Cihan Chen
Google
Everything was good: the food, the beer, the vibe, and most of the staff. However, my experience was affected by a single young waitress.
After I was seated, I noticed my seat was near the smoking area, so I asked if I could move to one further away because I don't like the smell. The young waitress struggled to understand me, and I had to wait for another staff member—a more senior and gentle lady—who quickly helped me relocate to a better seat.
To be clear, I’m not demanding everyone speak English in Germany, which would be unreasonable. But since all the other staff spoke excellent English, it bothered me that she didn’t try to ask her colleagues for help.
I also want to compliment the kind waiter who brought my food. When I was nearly finished, I asked him for the bill. He told me I could just head to the counter and pay by card. A couple of minutes later, however, the young waitress returned with a POS machine and placed it on my table, ready for me to tap. I had been planning to leave a tip, since everything else had been great, but she had already entered an amount before bringing the device over. I thought maybe she realized she hadn’t helped me much and decided not to take a tip from me. So I tapped my card.
Then I noticed I was charged €2.25 more than the bill. Maybe it was a fee, maybe it was a tip—either way, it wasn’t explained or confirmed with me. To me, adding any amount without the customer’s consent is a serious breach of etiquette—if not outright disrespect—and I always rate service accordingly when this happens.
Again, if you don’t carry an Asian face like I do, your experience may be different. But for me, it was a subpar encounter. That said, I want to highlight again that the rest of the team provided excellent service. If not for the young waitress, I would have gladly given a 5-star rating.
