Disappointing Restaurant : (

[Smowball]

My son and his gf came to stay yesterday and they haven't been for so long so I wanted to take them for a really nice meal today. I booked one of Mr Smow and mines favourite restaurants. We've never even had a bad meal and it's a really quirky place so lots to look at. When we arrived we noticed straight away that it was absolutely freezing, literally so cold that nobody would take their coats off. I looked around and other people had also kept their coats on. I spoke to a member of staff who I'd never seen before and she said she was sorting it but it neved did come on.
Then the waitress came to take our orders. You would have never known she actually worked there as she was dressed in such a casual outfit that I honestly thought she was there for a meal or drink with a mate. She later arrived with the food and straight away my son spotted a hair on his basket of chips(he'd ordered beer battered fish n chips) . He shows us to check before he says anything and yes it is indeed a hair. Calls her over and she apologises and goes to get a fresh batch but by the time they come he's eaten the fish!
I didn't want to cause a scene with my son and gf being guests but If I'd been just with hubby I'd have been far more vocal.
Feeling v disappointed that the lovely meal I'd looked forward to taking them for was such an anti climax.

[ummmm]

That answer was to Bernie.

[Old_Geezer]

Folk are brave enough to send food back ?

Surely what you do is put up with it, write an appropriate review, and not go back ?

[mikey4444]

Don't agree OG....all that does is to allow the people that come after you to have the same bad experience.

[ummmm]

It's a hair for goodness sake. It's not like there was a bug in the food.

[Smowball]

Couldn't fault the actual food - it was as good as usual, just the whole atmosphere, the cold,even the staff didn't seem the usual ones, and looking back I don't think I even saw a manager at all. Like you all say just one of those things

[Old_Geezer]

Smowball had a list of complaints not just the hair, although for many a hair is sufficient. A bad review does not allow others to experience the same, it encourages the place to buck their ideas up and deters others who may not want to take the risk.

[Berniecuddles2]

i think the waiter or waitress who served the meal with the hair should have got 20 lashes disgraceful lol

[Islay]

OG you can't just write a bad review you should try and rectify it at the restaurant first, Smow should have asked to see the manager whilst on the premises.
She complained about a hair in the chips, that was sorted so why should she now write a bad review?
As for staff changing that's normal in the catering business it has the highest staff turnover.

[mikey4444]

OG....I have never gone on the 'net and researched a places reviews, before eating, and I suspect that many other people are the same. The reality of the visit by Smowy, is that unless the owners are regulars on AB, they will be unaware of any problem.

I am in favour of bringing up any problems immediately.

[Tilly2]

.....all over the table, Mikey? Bleurgh?

[ummmm]

I'm sure if the waiting staff had spotted the hair they would have removed it before serving the chips.

You only have to watch programmes like 'come dine with me' to see how often this happens.

It happens often in my house.

[Old_Geezer]

You can bring up problems at the time if you wish. It was the idea of sending food back to be adulterated that was the surprising part. And just because some folk don't check reviews it doesn't mean that everyone doesn't, folk still get warned, including the restaurant owner.

[ummmm]

Thing is with reviews, OG, is some people just like to moan.

I stayed at a hotel that someone gave a 1* review because it appeared to have a loose roof tile.

[Old_Geezer]

Oh and the idea that a waitress removed the hair, something easier done by yourself, so that means there is nothing to complain about in a review (especially where there are other issues) seems a strange viewpoint to me.

[Old_Geezer]

That's why one needs an explanation for the rating given rather than just so many stars, ummmm. Then the reader can judge for themselves.

[Cloverjo]

Regarding the coldness of the restaurant: it wouldn't have bothered me, but I have a friend that I dine with fairly often who wouldn't stand for it. She'd demand that the heating be switched on, and if it wasn't we'd all leave.
We have switched tables after the food has been served because she was in a draught. I don't know what she'd have done about the hair on the food!

[Dee Sa]

Recently went to a restaurant in Crouch End 6 of us, one meal the waitress brought the wrong food, we called her back and apparently there was a language problem and it was her first day so we said well just bring the food we had ordered she did so with a smile but when the bill arrived the saucy so &so had charged for both meals even though the "wrong" meal had not been touched !
A quiet word with the manager soon had our bill corrected, but a complimentary drink would have been nice and ensured of our return another time, we wont be going back.