Restaurant Rage

[Basildog]

NY timesMaybe this is the answer, you could start a UK version of this Tim

[Suzi Edwards]

Here's another to add to the hate list...

Arbutus.

I want to book a table for seven people for my final dinner with my best friends before I leave for Oz. Money is tight for a couple of them so we want something reasonable, central and with good food. I reject Anchor and Hope on account of the complete lack of a booking policy and decide on Arbutus inspite of the mixed reviews.

First off, if we book at table at 8.00pm they have to have it back by 10.00pm. But if we move the table to 8.30pm we can have it all night. OK, I can just about put up with that. Then we have the whole credit card to confirm the booking thing. I understand why they do that. I am then told that we can only have a reduced menu as our group is too large. We will have four starters, four mains and two deserts to choose from.

I'm sorry, but I am giving you six weeks notice of my plan to eat with you and you can only offer me four mains? I could rustle that up myself matey. Bugger off.

[Richard_D]

I have never had this problem anywhere else in the country, except London, and in there lies the problem. Tim your best bet is to move up North, it will certainly reduce your stress levels.

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Couldn't agree more !! I've only ever had an issue with this in London or in some crappy pizza chain that had ideas above it's station - the one in particular doesn't take bookings on the weekend and during the week would only let us have a table between 7 and 8 if we promised to be out by 8.30, whereas if we wanted to eat at 8.05 we could stay all night....

As for the New York thing I found the approach in restaurants far more relaxed than in the UK. We walked into a couple of well known places expecting a short, sharp 'no' but got a table for that or the next night without having to be fingerprinted or have a dna sample taken.

If you're going to go to these places that expect you, the paying customer to be grateful to be allowed across their threshold then they can shove it as far as I'm concerned.

[Gareth]

As for the New York thing I found the approach in restaurants far more relaxed than in the UK. We walked into a couple of well known places expecting a short, sharp 'no' but got a table for that or the next night without having to be fingerprinted or have a dna sample taken.

Yes, but that's only because you'd already had to provide those to get in the country. Maybe that's why the restaurants are more relaxed - everyone's still queuing at the airport.

[olicollett]

NY timesMaybe this is the answer, you could start a UK version of this Tim

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Just a small step to make restaurants even more exclusive imo. Starts off at $35, then they start charging $100 and so on.

[Raoul Duke]

As for the New York thing I found the approach in restaurants far more relaxed than in the UK. We walked into a couple of well known places expecting a short, sharp 'no' but got a table for that or the next night without having to be fingerprinted or have a dna sample taken.

Yes, but that's only because you'd already had to provide those to get in the country. Maybe that's why the restaurants are more relaxed - everyone's still queuing at the airport.

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I don't think this is the forum for political agenda's. It's about piss poor accomodations at eateries.

[Matthew Grant]

Here's another to add to the hate list...

Arbutus.

I want to book a table for seven people for my final dinner with my best friends before I leave for Oz. Money is tight for a couple of them so we want something reasonable, central and with good food. I reject Anchor and Hope on account of the complete lack of a booking policy and decide on Arbutus inspite of the mixed reviews.

First off, if we book at table at 8.00pm they have to have it back by 10.00pm. But if we move the table to 8.30pm we can have it all night. OK, I can just about put up with that. Then we have the whole credit card to confirm the booking thing. I understand why they do that. I am then told that we can only have a reduced menu as our group is too large. We will have four starters, four mains and two deserts to choose from.

I'm sorry, but I am giving you six weeks notice of my plan to eat with you and you can only offer me four mains? I could rustle that up myself matey. Bugger off.

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I just spoke to Anthony Demetre regarding the booking policy at Arbutus without even mentioning Suzi. It is, as I thought it would be, a quality control issue. He said "If a large table comes in its sods law that they order 8 or 9 different dishes and we can't plate them up quickly enough to get them all out at the same time and hot. We'd love to have larger tables but its not feasible, there are only 5 of us cooking in the kitchen and we can't have 3 or 4 people at a time plating food"

When I then told him about Suzi Anthony said that it should only apply to tables of 8 or more, he wasn't sure why they tried to limit the menu for 7 of you. If you ring back you should be offered the full menu.

Matthew Grant (The Max Clifford of Arbutus)

[SpikeyD]

... for a view on this from the other side of the pond, and with news of a deeply disturbing new reservation trend over there...

http://waiterrant.net/

[Suzi Edwards]

Here's another to add to the hate list...

Arbutus.

