An All Time Low

Tonight I had another incredible bad experience with the local “hospitality-business”. I had suggested to my colleagues who live here in The Small Town that we should meet at one of the restaurant/bars here for an after work beer. I arrived first together with a colleague. We took seats in front of the fireplace (the whole place was basically empty) wanted to eat and ordered at the bar. The waitress then asked us if it was only the two of us or if there would be more. We said there would probably be more people coming, but that we did not know whether they would eat or not. Then she told us we could not sit where we had taken seats if we wanted to eat, but had to move over to the “restaurant part”. We asked why, as we have been eating there before, but the only answer we got was that it was a new rule and we could not. To get the picture the place is divided into two parts, one more lounge-style pub part with sofas and a fire place and on the other side a more formal restaurant part. This part is rather dull if you are not really having a formal dinner with a lot of people. Tonight the whole place, both parts, was more or less empty. It was the two of us, two Russians and one other person.

The menu is rather expensive (especially if you consider the quality you can expect) and the only thing you really can order is hamburger from the “pub-menu”. We have always been sitting in the pub part even if we have ordered food, which of course is nicer if you are a group if people were some are eating but some only drinking. But now all of a sudden that was not possible any longer. We asked politely if we really could not sit there as it still was just the two of us and said we would really prefer to sit there. But no! With no further explanation. And remember, the place is basically empty. Anyway we sat down in front of the fireplace and drank our beer while waiting for the food. Somehow I think we thought it would still be ok to eat there once the food as ready and then we would also know if more people would like to eat.

In a corner there was a big screen TV showing ice-hockey (no special game, not even the local heroes) but the TV was on mute. Until all of a sudden the waitress turns up the volume very high, so high, talking was no longer easy. My colleague and I were sitting with our backs towards the screen and the Russians did not look too interested either, the other guest seemed to watch absently. Anyway, before I asked the waitress to turn the volume down, I asked if she had turned up on request and she said she did. I still felt it was a little too much, but never mind. If the guy wanted to follow the game; ok. After a while two other colleagues turn up and the service does not get any better and the attitude from the waitress is not very nice nor service minded. But we try to mind ourselves. After a while she comes and tells of our food is ready and expect us to move over to the restaurant. Again we ask if we can not remain where we are and eat our food there. But no!! It is not possible. When we ask why not, we only get a very irritated answer that they have decided that food is to be served on one side and not the other!! Still remember the place is basically empty. We are the only eating guests. We still remain in our chairs. Somehow the whole atmosphere is gone as well as the appetite. If it was not for the fact that we had already paid for the food I think we would have left. After some time again the waitress just stands at our table with our plates, looking as if she would throw them at us. Ok, better move and eat the food.

I don’t really remember all the little details anymore, but there were all those little things all the time. The colleague who arrived last had not ordered yet but he got the picture and said that he would have liked to eat, but that the way they treat their customers made him lose appetite and only asked for a glass of wine. In the restaurant they also had a big screen TV showing the hockey very loudly. We asked the waitress, still politely, if she could turn the volume down in this part and she said yes. But nothing happened. After a while we asked again, but still nothing happened. After yet a while I see that the only man watching the game had left, then I said that I don’t really think there is anyone interested anymore and asked her if she could switch off. Then she gives us a very weird answer that she can not, she has to have some sound on. When we remarked that there was no sound on when we arrived she said that then she had played music and that it was part of her work to have some sound on at all times. Ok, that is fine, please put on some music then, was our answer, which is much better than ice hockey. The she turns the TV off, but we get no music. So the rest of our dinner we sit all on our own in this very un-charming restaurant in silence. I tell you, it feels very empty.

Ok, the burger was good, but the atmosphere was completely gone as well as all potential fun. As soon as we finished the food we decided to pay and leave for some other place and tell the others who were coming that we left and why! I was planning to tell the waitress that this was not meant personally against her, but that she could forward our opinion to her boss that we find their new policy very unfriendly etc. But I never got that far. When we approach the bar to pay before leaving the manager himself comes out and starts yelling at us. Blaming us for harassing his staff, being impolite and rude and I don’t know what now. He even told us we did not have to come back there anymore. On that we easily could agree!! He even blamed everyone from our office, saying they have had problems with “us” before, complaining and treating them in a patronising “von oben” way and “only because you are an important customer you can not treat us badly”. We were all completely flabbergasted. This was so unheard of! The fact that most “normal” businesses try to treat there important customers good, seemed completely unheard of to him. In the end we could not do anything more than laugh and agree on that we would never ever set our feet there again. Before leaving, while still at the bar, I could not help calling someone that I knew would come and tell them we were leaving and would meet them somewhere else. I could of course have waited and made that call outside, but I just wanted them to hear that. Later another pub had 15 guests that this place wasted.

I really think no one can understand how bad this was, unless you were there. I would never have believed it if I weren’t.