Could I please have some sympathy for my very, very sad lunch experience?

[OompaLumpaLabrador]

DH and I hardly ever get any ( child free) time together. So, we decided today to take a could of hours out to have lunch together at the local smart gastropub-wotnot. We even put on our nice coats to wander into town. It was deserted so we sat down and ordered lovely sounding tapas. We sat politely and waited. And waited. And sipped our drinks. And suffered minor smoke inhalation from the rustic open fire. And waited. The staff (so many of them!) wandered about nattering. After forty minutes we politely mentioned we were on a bit of a tight schedule. Turns out our order mysteriously never made it to the kitchen (we could see the kitchen from our table, it was hardly a trek). They were moderately apologetic but still brought over a bill for our drinks. We were very English and left with a polite but chilly smile. My poor husband is American. I don’t think he has the social-cognitive architecture to process this lunchtime letdown. He can’t stop muttering about it. He will probably call his mum for a special conversation about this.

I was so looking forward to a nice lunch together. In the end, we both had an apple and a bit of cheese. I’m really quite sad now. And considering joining Tripadvisor.

Please send sympathy and and similar stories of lamearsed service.

100% leave them a bad review on google and trip advisor! That’s terrible service and they should be pulled up on it.

I used to never complain when I got bad service but my DP (rightfully) won’t stand for it and now I find myself complaining pretty often.

I’ll always leave positive reviews as well if I’ve had a good experience.

I think we’d all do better to complain a little more when things go wrong. I ordered my usual latte and when it turned up it was pale and froth less. I complained and got another. Apparently I’ve moved on from polite British seething. Wish I’d done it sooner beginning at crappy Starbucks 2002

Last Saturday at a fireworks event. My cousin and I waited in line in the freezing cold for some dirty donuts (loaded with cream and biscoff and other lovely stuff). The person in front of us gave up after about 20 minutes, but my cousin was determined he was getting these donuts. We ended up waiting in this queue for an hour. We finally got to the front, and then the guy serving told us that the oil was now too cold to fry them properly (he must have turned the fryer off I reckon just so he could finish). We literally just stood there open mouthed not knowing what to say. Disappointed is an understatement. It was so unfair 😭🤣

Just to balance it out
I use a local takeaway that do the best burgers, and I always get their sweet potato fries
They had run out out of the fries and I was
So they went to specially get me some, and sent me free chicken strips AND they always include a tub of pickles as they know my love for them

When I was celebrating a mortgage going through, they asked what I wanted and made up my own burger creation which I had suggested ages ago

I’m sorry that your DH didn’t break into the American Waldorf salad routine in Fawlty Towers, makes me laugh every time

A couple of years ago I took my parents on a heritage railway trip. There was an hour's break to have lunch at the turnaround. My parents are elderly and small eaters so just wanted a sandwich - spotted a cafe - job done. Ordered sandwiches off their menu, sat and waited ... and waited.

The cafe wasn't busy (with hindsight, I wonder why ) but it took 50 minutes for the sandwiches to arrive, despite a couple of chases. In the event we had to grab them at the last minute, hare back to the station and eat them on the train.

It could've been worse because at least it was a 'portable' lunch - but, 50 minutes for three sandwiches! Pathetic.

Service can be terrible in the UK. The worst one for me was last year when I booked a table in a pub restaurant (you had to book at that time due to covid regs). We dutifully turned up at our booked time of 1pm to be told the cook was on his lunch break and wouldn't be back for 45 mins! That explains why their restaurant side is always empty

@BeyondOurReef

He has clearly gone native. No American worth their salt would have sat there for 40 minutes and then agreed to pay for the drinks. They’d have assertively called over the waiting staff and asked what was taking so long.

What have you done to the man?

