L Mai
Google
Our experience at Rainforest Cafe in Malta was one of the absolute worst.
dining experiences I've ever had - not just because of the cold food, but because of the way we were spoken to and treated. Me and my friends had arrived from London and were genuinely excited to try something different. The restaurant looked fun and seemed promising, so we decided to give it a shot. But as soon as our food arrived, that excitement vanished. Everything was stone cold. And I don't mean lukewarm — it was so cold that the butter on the steak did not even melt at all. It was bland, lifeless, and honestly, felt like leftovers from another table. Naturally, we brought it up with the waitress straight away. We didn't complain rudely — we just calmly said the food was cold. But instead of an apology or a solution, we were met with snarky comments like, "Other people got their food at the same time and they're not complaining." As if we were being difficult for expecting a hot meal?
It felt dismissive from the get-go. We then asked to speak to a manager. Conveniently, the manager was in a "meeting." So we asked for the assistant manager and was told they were also in the same meeting. At this point, it felt like they were trying to dismiss our comments and Finally, when another manager came over — things got worse from there. Yes, she eventually admitted that after checking their systems, she could see our food had been left sitting out for several minutes before being brought to us but instead of owning the mistake with a professional attitude, she became passive-aggressive and rude. When we explained that usually we are not treated like this when it comes to customer service, she said things like, "This isn't your country. This is not your home. We do things differently here. You should go back." It was deeply uncomfortable. Not only was it condescending, it felt xenophobic. We weren't being entitled or unreasonable — we were simply trying to have a respectful conversation about poor service and food that wasn't edible. Instead, we were made to feel unwelcome and like we didn’t belong because it was clear we were not locals.
One of my friends had already paid for her meal and asked for a takeaway bag. The manager looked her up and down and said, "Well, you must have really enjoyed it then, if you’re now trying to take it home." What kind of comment is that? She only paid to avoid more issues and hassle. And now she can't even take her leftovers without being pestered? To make things even more awkward, when we went to complain to ANOTHER manager about what had just happened, that same manager spotted us and tried to intimidate us from furthering our complaint as she claimed there was nobody higher above her. At that point, just wanted to get as far away from the place as possible. The whole experience left a really sour taste in our mouths — and not just from the food, but we felt like outsiders who weren't welcome. And that's something no one should have to feel, especially not in a place that markets itself as "fun" and "family-friendly."
Safe to say, we won't be going back and I understand now why the place was completely empty. If you care about respectful service and basic decency, I'd strongly recommend you don't even bother with this establishment.
