To think this is terrible service at a restaurant?

[videoclub]

Ordered food and drinks, it arrived and we were enjoying our meal. Then just a few minutes into it we were approached by a member of staff and told - this table is reserved and we have 10 minutes and then we need to go find another table.

Firstly there was no reserve sign, they’d forgot to put one on. When we asked if they were going to find us another table they said we needed to do that. She then came back 5 minutes later and dropped the reserved sign on our table.

When I complained I was told “she was following the managers orders”.

Quite poor yes @videoclub YANBU.

Last year, (October 2024,) DH and I went to meet some people for a meal (someone's 35th birthday) and a table for 10 was booked. For 10 of us obviously.

We got there, and they took us to TWO tables. One sat 8 people, and the 2 others had to sit on the table behind (a table for 2!) So the group weren't together. I mean we were sat near each other but not at a table together, so it was weird. The 2 at the table for 2 were kind of 'left out.'

Next to the table for 8, and the table for 2, was a big round table that could fit 10-12 people (with benches around, it and several chairs.) We had had it before when 11-12 of us have met up. Several of us asked 'can we have that table please? We don't want to be split up.' The waitress said 'that one's reserved.' (It was 6.30pm when we got there.) I said, 'well can we just use it until they come?' The waitress said no because they'll be here soon.

So we begrudgingly sat at the table for 8 and the table for 2!

After we had all eaten, we all squashed around the table for 8, to chat and have some drinks, and we were there nearly two and a half hours before half of us left (including DH and I.) NO-ONE came to that other fucking table. It was empty all night.

The waitress passed us as we were on the way out. One of our party said 'that large round table we asked for is still empty! You said the people who booked it were coming in a minute.' She just shrugged her shoulders and walked off.

We have not been since. They are losing a lot of trade from us too, as we go in groups of 8 to 16 people quite regularly (3 times a month on average.)

Yes it did. The problem was how they where spoken too and that absolutely nothing was offered to rectify the situation. If they haven't put a reserved sign on the table and had taken the order it was up to them to find them an alternative table. Service is a really big part of peoples experience when eating out, problems happen, but it is how its dealt with that matters. She is right to have found this really bad customer service.

Out of order. Leave reviews wherever they feature..FB/google etc.

Yes it was poor service, I would have politely asked to speak to a manager that was giving these orders and politely inform them (or the server if the manager didn't appear) it was their error and their responsibility to resolve and we were going to enjoy our meal exactly where we were.

The online review would have been factual but........robust.

2 couples seated near us had something similar happen, they said they wanted to book for 12.30pm but were told they would have to book for 12pm, which they did, the staff were not ready at 12 and it was 12.15 before they were seated, then nearly12.45pm before anyone took their order. Then when they were eating, a waiter dumped a large reserved board in the middle of the table, so they could barely see over it to chat to each other! They left in disgust, and told us and anyone who would listen, why they were leaving. The food was good, but they obviously over book and then expect the staff to manage the impossible!

I would have walked out if I was treated like that in a restaurant.

@videoclub YANBU OP and the 2% of voters who think you are clearly have very low standards when they go out to eat. You received appalling "service".

You’re not being unreasonable. They seated you, they served you, so you shouldn’t have been asked to move. That’s just bad management...

Well, you will never give them your custom again I should think?

No thats not acceptable

You must have more money than sense (or taste) if you think that's acceptable. I bet shit restaurant staff love people like you.

Both the gastro-pub (waitress service, wait to be seated) I worked in, the manager would have absolutely murdered us for asking a customer to move once we'd seated them, in that fashion.

The appropriate approach would be to apologise profusely for the error - offer another table thats already been secured and cleaned - comp a glass of something nice or a dessert in apology for the mix up.

Thats what you do to get people on side and keep them coming back.

Ordering them off the table with no apology is the way to lose customers.

When they initially asked you to move I would have just said: “no”.

It’s awful customer service, if course they should have either found you another table whilst apologising and maybe a free drink or found another table for the people who had reserved yours. They could have told the people who reserved it that there was a slight delay and given them a free drink while they waited. If you were already eating then it’s likely they wouldn’t have had that long of a wait. Eating out is expensive and you deserve good service.

But then Hawksmoor is a class joint. Expensive, but classy.
(I know there's more than one of them.)

By that token then (and admittedly extrapolating) if I threaten to punch someone in the face but then don't actually then no harm done? Words have meaning and effect.

I mean what would that have achieved? We’d already paid and hadn’t finished our food.

Who said mistakes don’t happen?

Mistakes happen all the time. It’s how you rectify your mistakes.

What if a hairdresser said I can finish your cut and wash but now don’t have time to blowdry because I have another customer coming in I forgot about. Is that ok?

This is exactly it, I’ve done hospitality work (kitchen and waiting on) before uni and it’s not easy but it’s also not that difficult to resolve an issue with the right attitude.

I had a terrible experience in Feb when I took my mum out to The Alchemist before we were going to see a show. They kept us waiting a fair while for the table, messed up and remade a cocktail 3 times, we ordered the same meal and hers was ok but mine was stone cold and had obviously been sat out. The wait staff kept taking drinks before we had finished them, not asking if we wanted another or returning when I tried to say I wasn’t done with that. We weren’t checked on once our food arrived. Eventually managed to flag down a waitress and explained and my food was genuinely untouched while Mum had nearly finished hers. She said they’d remake it but there wasn’t enough time after all the delays.

I just wanted them to take my meal off the bill as it hadn’t been eaten, they sent over the general manager who explained they’d had call-outs and a lot of staff were new and still in training. She comped the entire meal and drinks “in the hopes that we will come back on a better day and have a good experience” and apologised sincerely. Acknowledged it was a catalogue of errors. And I will go back there because she handled it beautifully and I genuinely didn’t expect that nor for the entire thing to be free.

@Sophabulous and you were also probably less likely to leave a bad review? I had an awful dish served to me once, it was literally a soggy, watery pizza base which was turning to mush. The waitress got the manager who apologised, asked me what I wanted instead. I said not another pizza as I’d been put off and asked could I just have chips. She brought me the biggest plate of chips I’ve ever seen (was only on the menu as a side) and didn’t charge for the pizza or the chips. Without her doing that I probably would have left a bad review but she handled it well.

Yes exactly, most people are appeased quite easily when they feel heard. This does sound like some customer service training is in order. Always the odd one who will kick off regardless but if you get it right most of the time the good reviews and reputation speak for themselves. I actually left them a good review citing the manager by name and how good she was. I think I’ve only ever left one bad review in my life and that was after weeks of trying to resolve an issue and being completely ignored via several communication channels including social media! Just wanted a replacement for a faulty item, it wasn’t like I was asking the earth 😂

At the Ivy busy chatting and eating our way through a huge shared bowl of delicious courgette fries as a starter. Suddenly the waiter appears, looking anxious, apologises, apparently our mains order hadn’t gone through the system which was why it was delayed, but was on the way and would be there in minutes ! We hadn’t even noticed 🙂 Free cocktails and they took the price of one of the meals off the bill. As Mr Punch says “That’s the way to do it.”

With an apology and some offer of compensation fine, bit if rude then wouldn't be happy. Going out for a meal is quite rare for many people ao service is important.

Oh, I didn't realised you'd paid upfront. Must read thread again (properly this time)

Why would you have paid before finishing? Did you pay up front?