We went to this restaurant for a Xmas treat. We’ve been going there for years and have always had a nice time. The restaurant has undergone a renovation and expansion adding extra seats and introducing some new staff. The restaurant looks pretty, the atmosphere is good, but they really pack the tables in and there’s little room for the staff to move around. We enjoyed the food, but the service lets the place down. We arrived at 8pm and the meal took 2 hours 30 minutes for 3 courses (no coffee). There was quite a bit of waiting before ordering and before the courses arrived. At the end we paid the bill including the service charge and quietly and politely remarked to the cashier that the service had been slow. A simple apology would have sufficed and been the end of it.
Regretably, the front of house “manager” took umbrage at our remark. A forceful defense followed including some remarkable promises to check the CCTV evidence over night.. Appallingly handled, and a sure way to alienate the customer. It's also house policy not to ask customers whether they are enjoying the meal and if everything is OK, which doesn't leave a good impression. Seems that kitchen is not able to handle the increased numbers, perhaps putting pressure on front of house. Friends of ours have waited an hour before ordering food on a busy night.
