Krista Wagner
Google
We recently visited Tatel Ibiza as a group of 20 to celebrate two birthdays. The atmosphere and most of the food were truly enjoyable, no complaints on the culinary front. However, what unfortunately stood out most was the consistently poor service, which left a sour taste on what should have been a celebratory evening.
One of our friends was feeling unwell and asked if the kitchen might be able to prepare something simple like a broth or a light soup. The response from our waiter was not only dismissive but unnecessarily rigid. He flatly refused to even ask the kitchen, stating that he had worked there for four years and knew nothing could be made outside the menu. Beyond that, he proceeded to make unnecessary comments about how our friend reacted to another staff member - behavior that was both unprofessional and inappropriate.
Another member of our group provided polite, constructive feedback on the burger, which arrived rare instead of medium-rare and had a rather processed texture. The intention was not to complain or request compensation, but simply to help improve the dish for future guests. Unfortunately, the waiter reacted defensively and stated, “That’s just how it is in Spain,” suggesting the feedback was misplaced and should have come earlier.
As someone working in the luxury hospitality industry myself, I was genuinely surprised by the lack of guest focus and the inability to handle basic service requests or feedback gracefully. In any five-star setting, such behavior would be completely unacceptable. Hospitality should be about flexibility, empathy, and professionalism - none of which were demonstrated by our server that evening.
So all in all, the place offered mostly great food and a lovely ambiance, but the service needs serious attention. A restaurant of this caliber should aim to make guests feel welcome, not dismissed. I sincerely hope management takes this feedback to heart and invests in training their staff to reflect the standards the brand aspires to uphold.
