantly lied about our meal being ready in 5 minutes, so after 90 minutes, I asked to see the manager, who proceeded to impersonate Manuel from Fawlty Towers.

After 2 hours I asked for the drinks bills so we could leave, they kept playing games so we walked out, the manager graciously waived our $20 odd drinks bill as I departed.

3 ladies and myself, all very well behaved, no swearing, sober.

I once waited that long for a meal (again over 30yrs ago)

Am I justified in being annoyed, or is this standard for trendy restaurants??

( I usually eat out on nights other than Fri or Sat for this reason)
 
Your best revenge is to write the facts (copy and paste your post will do) on www.eatability.com.au.

I am often surprised how easily influenced I am by a single bad review on that site.
 

IN my humble opinion the avarage service level inOz lies somewhere between poor and atrocious. Ranging from couldn't care less i-pod kids who don't know anything about what their restaurant or shop serves - to the tourist strip shop or restaurant owners &/or managers who just love the money...but appear to actually hate people who expect a modicum of service and value for their hard earned.

Having spent a few years in Japan - I had a bad case of "home culture shock" almost every time i went into a restaurant here on my return. "Service with a grunt" is the norm ... sadly.

However - it makes a truly memorable experience when you do occasionally come across great service and I make sure to compliment them on it and tell them how much different it makes to the customer.

Waiting Time - I think you did well to last that long - esp if the staff are pissing you about with lies etc. Busy night or not - if they can't handle the number of customers in the shop, they should politely tell you that the meals will be slow coming for whatever reason, and suggest a night when you could come back and have a drink on the house with your meal.

... imagine if they did that at the start - you'd have a new favourite restaurant if you returned and had a good experience!
 
Once your in a situation where you have to complain in a restaurant you are in the no win zone, so better to leave rather than complain.
 
lol..small update..i rang the joint this morning to see if i could score myself and the mrs a free night out, by emailing the manager.

The same poor tired bastard answered the phone from last night.

I am sure he is the owner..i felt sorry for him and just hung up.

I left out many amusing details of just how bad the service was for brevity.

They will be out of business soon I suspect.

Good idea about the Epost of restaurant reviews SKC, if thats what it is.

If i get bored, on second thoughts, I might see if I can cadge a freebie, and if he wont, I will get to polish my Restaurant Review skills
 

Went to this Greek place once for a work dinner with the mrs. Took well over two hours to serve us, was utterly absurd how long we waited. Conversation with the mrs's boss was awkward until the traditional music and such started up. Torturously loud, torturously long. Horrendous audio visual assault. We literally could not hear the person next to us. It was baffling that people actually chose to come here knowing what they'd get. Nothing to do but stare across the table & try to minimize eye contact with people I barely knew. All the while waiting for food, dodging the belly dancer's attention as she tried to get various patrons up and dancing. The other customers seemed to enjoy it, they got in a big circle, with the waiters, and did this kicking-legs type dance. People let off fricking crackers inside, loud loud loud. Meanwhile where's the damn food? I wanna go home for chrissakes.
 
This is at a bit of a tangent from the topic but not worth starting a new thread.

I needed a gift for a couple who have everything they need.

Went into a popular seafront cafe that's open only for breakfast and lunch and asked if they had gift vouchers. "Certainly", was the reply.

OK, great. May I please see one?

Oh, well we don't actually have vouchers but we can do one up for you on the computer.

OK, that's fine. How long will it take and what will it look like? I'd like a simple card, such as will fit in an ordinary greeting card envelope, with your cafe photo at the top, and simple wording e.g. cafe service to the value of $XXX underneath.

Absolutely. We can do that easily. It will be about five minutes.

OK, I'll go for a walk and come back.

Owner: oh, but before I actually do it, I will need you to pay me the amount of the voucher.
(Now I'm a bit taken aback at this, imagining I'd hand over the money when he gives me the actual item, but OK, that's all right. Hand over the credit card.)

Come back in 15 minutes. He is still poring over the computer. He has brought up some hideous picture in all pink with two doves fluttering around each other. It is nauseating. I reject it. Repeat I want a simple photo of the establishment with its name and the amount of the voucher.

OK, he says.

I stand around for another 15 minutes and he clearly has absolutely no idea what he's doing. Eventually I ask for my money back, it is given, and I leave.


Drive further down the beach to a similar cafe, go in and repeat the request.

Oh certainly we have vouchers, says the smiling receptionist and produces a business card with a felt pen inscribed line on the back saying "To the Value of $.....". Whacko! Really, really impressive.

