Esther F.
Yelp
A friend and I just finished eating at the Tikki Bar - it was ribs night. When we arrived at the spa, my friend asked for directions to the barbeque. The front desk clerk gave some too-vague instructions and we ended up at the spa. There was a helpful staff person who escorted us back through the hotel/spa area and across the parking lot to the Tikki Bar.
When we arrived the supervisor (?) asked for our tickets and we were confused. She said we had to go back across the parking lot to the front desk and buy tickets there. When I wondered aloud why the desk clerk wouldn't have asked if we had already purchased tickets, she immediately was defensive and said, "There are posters and it's on Facebook." (In the interest of good customer service, the correct response is, "Oh, sorry for the inconvenience...I'll take care that this gap is fixed for next time. Again, sorry for that.")
Upon our return, tickets in hand, she made sure to tell us that when we chose a table, to make sure to sit at a small one 'unless you're expecting a group'. (Again, good customer service? - "Let me show you to your table.")
Our table had one chair that was so close to the pillar it was difficult to squeeze past it. Once seated, the server asked if we wanted something to drink - there were only sodas and bottled water. She was aware that the latest study indicates that bottled water has many micro and nano plastics. I wondered aloud how, ethically, a restaurant would continue to serve this. The server said she would go across the parking lot to the hotel kitchen and bring me hot water with lemon in a cup, which she did. I expressed my thanks for her good customer service.
No one mentioned that it was a buffet, so we sat there, waiting to be served until we noticed others with full plates and then realized the buffet was to the side of the bar.
Once we got our plates, there was an unmarked 1/2 step down to the food table. I saw a teenager stumble and almost fall - what would someone with poor balance do, I wondered. Again, beside the buffet, there was a discrepancy between the wooden and cement decking where I stumbled. Again, it was unmarked. This is negligence.
I noticed a family group come in and sit at a double-long picnic table just outside the deck area on the grass. While we were eating, their table suddenly tipped over and an elderly man fell heavily against the wooden railing. The table had not been anchored. Again, this is clearly negligence.
The supervisor (?) did not go to the group to inquire about injuries, etc. Two servers and family members cleaned up the spilled food and helped the elderly man go to get cleaned up in the bathroom. Did the supervisor (?) do anything to make reparations? Free tickets to the next barbeque? Not that I noticed.
During the meal, a young woman was singing about 10 meters away with a speaker. It was difficult for my friend and me to converse as the music muffled our words. If she had not used a speaker, it would have been much easier to talk to each other.
The food was good - hot and tasty. There was coleslaw and a green salad, scalloped potatoes and ribs for $25.00.
About half way through our meal, my friend and I decided that we would not go there again.
CONS:
- poor directions
- no extra information re:buying tickets
- supervisor (?) was defensive, overbearing, lacking customer service skills
- dangerous steps and seating - would common sense dictate that a picnic table, especially a double-long be anchored?
- bottled water that contains nano and micro plastics is the only cold water available
- poor table arrangement
- singer muffled our conversation
PROS:
- our server had very good customer service skills
- singer was very talented and chose appropriate and enjoyable songs
If you decide to attend this barbeque, maybe make sure that your disability insurance is up to date.