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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Restaurant

38 replies

Busymomof3 · 29/12/2024 10:43

Dear other moms.

So went for a lovely meal to catch up with friends yesterday for the xmas.
Meal was lovely however the service was very bad.
There was an awful draught in the door asked could we be moved they said no as fully booked fair enough!
Waitress closed inner door which helped with that.
Anyways we ordered our food and drinks.
No one came to see how everything was at any point?
We had to get their attention a few times as they forgot to bring portion of chips.
Then my rose wine was gone off!!had to grt their attention again.
They gave me a different drink on the house.
That was fine then we had get their attention again for a dessert menu.

And yet again for more drinks and tea.
Yes came on good time.
My and 1 other friend had gin they took over 20 mins to come with these!!
Then says girls ye only have 10 mins now and we need table we were surprised as they let us order more drinks?
2 mins later another waiter says ye only have 5 mins now!!and thing card machine for us to pay!
One of the girls is regular there she was shocked at this!!

We paid Bill and left and had one more drink at a bar nearly.
We went back to complain and girl made out they didn't mean to Insult us!I understand that maybe only have table for 2 hours but why let us order more drinks and basically ask us to leave??

Are we been unreasonable here?

Busy mom of 3

OP posts:
Bodeganights · 29/12/2024 11:47

I book tables online when needed and most places say in the information that it's a 2 hour thing. My favourite pub gives you an option of 2 or 3 hours when you book. Which is great when it's a big crowd, because they always take longer than just two people. Still sounds like shit service. Vote with your feet, dont go again.

derbiee · 29/12/2024 11:41

What has being a mother got to do with this?

Busymomof3 · 29/12/2024 11:37

Dear olive Leader.

I totally agree with you there.
Definitely they were short staffed for sure but we should have been informed at beginning of meal about 2, hour rule
They shouldn't have let us order more drinks it should have been said before we ordered them that we only had 10 mins left.

OP posts:
Busymomof3 · 29/12/2024 11:35

No we didn't know there was set time til afterwards I don't get out much so not used to this new 2, hour rule but will know for next time.

OP posts:
Busymomof3 · 29/12/2024 11:33

Sorry my apologies i should have said dear readers.
I do think the waiter should have waited a little longer and they shouldn't have let is order more drinks then ask us to leave?
Of course I get it's very busy time of year.

OP posts:
OliveLeader · 29/12/2024 11:23

Sounds like pretty rubbish service - becoming more the norm though! If they needed your table back after two hours they should have told you at the start of the meal or when the table was booked, not ten minutes before they needed you to leave, and it sounds like service was slow and inattentive.

Brexit and covid both did a number on the quality of restaurant service in my opinion. The quality has declined seriously in the last few years and all too often restaurants are staffed by too few people - who haven’t had the right training, are badly underpaid (but overworked), and dealing with unfair pressure from customers and their own management. It’s not their fault that service is poor, they’re doing their best in a bad situation usually, but it’s generally not a great customer experience.

hopeishere · 29/12/2024 11:18

Did you know you only had the table for a set amount of time?

Chemenger · 29/12/2024 11:14

Sounds pretty normal to me. If you want drinks after a meal where there is a fixed time slot it would be better to plan to go on to a bar. I would only have a coffee after a meal and usually not even that. More usual to have a G&T before while waiting for the starter.

MermaidEyes · 29/12/2024 11:08

Just sounds to me like another busy restaurant over Christmas with not enough staff. The 2 hour rule for most restaurants has been a pretty permanent thing since Covid.

RupertCampbellBlacksEgo · 29/12/2024 11:08

All sounds standard for a restaurant at its busiest time of year. 🤷‍♀️
(Not a mom)

NobleDeeds · 29/12/2024 11:00

None of that sounds particularly out of the ordinary for a busy, fully-booked restaurant — not attentive service, absolutely, but you surely understood that a busy restaurant would be turn8 g tables over Christmas?

ilovesooty · 29/12/2024 10:57

Are those of us who are not mothers permitted to form an opinion on your experience?

TheAzureBiscuit · 29/12/2024 10:45

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