However, I'm tired and late so agree to buy one and specify the value.
Then just as she's about to write it in, I think I'd better check that if the customer doesn't use the entire value in one lunch, then can claim the balance on a subsequent visit?

Oh no, she says. They can't do that.

Why not, I ask?

They just can't.

But why not? That's how vouchers usually work.

They just can't.

And so on.

I left.

Constantly retailers and cafe/restaurant owners are whining that their businesses are struggling and blame interest rates.

Well, I'd say if you can't provide a basic customer service it's no damn wonder your business isn't profitable. Just can't believe the stupidity and incompetence.
 

Yes, you are correct. If they were not setup for it in the first place they should have just said NO, instead of trying to please you with the bad attempt.

Julia, in my opinion, it's quite "old school" to think that retailers actually care about their customers...
 
Going back on restaurateurs, many of these dopey bastids don't understand:

1/ Many of us can cook better than their lousy chef

2/ We can buy the bottle of rubbishy woobla for a quarter of the cost at the bottlo

3/ How fickle their customers are.

4/ And the reason we go to restaurants.

Even if the food is great it can be tainted by little things that piss you off.

e.g. the Maître d' looks at his watch as you walk in at 8:20... #### off do you want our money or not? (I have learnt to turn around and walk out when this happens)

Disinterest - their attitude is eat up, pay us and #### off.

Small portions - Nothing irritates me more than having to raid the fridge after a night out.

Having to pay extra for some miserable vegetables... which you know must have been the cheapest at the market that day.

Egocentric owners - Listen mate, I'm paying you money so you can make me feel special, not to inflate your ego.

Being unrecognised when you come back a couple of times.

It's a tough business, but these clowns go broke because they don't understand the business they're in.

It's not just about the food.
 
Had to wait almost 3 hours at a Mexican/Texan restaurant for our main meals. There were 8 of us and by the time the meals came we were the only ones left in the place...To top it off the food wasn't even that nice...
 
What an interesting thread! I agree with all of you. My wife and I have given up on restaurants for all the reasons above, we now only eat at buffet places as we know that at the very least we will be full in the end.

Went to place at Manly Wharf once (forget the name) and I ordered a steak. Not only did it take a fair while to come out it cost $33. There were hardly any veggies or salad on the plate and the potatoes consisted of probably half a spud being shaved and deep fried. I was still hungry after my meal!

As for service, Australia is woeful in general. I travel a heck of a lot O/seas and there is nothing better than getting table service in a bar or restaurant. You don't have to join the queue, pay first, get a beeper or a pole with a number on it then sit about trying to eye off a better table to sit at while you are waiting for your beeper to go off. It's funny here, you go to a bar, queue up to by a beer and it's like you are a problem to the staff member! Glasses and dishes stay on the table until you ask the bar useless to clean it up...... No wonder I don't go out much here in OZ anymore.
 
To counter the bad initial tone of the thread

I can strongly recommend Lizottes ( In Newcastle), if you are ever up this way

They feature many great musos, and performers

You get a full dinner if you want

fantastic service and good food, really excellent management.

Hope to see Ian Moss soon

The performers all say it is a unique venue
 
Unfortunately good service is the exception rather than the norm these days - with all businesses.

I waited two hours for the Gunners to start playing the other day....lol
 
you reckon AUS is bad, try and get beetroot on your hamburger in the US
 
Tantes Restaurant

Marine tce Geraldton WA

Brilliant food, Brilliant service, Briliant portion sizes, Fair priced.

Blessem
 

As a callow youth this sometimes occurred to a group of mates of mine who enjoyed drinkin, eatin and gaddin aboot.

One of our members had an answer for this sort of behaviour in restaurants, also in pubs if we didn't get served in a reasonable time.

His mate would go up to the maitre d and say that my mate had a serious medical condition whereby if he didn't get his entree, meal or drink within a specified time, he would have fits.

As he said this to the poor bastard he would specify the time at which the fit would start.

If the meal didn't arrive on time, my mate would have one, quite an impressive one.

In those days they didn't have mobile phones so no ambos were ever called.

But the next time we ever went back to that restaurant or pub, we'd always get served on time.

Don't get mad with these pissants, just get even. Or go somewhere else as wayne so wisely advised.

gg
 
Very hard to get good service just about anywhere these days let alone a restaurant.
 

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If we had a tipping culture service would improve drastically. ATM there's no incentive for staff to provide good service, they'll get paid $22/hr anyway.
 
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