The Moon & Sixpence

Brian B. ( 40s, Male )

Sent this letter below to the owner of this place after we visited the place in October ……They never even replied……

AVOID THE PLACE AT ALL COSTS!!!

This place is very poor from a customer service point of view and the bar is very cramped and they are trying to do too many things in the one venue!

Last week I called your bar and booked a table in the restaurant for Saturday evening and was informed by the guy who took my booking that the “Early sitting, 7-7.30pm was fully booked but he could get me in if I would accept a table at 9-9.30pm sitting”.

I was told if I got to the bar at 9pm I would be immediately seated once someone had left from the first sitting. I arrived with my wife at 8.50pm and told the guys behind the bar I had a table booked for 9-9.30 pm and they all said fine no problem have a drink at the bar and we will let you know as soon as a table in the restaurant free.

The bar was very busy and lots of people arrived and went through to the restaurant (including two other couples) but we were left in the bar so at 9.20pm we asked one of the girls behind the bar what was happening and she said they were awaiting someone to clear the table and we would be seated as soon as they can.

At 9.40pm the guy I had originally introduced myself to when I arrived an hour earlier came over to us and asked if we would accept a table in the bar as the people in the restaurant had still not left and could be another half an hour!

At this point my wife said no and given it was close to the time when you stop serving food (10pm) it seemed completely pointless. The guy who we assumed was the bar/restaurant manager then snapped back “It was not his fault that no customers wanted to leave, as it was a Saturday night and people were enjoying themselves”.

We looked at each other in disbelief, and immediately pointed out that either you have two sittings or you don’t, and told him we were outraged that we had booked a table on what we thought was the second sitting and it turns out no such arrangements were in place.

We visit Whitby several times a year and have eaten at the Moon & Sixpence several times before without booking, but as we were in Whitby this weekend and we like the bar, we thought it was worth taking the late booking an arranging our evening around the later eating time.

The bar manager on Saturday night was a complete idiot and totally out of order and more or less indicated it was our fault and considering he works in the service industry had no tact, diplomacy or empathy and we were left stranded.

We left the bar but as you can imagine in Whitby at 10pm on a Saturday night you are not going to get into another of the restaurants to eat at this time.

In our opinion the service was terrible at the Moon & Sixpence and we want to make you aware of the disappointment of two of your customers at the treatment we received, which ruined our Saturday night.

I have been to hundreds of restaurants and bars all over the world and in my experience if you have two sittings and you tell customers situations like the one we experienced with your restaurant on Saturday are avoided.

The bar manager was an ignorant, arrogant clown and would be better served working at a fast food restaurant like MacDonald’s and not in a good food restaurant like the Moon & Sixpence.

Hopefully if you and your staff are aware of the impact their actions have on the customers you will not lose business and leave customers in such a terrible situation in the future.

Perhaps you can look into the matter and find out why we were treated so badly when all we did was book a table at your restaurant.

Our evening was completely ruined and we were left with nothing to eat and no where to go, but what annoyed us most of all was the attitude of the staff at your restaurant and the fact that other people were sent straight into the restaurant despite arriving much later than us.

If you wish to speak to me about this my mobile number is **********
but feel free to write to me at my home address.