😂😂

There was another time when I went to Nandos with my mum and my Dsis. The chicken was obviously left under the lights for too long because it was rock hard and dry. When the server came round to ask if the meal was OK, they both said it was lovely even though they had been moaning about it as well. I said no, actually the chicken was not good but we were hungry after a fairly long wait so just wanted to eat. The server was lovely and apologetic after seeing the state of it and gave us a free dessert but my mum was scandalised that I had complained and I got an earful

I live in NZ - not over-the-top-American Service but I was shocked in UK.
Went to John Lewis as quite big busted and like Fantasie - very expensive in NZ . Was there about 10 am on weekday - heaps shop assistants standing around looking snooty. I asked could I have another opinion re sizing and fitting. They told me that they couldn’t do a fitting without an appointment. I looked at the 3 shops assistants. Put bras down , promptly walked over the road to bravissimo - couldn't have

been lovelier and same away with4 bras and 2 swimming costumes.
I keep hearing John Lewis is on the way out - it surprises me not.

You poor thing - but I did actually laugh out loud (in sympathy) for your husband. I hope his mum can provide the requisite level of outrage.

@Helpstopthepain

We need a word for word account of the conversation with his mum.

I’m sorry lunch was ruined op. Could you order a nice take away tonight?

You sound really sweet by the way.

Agreed, a full transcript is a must.

Laughing my head off at the whole of 'the North' being written off because of a bad experience in KFC and Pizza Hut, you sound ridiculous not least because they are national chains so bad experiences likely to be down to their resourcing and training as opposed to where the staff are from.

I once had a bad experience in a Tesco Express near London - I forgot I was meant to boycott anything South of Birmingham as a result.

Sorry about your lunch OP, that's very disappointing.

[quote spongedog]@OompaLumpaLabrador Fri 12-Nov-21 15:23:19

" ‘Can you imagine, I mean, can you actually imagine, that happening in the States?’"

No but other things do!! Presumably your DH has never ordered hot tea in a USA restaurant or watched you order tea? The cup of hot water arrives, followed hours later by the ceremonial box full of old wrapped tea bags proudly presented. I always politely smile, choose my beverage of choice and then ask for it and the cup of now cold water to be taken to the kitchen and for new boiling water to be poured on the tea bag.

I am always grateful and tip appropriately.[/quote]
Oh god. I wanted a second cup once and so they just brought me a cup of hot water and when I said “ah, I need a teabagtoo ?” they pointed to the used one on the side of my saucer and said “oh, don’t you use that one again?”. Seriously, no words 😂. That said, Dunkin Donuts do a very acceptable cup of tea. It probably helped that none of the staff in the Chicago one we went to were American.

I hate coffee so now I just drink energy drinks when I’m in the US to meet my caffeine needs without trauma 🤣

@ErrolTheDragon But American cider is so so much more than apple juice! It's got a depth and richness that cannot be described! Even "cloudy" apple juice here doesn't hold a candle to it. If you want alcohol, ask for "hard" cider.

This thread has cheered me up no end!
I’m sorry about all the woeful service people have endured. It truly has got much worse lately. This has been one of several unfortunate post-Covid and post-Brexit sad restaurant experiences for us. Oddly, I’ve eaten at quite a few places in London recently and the service has still been really good. It’s rural and town pubs that seem to struggle in my experience.

Ironically for a man who whitters endlessly about US apples, DH has recently played the world’s tiniest ( four trees) English heritage apple orchard. He researched them for two years and they arrived with great ceremony. Coupled with his frosty but silent reaction to bad service, and his recent purchase of a Barbour coat, we must conclude he has indeed gone native.

MIL ( who I have to say is a cracker, I can’t recommend West Coast MILs enough) has not been spoken to. However, the story has featured on the family WhatsApp and BIL has categorically assured us that we will not, definitely not, experience this horror in Greece ( where he recently moved). I’m sure MIL will reply in due course with a similar horror story about what once happened when someone from her stitching club went to Stockholm.

For balance, I want to give special mention to the amazing Sicilian restaurant we found in Bloomsbury past week (near the British museum) who, while full of families already, found a table for us last Saturday night and where the food and service were fabulous (wish I remembered the name!)

You need to do a Facebook review!!

I did this once after absolutely woeful service in a restaurant. Special steak night and all 4 of ours were over cooked and fatty, chips were cold and my salad looked like my face by the end of January (sad and depressed). No ladies toilets as they were flooded.

