The other day I visited a restaurant in Anglesey when I was working at the race track helping a couple of semi pro drivers with data whose team had privately hired the track for the day.
I was recommended this restaurant by the landlord of the local guest house I have decided to stay at for the umpteenth time (Prince Llewellyn guest house just a mile of so from the track.
From outside the restaurant was vey good looking and built in the style of a Huff house. The internal furnishings and decor were modern and completely out of character for the area in which it was situated. Being greeted warmly by the staff, they showed me to a table of which I had a few to choose from. Once seated I was asked what I wanted to drink and a menu was left with me to peruse.
I choses a prawn cocktail to start with and a Welsh beef steak as my main course. I know the selection lacked imagination, but it was a “safe choice”. Some time passed and duly arrived my starter. I was a little disappointed on its presentation as is was served in a short dumpy tumbler, especially as it was nearly £6! When the waitress came to my table and asked the obligatory question of “was everything ok”, I took the opportunity to give my opinion (politely) that the way in which it was presented lacked imagination and was akin to the way it might have been served up in the 70’s and not representative of it’s cost!
The waitress apologised and went to the kitchen to find out why it was served this way. Upon return she said that the kitchens had admitted to having a new employee working on the preparation of the starters and it was his inexperience that had caused the starter to be served this way. I didn’t need an apology, all I was trying to do was pass a comment that it just didn’t look right served this way and it didn’t look worth near £6.
All through this amicable discussion with the waiting staff I kept getting glared at by a woman seated in a group of 3 women at a nearby table. I couldn’t figure out why, but it wasn’t a glance, it was a glare.
Then the steak arrived which I had ordered medium to well done. Presentation was good with double cooked chips and some huge onion rings with a blob of herb flavored butter on the steak. Cutting in to the steak it looked a little bloody for my tastes but not too bad so I continued cutting it up and would have finished it had it been the same all the way through. Another slice in, and low and behold it was next to raw. I beckoned the waitress over and turned the plate around so that she could see the cut in the steak and I asked her is she remembered how I had asked for my steak to be cooked. Getting the ticket from the kitchen she confirmed that she had conveyed my request to the kitchen correctly. Looked to my left and again the woman was glaring at me.
The female manager came over, apologised and said that another one would be done fresh for me. She then stated that it would be on the house. At this I said NO, I wanted to to pay, I had no problem with paying for what I had ordered and I had not complained just to get a free meal!
Now all through this I was cool and collected and courteous to the waiting staff as its not my way to be rude first. But if they give me $hit, they’ll get it straight back with interest!
When I had finished my meal (more apologies from the staff) which had arrived properly cooked and nicely presented, I got up from my table and walked in the direction of the 3 women. When level with them another woman in the group asked me if I was a food critic? I politely responded no, but as I was being asked my opinion of this restaurant by friends that were visiting the area later in the month I was conscious of what I was being served and as it happened I was asked my opinion on the starter and had to send back my steak because it was not properly cooked. I then queried as to why she asked this of me and she responded “I though you were RUDE!”
Taken aback somewhat, I explained that I had not been rude and it was a matter of her opinion. I also stated that the conversation between me and the waiting staff has three components. Verbal communication, eye contact and body language. The last two she had not been privy to and so could not form an opinion on what had gone on.
She still maintained that I had been rude. At this point I was in two minds as to how to continue this conversation. So much so, that I went and fetched each of the waiting staff to her table and asked them if they thought I had been rude to them in turn. Each responded emphatically with “no”. Still unconvinced by all my witnesses, she still proclaimed that as far as she was concerned I had been rude. It was at this point that I walked away.
I wish I had shown her how rude I could be, but I didn’t, I stayed the gentleman!
What I want to know, is how would you have dealt this this situation. Don’t forget that your decision has to be made on the spur of the moment like mine was?
I was recommended this restaurant by the landlord of the local guest house I have decided to stay at for the umpteenth time (Prince Llewellyn guest house just a mile of so from the track.
From outside the restaurant was vey good looking and built in the style of a Huff house. The internal furnishings and decor were modern and completely out of character for the area in which it was situated. Being greeted warmly by the staff, they showed me to a table of which I had a few to choose from. Once seated I was asked what I wanted to drink and a menu was left with me to peruse.
I choses a prawn cocktail to start with and a Welsh beef steak as my main course. I know the selection lacked imagination, but it was a “safe choice”. Some time passed and duly arrived my starter. I was a little disappointed on its presentation as is was served in a short dumpy tumbler, especially as it was nearly £6! When the waitress came to my table and asked the obligatory question of “was everything ok”, I took the opportunity to give my opinion (politely) that the way in which it was presented lacked imagination and was akin to the way it might have been served up in the 70’s and not representative of it’s cost!
The waitress apologised and went to the kitchen to find out why it was served this way. Upon return she said that the kitchens had admitted to having a new employee working on the preparation of the starters and it was his inexperience that had caused the starter to be served this way. I didn’t need an apology, all I was trying to do was pass a comment that it just didn’t look right served this way and it didn’t look worth near £6.
All through this amicable discussion with the waiting staff I kept getting glared at by a woman seated in a group of 3 women at a nearby table. I couldn’t figure out why, but it wasn’t a glance, it was a glare.
Then the steak arrived which I had ordered medium to well done. Presentation was good with double cooked chips and some huge onion rings with a blob of herb flavored butter on the steak. Cutting in to the steak it looked a little bloody for my tastes but not too bad so I continued cutting it up and would have finished it had it been the same all the way through. Another slice in, and low and behold it was next to raw. I beckoned the waitress over and turned the plate around so that she could see the cut in the steak and I asked her is she remembered how I had asked for my steak to be cooked. Getting the ticket from the kitchen she confirmed that she had conveyed my request to the kitchen correctly. Looked to my left and again the woman was glaring at me.
The female manager came over, apologised and said that another one would be done fresh for me. She then stated that it would be on the house. At this I said NO, I wanted to to pay, I had no problem with paying for what I had ordered and I had not complained just to get a free meal!
Now all through this I was cool and collected and courteous to the waiting staff as its not my way to be rude first. But if they give me $hit, they’ll get it straight back with interest!
When I had finished my meal (more apologies from the staff) which had arrived properly cooked and nicely presented, I got up from my table and walked in the direction of the 3 women. When level with them another woman in the group asked me if I was a food critic? I politely responded no, but as I was being asked my opinion of this restaurant by friends that were visiting the area later in the month I was conscious of what I was being served and as it happened I was asked my opinion on the starter and had to send back my steak because it was not properly cooked. I then queried as to why she asked this of me and she responded “I though you were RUDE!”
Taken aback somewhat, I explained that I had not been rude and it was a matter of her opinion. I also stated that the conversation between me and the waiting staff has three components. Verbal communication, eye contact and body language. The last two she had not been privy to and so could not form an opinion on what had gone on.
She still maintained that I had been rude. At this point I was in two minds as to how to continue this conversation. So much so, that I went and fetched each of the waiting staff to her table and asked them if they thought I had been rude to them in turn. Each responded emphatically with “no”. Still unconvinced by all my witnesses, she still proclaimed that as far as she was concerned I had been rude. It was at this point that I walked away.
I wish I had shown her how rude I could be, but I didn’t, I stayed the gentleman!
What I want to know, is how would you have dealt this this situation. Don’t forget that your decision has to be made on the spur of the moment like mine was?
(they did get it wrong).