Wagamama

[Stoveding]

Aibu to think they are not a cheap restaurant and therefore could afford to have a decent number of waiting staff.
The service is ok, but the levels of stress of waiting staff seem to be off the scale. They are like blue assed flies poor things, and I always feel awful when I have to get their attention for something.
Aibu to think the nations favourite restaurant could use some of their bottom line profit to make their workers job less awful?

Is it really the nation's favourite restaurant?

It might have changed by now but it was a few years ago.

Love how mumsnetty your missing the point was!

I don't blame the staff but it's an utter farce. Every time we go we've never all eaten at the same time. Food comes out randomly as do drinks. Something needs to change. The food isn't even all that good. An utter farce.

The food was always meant to come out when it’s ready, rather than all together. Do they not warn you about that any more?

Love how mumsnetty your missing the point was

She’s not the only one, I heard screeching of tyres as soon as I read, nations favourite restaurant. I had no idea.

Despite my username, I've never been.

Sorry op

I go there all of the time but I had no idea it was seen as the nation's favourite.

The ones we go to in London always seem pretty well staffed.

We were taken there by one of the children a few years back. It’s fine for a quick, fast food lunch when shopping but I’m not sure I’d even call it a restaurant. It’s an Asian themed cafe.
The food was OK.but all very similar. The tables were communal without proper seats. We ended up next to a family with the most appalling manners. Quite put us off watching children picking at their food with their fingers, eating with their mouth open and talking very loudly. Parents meanwhile were on their phones, not attempting to correct behaviours.
The food all came at different times so we ate separately, in effect.
Strange place which we haven’t returned to.

Its ok. Service never a problem for me. I do find it overpriced but its usually a good meal. I often go to chains and vow never again but it hasnt hit my shit list yet.

Places i think arent worth it: TGI, yo sushi . Cafe rouge is meh. I recently ate at a hungry horse and even though cheap swore never again, utter shite. Fed up of burger places. Pizza express is ok, food good but service slow. Carluccios is expensive and not very good italian food. Barburrito good. Nandos expensive but usually good food, dont go very often as its samey. Pesto is good. Prezzo is awful and im never going again. Frankie & Bennys only worth it with a deal and food isnt stellar.

Soooooo..... 'mamas= best of a bad bunch.

I loved it until I had to go gluten free. They have almost nothing for me these days.

Iv never heard it named as the nations favourite restaurant. A bit of a generalisation isn't it.,,?
It's certainly not mine.

The food is supposed to come out at different times - they do usually tell you that after you've ordered. Also I've never experienced too few staff to the degree the OP says, it can be busy at peak periods but they always seem to have ti covered.

Make mine a ginger chicken udon.

The one close to us is staffed well enough too. I'd also be surprised if it was the nations fave restaurant.

The food is nice enough but I really dislike the concept of the fact the food comes out when it's ready, if I go out to eat with people I want us to eat at the same time, not have someone eating whilst everyone else watches and waits. It's not a relay race.

Useless fact, Wagamama means selfish in Japanese. Seems a strange name for a restaurant.

Slightly different times I could cope with but the only time I went mine came out 10 mins after my colleague had finished. Never went back.

Mmmm Wagamama....

Mine is always well staffed. We have been known to manage starter, main and dessert within 30 minutes there!

It's never really bothered me that the food comes out at different times. I'd rather have my meal when it's fresh rather than have it sat keeping warm.

We go all the time.

The kids love it. It's relatively healthy compared to other 'quick' goody places. We even bought the cookbook and make our favourites at home. It's introduced the dcs to ideas of different dishes/flavours/bit of spice.

My Dsis lived in Asia for 15 years and really likes it!

Our local one is staffed well. They always warn you that the food is brought out as soon as it's cooked. It's never been as massive wait for us though 🤷🏻‍♀️

I read an article in the Guardian a few months ago about it being the most popular restaurant chain so went there to see what was so remarkable about it. I just didn’t get it, the food could have been a supermarket ready meal and the seats were uncomfortable. The service was ok though.

"Nations favourite"?

Mediocre.

It's very Asian to bring food as it's ready and not altogether to the table so I like the authenticity.

I hate the food not being served at the same time. I go to a restaurant to enjoy a meal together with people, not watching someone eat and then having them watch me later. Wagamammas is not for me.

Never had a massive wait between meals but it is always awkward eating when the person facing you isn’t, I’d rather wait which defeats the object of having it when it’s piping hot!

I love Wagamama though. Been to a few different ones over the years, ones in London are the best. There’s two in Leeds and one is definitely better than the other. One in Leeds had ‘run out of Katsu curry’ which is an utter travesty.

I hate the layout.... I don't want to sit on a bench and hear the conversation opposite or next to me.

We used to like to food though until my DD got terrible food poisoning from one near Gatwick airport. She was flying on holiday the next day and spent the first 3 days of her holiday with her head down the loo.

Only visited once, before DH and I were married and I chose our date venue. Never again! How it was ever a favourite f anyone Is beyond me. Grotty long tables we had to share with strangers, it was like a school canteen, not a nice restaurant.

I will never return so I really couldn’t care less about the staff.

I don't know anyone that likes Wagamama's, i have been once, didn't like the bench style seating, or the way the food just arrives when it's ready - i think it's rude to start eating when not everybody at your table has their food.

I like Wagga's but I always ask for a proper table, I don't sit comfortably on those crappy benches. I don't care if they are meant to be authentic.

Also, ours has always told you the food comes out at different times, unfortunately this meant at the Trafford Centre one, my food didn't actually arrive at all, and when I complained (DH had eaten both his choices) they brought it out and it wasn't what I ordered, so they did it again and the chicken was missing.

Fair play to the manager though, he gave us our drinks free and by the time I had managed to do 3 large glasses of red.