The owner called me on messenger after my review to invite us all back another night for free food and drinks so he could prove it was a one off. (It was and the free steaks were delicious!)

Last summer during eat out to help out, my family had been for a long walk and fancied a coffee and cake. We found a little cafe restaurant which was quite busy so we waited for a table. Looked at the menu and it was all "proper" food, kids were happy and wanted pizza / nuggets whatever but I only wanted coffee and cake

I asked for a dessert menu, waiter snapped at me "we don't have one". I asked about cake (I could see them!) and he said "I'm only going to tell you what cakes we have ONCE. Don't bother asking me again if you don't listen properly" then reeled off about 12 types of cake, then walked sharply away.
I was fuming but kids were hungry so we waited for him to come back and take our order. He didn't. He walked past us several times, cleaning tables, serving other people. Eventually DH said "scuse me we are ready to order" and he snapped "I KNOW sir" and walked away, but didn't come back!

I lost it at this point and stood up and loudly said we were going, and walked out. The kids were mortified 😂 they still talk about it now!

We went and got the kids some chips elsewhere but I never did get my coffee and cake!

Few weeks ago dp and I arrived at a lovely Inn with rooms. Checked in, went down for dinner. He ordered our food at the bar. Ten mins later had a wobble that he might have given the wrong table number. Went to check and was told it was fine, they'd find us. An hour later, still no food. He went to get more drinks and check but came back with the drinks saying he'd 'chickened out' of asking as it was a young lad behind the bar and he didn't want to complain to him. Ffs... I got up and asked, manager called over. No record of our order at all and chef has left for the night. They were however v v v apologetic and got us cheeseboards. I don't mind that things go wrong sometimes but it's how it's dealt with.

Oh and that was 'up north' too and everyone was lovely..

Once, years ago, DH & I went to a Pizza Hut on a retail park, as we were doing other bits of shopping & wanted to grab some lunch. Our car was parked nearby, so we popped back in between to put some shopping in the boot. When we got in there, nobody even greeted us for a good 5-10 mins, let alone sat us down or took any kind of order. So DH popped to the loo. Then we waited another 5 mins, then eventually left without a member of staff having even acknowledged us.

After that, we went into the carpet shop, where we spent 20 mins, then back to the car to head home. Only to find that somebody had thrown tomatoes at our car We surmised it must have been Pizza Hut staff as no other shop on the retail park sold food back then, in any way! Rather shocking, but kind of funny looking back

Please send sympathy and and similar stories of lamearsed service

Am I the only one who was seconds away from googling "lamearsed" (pronounced in my head as Lah-meersed) before realising the OP was saying "lame arsed".

@StormOfSekhmet

Went to a pizza hut up north, sat there, and sat there, other people came in after us and got served. When we finally got our order, it was cold. We complained to the waitress about the lack of service and cold food, the manager came over and shouted at us. He said we must not complain to the waitress. We got up and walked out. Another place, up north again - we sat there waiting to be served, the waiting staff were standing there talking. We asked for service, and were totally ignored. Got up and walked out. Went to another well-known chain, and every thing was fine. I contacted the head office of pizza hut, and they contacted the branch to find out what went on. The letter they sent me, made it sound like it was my fault. Another time, up north again!! I ordered a meal in kfc, ordered a drink with my meal, the drink didn't come. I politely asked where my drink was, the girl who served me was very rude, and said I didn't. I said I did, and walked off. Living up north was awful, never have I experienced such nasty, rude, aggressive people. I hated it, and was so glad when I moved.

This is quite brilliant. You went to a Pizza Hut "up North" and received poor service. Again in KFC. These 2 experiences mean "The North" is full of nasty rude aggressive people. Hilarious. But also revoltingly bigoted.

Sorry about your crappy lunch.
You're very funny though

I own a restaurant and sometimes there's a glitch in the system means the order won't arrive, it's absolutely mortifying, I would never charge for drinks and would actually give you a voucher for your next meal to make sure you come back and experience a better time!