Dining out...

You know there are somedays that you just eat out because - well you feel like it really, other days there is an occassion you are celebrating. But eating out should be a pleasure and not a chore! Ok - yes it costs money (more or less depending on where you go)... But there is no washing up and no preparation. I must admit when I eat out I try to go somewhere that does food I can't make, or food that takes a lot of preparation.

But the one thing I do insist on is good service and good food - as I said above "I am paying for this" and I expect it to be right... So, when it all goes wrong, yes, I will complain. Yes, I will speak to the manager... and yes, I will contact the parent company.

This is a link to a really good "Top 10 tips" to a successful complaint when eating out, though I suspect it will work for most complaints... --> click here for the article!

Now here is a story about a recent meal out I had... yes I followed the advice in the article... My meal was free and I have received vouchers from the restaurant to the value of double my meal.

• Arrived @ 8.30pm
• Server finally spoke to us @ 9pm - to take a drinks & food order
• Server forgets drinks order and asks someone else to get it... this arrives @ 9.15pm, she was too busy dealing with two larger tables.
• Starters arrive @ 9.45pm
• Mains arrive @9.50pm while the starters are still on the table being eaten
• My main meal had pickles on the burger which I had clearly stated must not be there as I have an allergy to them.
• Server offers to change the tomato part of the burger, this is no good anything that has touched pickles will make me ill.
• Server then informs me it will be a while for another burger - is this ok? (This was a rude comment from the server...) My response it is yes that's fine or I am very ill
• My dining companion finishes his meal - with no sign of my replacement burger or any contact from the server.
• I ask to talk to the manager - I wasn't allowed to do this, the server comes back over and again rudely tells me the burger will be a while @ 10.15pm
• My replacement burger finally arrives @ 10.20pm this time there is a hair on the bacon in the burger - I again ask to talk to the manager...
• The server's response "If you complain I will get it in the neck - do you want that?" She was rude and really upset me with this attitude.
• The manager came to see me to sort things out, she hadn't been told that I wanted to speak to her earlier.
  
• The manager did manage to sort things out, with a new burger and she understood how serious getting something I am allergic to on my food was.
• The server continued to glare at me and I can say this was one of the worst experiences I have had at *******. It left me upset and lacking confidence in the staff's abiltity to deal with food allergens, plus the customer service from the server was awful.