Sofra St Christopher's Place

What can I say – this restaurant wouldn’t get a single star from me (but I have to put in something) and I never ate a single crumb!

I booked online on the website, for a table of 6 people at 7pm at the St Christopher’s Sofra and was quickly sent an email saying they would contact me a day before to confirm the booking. (Very impressive I thought) The contact was never made so about 1 hour and 15 minutes before the booking I decided that out of courtesy I would call the restaurant to double check it was still a booking and to let them know I was on my way.

When I called the restaurant the member of staff said that yes the booking had been made, and while he was talking to me I could hear that someone (probably the manager) was actually talking to him and telling him what to say and so as a result he wasn’t really listening to me (!) and then I was told that if I didn’t arrive on time the table would be given up after 15 minutes of the booked time. I pointed out that I thought that this was very bad customer service considering I was actually ringing them to CHECK that the booking was all ok as I was on my way, and that having never eaten at the restaurant (in fact I’ve never even booked at the restaurant) that I thought that being told that the table would be given up after 15 minutes was quite rude considering I was taking the time to double check my booking and was on my way! I said that if this was the way that they welcomed new clients to the restaurant then I was not really happy about it. He wasn’t really listening to me (the manager was STILL talking to him) and he repeated the information about the 15 minutes window, and then I said well I am on my way and will be there at the time of the booking.

I arrived with one of my guests 5 minutes before 7pm, the restaurant was very busy, and we were seated very quickly – one of my other guests arrived and so we were just waiting for a couple of other people. Houmos and bread was bought to the table, we had been there maybe 5 minutes, probably less when the manager came over to ask how we were, but quickly got onto the real issue he wanted to discuss which was how many other people we were expecting. I said we were waiting for 2 more people (and as it was only one less than the booking due to unforeseen circumstances we would still need the 3 tables to accommodate 5 people). The manager then asked me how many people we were “really” expecting (!!) – I said 2 more, to which he said – when are they arriving. When I said they were arriving soon. He said – but how late are they coming? Suddenly this perfunctory table visit had taken on the character of an inquisition – with the tone of the manager completely unnecessary and very rude. We are not rude guests, we are all in our late 30s and were chatting quietly, we had done nothing wrong, we hadn’t even started our meal, we had literally just arrived and we were being treated in a less than polite manner for apparently no reason. The manager then left us alone but having been given this dressing down for no reason at all we decided we would leave. We got up to go – obviously we had not touched the bread and houmos, and the manager came over and asked if we were leaving – I explained that I was not happy on 2 counts with the customer service I had received.

I recounted the experience on the telephone – he confirmed it had been him talking to the person who was talking to me on the phone, and I then pointed out that having had that experience I had still decided to come to the restaurant but having been treated this way by him that I had decided to take my guests elsewhere. He then addressed one of my guests, to which I pointed out that I had made the booking and therefore he should talk to me not my guests.

He then explained (in a very defensive manner) that he had had 2 sets of clients, who had booked tables that evening and who had failed to turn up for their tables and that was why he had emphasized the 15 minute window to me. (If this is an important issue then surely it could have been emphasised in the email I received?) I said that this was none of my business and that I had done nothing wrong, neither had my guests and that WE should not be subjected to such rudeness simply because other clients of his had failed to turn up for their booking. I pointed out that unlike those clients I had rung up IN ADVANCE to confirm the booking (something I wouldn’t have needed to do had the restaurant kept it’s promise to contact you a day prior to my visit to reconfirm your reservation.) Surely I said this showed him that I fully intended to come to my booking?! I also pointed out that we had arrived on time and that my other guests were on their way and that there was no reason whatsoever to penalise us with this awful welcome because other clients had failed to turn up for their meals. I pointed out that the restaurant was in the wrong on several points:
1 – that they had not confirmed
2 – that they had been rude on the phone (besides the fact that I was being treated like I was likely to not turn up when in fact I was being pro-active about contacting the restaurant with the 15 minute window – as well as the fact that while I was on the phone with someone I was barely being listened to because the person answering the phone had someone talking to him all the time while he was on the phone to me!!) That is not good customer service!
3 – that when we arrived ON TIME, the manager’s manner was disingenuous and insulting and that the failure of other clients to turn up for their booking should not in any way reflect on the way that I and my guests were received.

He again was very insincere, barely apologised and considering that the way we had been treated had nothing whatsoever to do with anything we had done an apology would have been a good thing. We got the distinct impression that he really wasn’t bothered that we had been treated badly – he just wanted to fill the table. He clearly felt no regret that brand new clients who had had no experience of the restaurant had had such a bad first impression – so we left and I can safely say that I have no desire to go back there and to be treated so rudely when there are hundreds of amazing restaurants in London that will treat a new client (and old) with wonderful welcoming manners and make me and my guests feel very welcome! We went instead to Grand Bazaar, round the corner at 42 James Street and had a marvellous evening!

I went there with my best friend onthe Wednesday night around 7.30, we sat outside. Everything seems to be great at first, starters were really good until the main course came. I had a rib eye steak (6 OZ), it was as thin as a wafer (like frying beef that you buy from Supermarket) , cold and dry. I sent it back and did not want a replacement. The waiter said, he was going to get a manager to come and speak to me. He disappeared for at least 30 mins, no one came to see if I was ok or even to just appologise.

I made a fuss right at the end with the manager who did not even speak English so another waiter had to be his translator. Anyhow, manager left inthe middle of the conversation and left me with the translator. He kept asking what he can do for me .. all I want was an apology from the waiter who served me.

Then the translator went and came back with at least 6 waiters and waitresses. Started to yell to get attention from other customer " everyone listens up, we all would like to apologise to this lady for our poor service.

What the H**l? It was so embassing and basically throwing the apology to my face. I couldnt beleieve the was happening!!! The manager said I can have all the meals for me, thanks very much. Defeating the purpose of the complaints. I paid and never, ever go back there again.

I went to your St Christophers place restaurant last Sunday for breakfast with a friend, as you are based next to Carluccios we debated going to carluccios but as we love to try new places and the menu sounded good we thought we'd give it a go. I can only describe it as one of the worst dining choices I have ever made. The restaurant was out of coffee and suggested i try there house special – nescafe, instead we decided to go for tea and orange juice, the orange just was when it eventually came out – about 15 minutes later was ok, considering it was from a carton and not freash (at the price and time it had taken we had assumed it would be fresh) about 5 minutes after that the tea arrived with UHT milk. We had placed our food order at the same time as the drinks order and the food arrived about 5 minutes after the tea (so 25 minutes after we had orderd). Well to start with the food that came up was not what we had ordered, we accepted it as we were very hungry byu this point however we should have taken the eariler poor quality drinks into consideration and avoided the food.

Eggs
1* poached – Rubbery and cold
1* scrambled – greasy, looked like a slightly chopped up ommlett again cold
Bacon – undercooked and cold
the portion of mushrooms was pathetically small the cooked tomato had gone cold, in other words the poor quality food was cold and badly cooked as well as not being what we had ordered. The drinks were disapointing, really who couldn't have gone out in the 20 minutes we waited for our tea to get some realy milk?

Overall one of the worst dining experiances I've ever had.