Sugarbabe, this well-known big pub that does food... are you sure that it wasn't one of those chains that you have to note your table number and order at the bar?? - If not then the service was truly awful!

ATB,J.

It reminds me of my parents going in to Mc Donalds many years ago when they first opened in Nottingham. They had heard a lot about the chain so thought they would give it a try. Anyhow after sitting waiting for service for about 15mins they started to leave when someone told them they had to go to the counter to order, which they did. When I asked them if they had enjoyed the meal they said they hadn't really enjoyed it as it wasn't their kind of food and also the restaurant had run out of knives and forks and they had actually had to eat with their fingers.

Thanks for your replies. No it definitely wasn't order at the bar. It was waitress service.!!

Judith, like your story re McDonalds!!

I went to a well known pub yesterday - only wanted a jacket and beans, ordered food at the bar - 40 mins later it arrived! i mean how long does it take to prepare a jacket and beans

I often find this is the case with pubs here, sometimes cafes too. Local baltis are the best for service by me - i eat in there so often am on first name terms with most of the staff!

Alison

We've been the invisible family as well ,seems to be a countrywide trait
it happened to us in Cornwell.siuox

Supose I ought to put in a word fro the other point of view since we are in the business
There is no defence for poor service like you have received - but sometimes things can inevitably go wrong
We only have a small place and open all year round - off season the business ticks over with local custom and we survive on the minimum amount of permanent staff which is supplemented at the weekend by students/schoolchildren. In the holiday season the school staff also work during the week.
Invariably every summer at least one member of staff leaves because they have been offered a job with more hours/pay by one of the big employers that take on summer staff.
This means that just as we start getting really busy we also end up having to find and train new staff - so whilst it can look to the public like we have plenty of staff what we actually have is headless chickens
We would never ever intentionally ignore someone who was waiting to order - sometimes it is just a very busy time where a couple of big food orders are going out - I think when you are sitting waiting to order 10 minutes can seem like half an hour - but when you are working in the kitchen 10 minutes seems to go in a few seconds if you get my drift.
Not having an order taken can also be down to - "oh I thought you had got their order" " No I thought you got it!" -Often caused by having too many inexperienced staff.
In a small place like ours it only takes 2 or 3 large families to arrive at the same time to cause a major rush in the kitchen - Then if somone comes in just wanting "something quick" they cant understand why it might be sometime before they get their food - you cant keep stopping the big orders or the orders that came in first to do the small orders or the people in a hurry
We get so many people who order hot food then ask how long it will be because they only have 30 minutes parking or got to catch a train in 20 minutes etc!! No one single item takes long to prepare but it depends on how many in the party and how many people are in the "queue" in front.
A dirty table is not acceptable though if its all hands to the pump getting a big families food order out there may be a short delay getting it sorted.
Usually its large groups coming in that cause these problems - (we say they "hunt in packs " - a large group leaving at once often means very dirty tables - a confusing bill to sort through, floor to clean, and often another large group desperate for a table!!
We can be extremely busy on a wet day but its just not always possible to predict. On sunny days we can have more staff than customers and a huge wages bill with no takings
Anyway this is a lot of waffle just wanted to put another view.
I accept there is no excuse for shoddy service -but its not intentional and we are upset if the customer is upset.
Can you imagine how it feels in the kitchen when you are really under pressure - just get the food ready and the customers feel they have waited 2 minutes too long and walk out

Bobian, you have made some very valid points in your post and I fully understand that sometimes circumstances can create what we have described above.

In our situation in the Aviemore restaurant, sitting at the dirty tables with other peoples dirty dishes, 3 different waitresses walked past our table on at least 4 occassions and could have quite easily took some dirty dishes back to the kitchen with them!!

We went out for a meal in October at one of the 'pay at the bar' pubs. After 50 minutes and nothing we asked at the bar ---- they'd lost the order!

BUT ....... we got a lot of grovelling and a free round of drinks as an apology ! We keep going back in the hope that they forget us again, but alas it hasn't happened!

I have to agree that the service in a majority of places I've been in leaves
a lot to be desired.

I also take your point Bobian, but a bit of courtesy doesn't go amiss. If it is going to take time all it needs a is a waitress in passing to smile and say
that someone will be with you shortly. At least that way the customer
knows that you have seen them and are not ignoring them. It's the sitting
there for ages and staff passing without a word that ticks me off.

