Should I email??

[PrincessMiaToYou]

Really love a certain restaurant in London, used to go there a lot. Wanted to make it in time for brunch today with some friends for a special occasion so got there before 12 (as per website), maybe 11.45/50? We'd travelled from quite far away. When I got in I asked for the brunch menu, only to be told quite abruptly brunch had ended. The lady on front of house then gestured to me to stand to one side (bit unprofessional I thought) while she tended to other customers... Was just there standing like a lemon for a couple of mins. She was quite dismissive.

The lunch menu is about double the price of what we wanted to spend on brunch (and not as nice!) so we left it. It also wasn't just me cutting it fine re. timings as a couple came in just after me only to be told the same.

Should I email them saying anything? I don't want to sound like an entitled twat or complain but feel they should adjust their hours in their website, it was really annoying to be there before the stated time and then be dismissed without an explanation...

Yes, do email them. They lost customers as a result of the rudeness of their front of house staff, and they need to know that.

We had that the other day, insisted on seeing the manager. Got our brunch but the chefs were not happy!! I suggested they change their board to 11:45..

You'll probably get a free meal

How is it worded? If it says it's served until 12pm, I'd be expecting to need to have ordered by then.

Aw thanks everyone, thought I was being a bit u actually! To be fair to the lady on front of house, I didn't say anything at the time, was quite shocked. She wasn't rude as such; just quite unprofessional I thought

Anyone any good at starting letters like this? Don't know what to say to get an adequate response haha Short and to the point I'm thinking

It says "kitchen hours: 7.30-12" anchordown

I'd say something like:

I recently visited your restaurant, as it's a favourite of mine. I was looking forward to introducing my friends to your brunch menu but I was disappointed to be turned away

I suggest that the wording on your website is misleading. If you expect customers to have ordered by a certain time then I suggest you ought to make that clear, or otherwise change you stated 'brunch' times to end 30 mins before the kitchen stops making that meal.

Or something along those lines.

Tbf if brunch finished at 12 I would I'll expect to have, had to ordered by 12.

I would have arrived before 11.50am. 10 minutes isn't long to sit down order drinks and then food.

If brunch is served until midday I think sitting down at 11.50 is too late. I would expect it to mean they stop cooking brunch at 12 and they wouldn't gave even started yours by then, once you'd all been seated, drinks order taken. I think you should have arrived about 11.39 or so.

That said, she was rude so whether you complain about that is something different really.

Or arrived at 11.30 or so ... 11.39 is a bit precise. Flipping fat fingers getting the wrong keys

I would email, it sounds like it was the staff attitude that was half the problem. If they have a 'last orders taken' time then they need to make that clear.

The lady you described was only as abrupt as the situation needed. Of course she wasn't going to sit you down for brunch when the cooks were just finished serving. If we are going out for food, generally we arrive at least 30 mins before the advertised end time of that particular service.

I probably wouldn't email just get there earlier next time. You say you 'arrived before 12 11.45/50 maybe' so you aren't sure. Perhaps it was slightly even later than that.

Where I used to work we served brunch until 11.30 but you had to be seated and ordered well before as it was really busy.

You'll probably get a free meal

A couple of years ago, MrsLH and I went on a long drive, and on the way back decided to treat ourselves to a real one-off country pub meal (not a chain).

After a nice meander, we came to a large pub, with a massive sign saying "food all day". We parked up, messed around unfolding wheelchair etc, and wheeled in (the fact we were walking against a tide of people should have alerted us). It was about 5pm

We got to the bar to be told that despite the sign saying "all day", they wouldn't be serving until 6:30.

Annoyed, on return home I emailed, and basically got back a reply saying (in essence)

"Sorry, but you clearly aren't the sort of customer we want, if you are hung up on trivia like serving hours when the quality of our food is so brilliant. Furthermore we realise that you were passing through and even if we made a gesture it would be wasted, so we won't bother. We hope you found a establishment more suited to your lifestyle soon after."

So no free meal, but a telling off. It's one of those occasions when you want to complain to the manager. Only this is the manager (cue Fawlty Towers: "I am the owner, Madam."). MrsLH said it was only fair I meet someone as grumpy as me sometimes

Lurking, I hope you put a truthful review on TripAdvisor.

I think a bit of common sense tells you that arriving that late you probably won't be able to order from that menu ?

I wouldn't put a review without giving them a chance to redeem themselves, it could have been a one-off situation or something they are willing to put right if made aware of.

Online reviews can be so damaging to a business and the business owner may not be aware of this and how it is damaging his/her reputation.

I would send them the email, give them the heads up about the situation and how it made you feel and see what their response to that is first.

Lurking, I hope you put a truthful review on TripAdvisor.

I wasn't signed up then ... besides they were spot on - I was never going to go back anyway. However, I did sign up a few months later after a truly dreadful stay at the Rudloe Arms. As you can see, I can hardly be accused of being a grump there.

I'd email and ask them to change the wording to something like 'last orders 11:30' or whatever.

But i would still expect if something is served until 12 that ordering it at 5 to - at the very earliest, given that it takes time to be seated, order drinks etc - is ambitious! If it was a special occasion why not make the effort to get there 20 minutes earlier so there's no problem?

I think YABU to expect a crowd of people, meeting for a special occasion to be able to place their orders within 10 mins of arrival in a restaurant. Sounds like you wanted lunch at lunch time, but at brunch prices

They don't need to add last orders times to their site, anyone with half a brain knows that if they stop serving brunch at 12, you can't expect to turn up for it at 11.50. To serve it before 12 needs more than ten minutes to sit, look at the menu, order, and have the kitchen cook it.

Why would she leave a bad review? She said herself the host wasn't rude.

She didn't eat but obviously the food is great and that's why she wanted to eat there.

A damaging review for this would be bad form IMO

It's almost as though "Serving hours 9:00-12:00 (last orders 11:30)" is too much ?

When you stay in a hotel and breakfast is served from 7-10 if you arrive down at 9.58 you still get breakfast.
If it said brunch was until 12 then they should take brunch orders until 12 pm.

I am sorry but if I had arrived at 1150 I would have known that I was chancing it and would have started off with an apology to the front of house, I would probably have considered the lunch menu because at that time of day where would you have found another Breakfast option? Other than an all day breakfast on a pub menu.