Michael Leonard
Google
My recent lunch at Maggie Oakes in Old Montreal, prompted by high ratings, unfortunately fell short of expectations, leaving my wife and I with a rather negative impression.
We opted for outdoor seating to enjoy the charming atmosphere, but our initial interaction with the waitress set an uncomfortable tone. She seemed a bit short and sharp. We considered leaving, but we were tired from walking and really wanted something to eat, so we chose to ignore the vibe we were getting and proceeded to order.
As we awaited our meals, several other diners came into the restaurant. My wife and I looked at each other and noted the difference in the approach and conversation of the waitress with these other diners. We listened as she explained the entire menu, without prompting, to at least two other groups. This explanation was necessary since the menu is broken into sections and has specific meals depending on the size of your group. This made it much easier for the other diners to choose their meals. They were also English-speaking visitors.
We were seated at a small table, understandable since space was limited. As the stereotypical "tourists," we left our hotel well-prepared, with water bottles to stay hydrated, hats to shield from the sun, and a camera in tow. The section wasn't very busy and had quite a few empty tables. There was no one sitting next to us, so we used a chair to place our bags and hats.
With zero explanation or conversation, our waitress came back to our table and grabbed our stuff from the chairs and began stuffing them into corners of the chairs we were sitting in. We were aghast. My hat was crushed, and she attempted to place my wife's bag on the back of the chair. However, the back is smooth and has no hook for the bag to latch onto securely. We knew this because we initially tried that before attempting to place it on the other chair.
She couldn't put the bag on the back of the chair so she placed it on the small, already crowded table.
At this point, we started to feel frustrated but decided not to let the interaction affect our mood since we wanted to continue exploring the surrounding area and maintain our high spirits.
I don't make this comment lightly, but I do feel my wife and I were treated differently after we saw the interactions with the other diners. Since there were other English-speaking diners, I can only assume the different treatment was based on something else.
We are left to ponder...
What was the reason for this difference in treatment and level of service?
Non resident of Montreal?
Skin tone?
Both?
Either way, we would not be dining there again.
This experience has also taught me a valuable lesson, no matter the stage of the process, if I don't feel comfortable or welcomed I will leave.