Helenxx

We were in a cafe in Whitby. The poor waitress was run off her feet that much that she came to take our order 3 times! Probably why she was run off her feet, come to think of it!

We had a meal this weekend in a welll known chain of pubs which serve food, we ordered our food which did come out fairly quickly but was burnt (nasty over cooked fish, and a lamb burger which had been cremated) served with some lovely cold soggy chips, we sent it straight back, got it replaced but this time it was just nasty ( really, really greasy burger, fish which was all batter and no fish!) so cmplained again and got our money back.
Now the thing is the old couple behind us had the same problem and they also got their money back, they said they also had over cooked rubbish fish. And i also saw another lady sending her ceaser salad back! they had 4 complaints in the space of 30 mins!
not good!

I am finding the level of service in this country is getting worse and worse. I take your point Bobian about pressure on staff being busy etc etc, but what's wrong with when you are shown to your seat being told, "I'm sorry sir/madam, but we are very busy and your order may take a while." I then don't mind as much as I am forwarned, not blatently ignored. Or, if it's an unexpected delay, what's wrong with an apology when the waiter/ess comes over and saying, "I'm terribly sorry for the delay, can I offer you a complementory drink". This, IMO, goes a long way, and makes a difference. I realise sometimes that delays happen, but manners cost nothing, and it makes a difference as to whether I will go somewhere again.
What gets me is when a 10% tip is automatically added to a bill, especially when service is poor. I have asked staff to remove the service charge from the bill when I have received it before. Excuse me, it's me who is paying and me who decides if the service is worth tipping or not!

Because of work, I stay away in Travelinn/Travelodge?etc etc type hotels a lot, and - of necessity - eat in the adjoining restaurants.

Generally, service is good, and the food while never wildly exciting is perfectably acceptable and normally well served and hot.

I have had some real "horror stories" over the years though:

I had scampi served with baked beans "as they had run out of peas"! ( and no, it was "against company policy" to give a sous chef £10 out of the till and go to the Tesco's directly opposite to buy a few bags of frozen peas)

I had a voucher for free bottle of wine; when it came it was so warm it literally steamed when the cork came out. Turns out the wine rack it came from was right over a freezer and was getting all the heat rising up from the heat exchanger. Duty manager was totally uncaring.

Ordered a meal and went from food order point to th ebar for a pint to take to my table; queue at the bar was so long that by the time I got back to my table my starter had been served and gone cold. Again, duty manager didn't care.

We went to the local Burger King last year only to be told they had run out chips
Yet they are about 500 yards from a massive Asda! - Against company policy again to sell anything but their own I suppose
Cant believe how many times we have picked up a takeaway only to get home and find at least one meal has been left out Burger bars the usual culprits again

Bobian, where in Cornwall are you, maybe we ate at yor place on our holidays last month.

I would agree about the Travel Inns, etc. When we go somewhere for an overnight stay, we usually just pick a travel inn. Not spectacular, but generally good accommodation, and the adjoining restaurants are usually always good enough (havent had many problems with them i have to say)

One thing i always feel sorry for is that when people come here, we seem to expect that they should speak English. When you visit tourist attractions in Europe, signs are usually multi lingual, and nearly always included English. Over here in the UK, i have been to countless attractions where the level of enjoyment must be significantly reduced for those visitors that cant speak English!!!!

bobian i understand your points as it must be hard to staff when you really dont know exactly how many people you are going to have at any particular time but when i go for a meal that i am paying for i expect a certain level of quality & service & some places ive been here act as though they are doing you a huge favour by even taking your order & cant believe your cheek when you complain that its not good enough(or even edible in some cases)
i think some people who work in certain places need to remember that the reason they have a job & get paid is because of the customers!!!!
not that i think dealing with the public is easy all the time - im a nurse & i know all too well that some people are never happy & will complain about nothing - in fact they even seem to enjoy complaining & being difficult!!

Lack of communication is often the main problem in these situations
We always tell the staff to let the customer know if there will be a bit of a wait - but I know sometimes it unfortunately doesnt happen
As you all say a few friendly words can work wonders - Also works both ways