I want to book a table for seven people for my final dinner with my best friends before I leave for Oz. Money is tight for a couple of them so we want something reasonable, central and with good food. I reject Anchor and Hope on account of the complete lack of a booking policy and decide on Arbutus inspite of the mixed reviews.

First off, if we book at table at 8.00pm they have to have it back by 10.00pm. But if we move the table to 8.30pm we can have it all night. OK, I can just about put up with that. Then we have the whole credit card to confirm the booking thing. I understand why they do that. I am then told that we can only have a reduced menu as our group is too large. We will have four starters, four mains and two deserts to choose from.

I'm sorry, but I am giving you six weeks notice of my plan to eat with you and you can only offer me four mains? I could rustle that up myself matey. Bugger off.

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I just spoke to Anthony Demetre regarding the booking policy at Arbutus without even mentioning Suzi. It is, as I thought it would be, a quality control issue. He said "If a large table comes in its sods law that they order 8 or 9 different dishes and we can't plate them up quickly enough to get them all out at the same time and hot. We'd love to have larger tables but its not feasible, there are only 5 of us cooking in the kitchen and we can't have 3 or 4 people at a time plating food"

When I then told him about Suzi Anthony said that it should only apply to tables of 8 or more, he wasn't sure why they tried to limit the menu for 7 of you. If you ring back you should be offered the full menu.

Matthew Grant (The Max Clifford of Arbutus)

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Matt ought to have a go at Jade Goody next. Everything is sorted and Arbutus have dealt with this nicely.

[Scott]

Matt ought to have a go at Jade Goody next.

I'll supply the lump of wood

[algy]

Matthew Grant (The Max Clifford of Arbutus)

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Matt ought to have a go at Jade Goody next. Everything is sorted and Arbutus have dealt with this nicely.

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Surely not a surprise - isn't that what people pay PR's to do?

[Matthew Grant]

Matthew Grant (The unpaid Max Clifford of Arbutus)

Edited February 1, 2007 by Matthew Grant (log)

[ravelda]

If you supply the wood Scott, I will pay his bail! Money well spent in my mind!

[Jamsie]

Where's old sulky balls gone?

[algy]

Where's old sulky balls gone?

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any more of that and you'll get us all moderated again

[sunbeam]

*This is an extract from the booking confirmation email I received from the River Cafe....

Dear  Tim Hayward

 

Thank you for making a reservation for 2 people at 19:00 until 21:00 on XXXXXX Feb 2007.

 

In order that we may hold this table for you, please complete the form below and return it to us in the week leading up to your reservation, by midday on the day at the latest.

....

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to call, or alternatively, visit our website at www.rivercafe.co.uk where you can find a map,  wine list and recent menus.

 

We look forward to seeing you.

 

 

This is what you get when the self-appointed upper classes get to run restaurants. Maybe now they haven't got Theo, they can come back down to earth and deign to feed us rabble as we want rather than how they prefer.

[Richard_D]

Glad to see you got a column out of it after the shoddy treatment you received

[beepop]

This is what you get when the self-appointed upper classes get to run restaurants. Maybe now they haven't got Theo, they can come back down to earth and deign to feed us rabble as we want rather than how they prefer.

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so presumably you cancelled your booking and rebooked at Pizza Hut!

[Scott]

This is what you get when the self-appointed upper classes get to run restaurants. Maybe now they haven't got Theo, they can come back down to earth and deign to feed us rabble as we want rather than how they prefer.

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so presumably you cancelled your booking and rebooked at Pizza Hut!

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why? are you mark donelly in disguise? would you like his booking

[beepop]

why? are you mark donelly in disguise? would you like his booking

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not that i know of.

if you don't like or agree with an establishments policy and in this case the social status of the owners, why attempt to book in the first place and then not cancel when they confirm your ill-concieved ideas about how to run a restaurant.

Have you ever made a mistake sunbeam or are all your rays precise?

I mean, how long have the River Cafe been going? Do you think they wake up one morning and think 'how can we fuck our customers off, ah yes, make them confirm their commitment to a booking, not with money, but with an easy email or fax, which can be broken as long as we are informed.'

Because it is not like you can call BA or Virgin Trains or the Opera House or Odeon Cinemas or book a caterer for a private do or even order a take away without handing over some money or payment details, which should you forfit your order, you will loose out to some extent.

You all know this so why the incredulity?

Edited February 8, 2007 by beepop (log)

[sunbeam]

why? are you mark donelly in disguise? would you like his booking

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not that i know of.

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