Joanne B.
Yelp
This is a restaurant I have frequented several times over the years but that ends tonight. While the food is consistently good, I had a very unsettling and humiliating experience with my young, male server:
I had phoned in a reservation for 6:30 pm and was seated with my cousin on time.
At 8:17, at the end of our mains, we were asked if we would like coffee and dessert to which we ordered. It arrived at 8:22. At 8:29 our server indicated we needed to leave as the table was reserved for 8:30 for another customer. In our phone reservation and in my text confirmation no "seating time limit" was indicated (although I am not new to nor against this custom, but had no idea it was the custom here). We told the waiter this but we said okay. My cousin tried to hurry along as we waited what we anticipated would be our bill to pay but it did not come. At 8:38 he returned and asked us to leave abruptly and we said that yes, we knew but we're waiting for him to bring us our bill and he said in a rude manner,"Well you never asked for it!" Shocked, I called him over to speak more quietly to us as people started to look and turn to our table due to his demeanour. I told him that he didn't need to talk to me like this and that he only informed us almost immediately after offering and bringing our dessert which we had no time then to consume and had to leave full plates and cup. (Had we known we would not have ordered more food.) He then said, "I won't let you talk to me that way you can go to the cash and pay." I said okay but would like to speak to his manager. I paid my bill at the cash while waiting quietly but then the waiter engaged me to provoke more conversation about the policy, which I said I had no difficulty with but was not happy about how he spoke to us but he still argued so I asked him to stop speaking so as not to "engage in a confrontation" as I was already embarrassed with everyone turning to us. He obliged and let me pay. My cousin then started to pay his bill and the server began the same confrontation with him so I said, "please stop, I said I would wait for the manager." He then turned to me and said, "be quiet I'm not speaking to you," which at this point I felt my face flush and thought I'd faint and I responded in shock, "your mother didn't raise you right speaking to customers like this," and of course he lost his sh--. I can concede my response was rude but it was a reaction to shocking behaviour after settling a $110 bill and was well within context of a young man in about mid 20's addressing a customer in her 60's. Perhaps age is not the issue but customer relations is. I have young adult children and they would not have spoken to any senior in that manner in any context, but particularly not on a place of work!
We waited 15 minutes for the manager after the server of course briefed him. The manager's first words were about my "bad raising" comment to which I admitted but said there was context that he needed to allow me to speak to. He also went in about the seating policy. I told him I was fine with it although was never told (showed him my confirmations where there was no mention and he confirmed that I was right and apologized for this.) He quickly cut me off saying the restaurant was busy and he even had to help out in the kitchen. I told him while I understood the policy, that did not warrant the server's behaviour and that there were other options. He could have let us know when offering dessert that we would have had 5 minutes to consume. He could have offered seats (which were empty at the bar area) to finish our coffee and dessert as obviously it was his error to offer something we couldn't possibly consume. He could have brought us our bill. But most importantly, he could have apologized. And even more importantly, while his mother may have not been at fault for his behaviour (sorry mom of server), the restaurant management was responsible. They offered no resolution and/and or restitution for our experience, only, "we have your number I'll call you but we're busy now".
Shall I hold my breath??
Update: A few days later the restaurant owner called me to apologize. He spoke for 15 minutes straight without taking a breath to explain the challenges of the hospitality industry in general and those he is facing with getting good servers. Apparently the same server engaged in another incident with a customer on the same evening I was there after I left. This server will be leaving to pursue his career interests shortly but the owner is so desperate for staff he wouldn't fire him, but did speak to him. He was very understanding and I managed to get in a few comments.
I was impressed that he took the time to call me, does say a lot about his commitment to customer service. Since I no longer live in Montreal, not sure I'd go back on one of my short visits, I prefer not to roll the dice. However, I would not discourage a local to go, the food is great.
