Barry R.
Yelp
When it comes to appraising Restaurants I'd like to think I am a straight shooter. I for one cannot fathom, how good food service establishments continue to get the 'simple things' wrong. With all the available information at ones fingertips how could they?. Computers, iPad's Google search. The latest in labor saving equipment it should be a doddle. They have too much to lose. Surely it is not Rocket Science when you turn up at a restaurant you get a positive greeting. Even fast food giant McDonald's understood this 50 years ago.
Take this morning for instance, 5.30 am. My fridge is empty, I am starving, I wake early, it is pay day, and I thought right I will go down town and have breakfast. I chose a known, well liked eatery. Heaven forbid, I came on this occasion to regret it. Well maybe the silver-lining is that I got to write a blog about the experience.
Anyway I arrive at the entrance of the Gun shop Cafe around 7.30. It's in West End, a suburb about a mile from Brisbane's Central Brisbane District; On the south side of the river.
The actual building has as is suggested from the title an infamous reputation. It was I am told at one stage a genuine Gun Shop.With all the drama and intrigue that flows from that. It is clearly one of Queensland's earliest building's. Now 'Gun Shops' are rare as hen's teeth in Australia-given the restriction on the ownership and possession of firearms. Thank god for this modern day mercy. The stone work has been restored marvelously and the deco is fitting for an enjoyable dining experience. Why do I know this from several previous visits here where I have happily patronized its present use as a fine restaurant.
As I say I arrived hungry anticipating a breakfast; Something it is known for. Why at the weekends it is known to have to wait in a queue outside for 20 min's up to half an hour to get a table. On this occasion a Wednesday, I only have a minute or so to wait when, a young girl, looking unkempt, clothes dirty un- ironed, hair messy, comes up to me and says,
"Can I help you?"
" I'd like breakfast!"
"Just for one?" she retorts! and marches away expecting me to follow(okay that not too bad I guess but there is no one around me. No one waiting).
Why could she not be a little more personable. I mean she was the first point of contact for the establishment.
Which I would say has more that a million dollars invested in the fit-out alone and then their are the wages and jobs of at least thirty staff that does not include the suppliers and banks providing credit etc.
How about "Good morning ! Are you here for breakfast?"
Then when I got to the table the same dare I say it Maitre'd . Asked would you like a drink while your waiting. I said "Yes, I'll have a tea thanks." I like a Maitre'd with more calibre than that.
I then had to wait 14 minutes before the tea arrived.
Look the place was not busy. It would have been 20 per cent full. Surely if you take an order the instant you sit down you have that delivered within two minutes, say max five minutes. I then placed an order for Eggs Benedict with another waitress. She was from Scandinavia but spoke English well.
I said I'd like Eggs Benedict. She said is it on the menu. I said the writing font is so small I can't read it.
she answered "No If its not on the menu." Anyway I said to her I had it before on previous visits. She said I will have to check I said okay. She did not come back i then waited around another fifteen minutes for the food to come. Except it was missing the mushrooms which I had ordered as a side. I said just bring them separately. I did not want her to take the main away as I was starving. Having fallen asleep at 4 pm the previous day and had not eaten since lunch yesterday. Anyway the mushrooms did arrive after the main about ten minutes later. after I had eaten all of the Eggs Benedict(the one I was left wondering whether I would get it) Look the food was great. And so it should be it was $22.50 for Eggs Benedict with mushrooms.
But the dining experience left a lot to be desired. Then I ordered a Grapefruit juice. The menu said $6.50 and you could mix three different juices (orange, apple, pineapple, grapefruit) if you wanted. Well the drink arrived in a medium size glass but it was filled almost to the top with ice. I mean come on for $6.50 one expects more than 3/4 ice in a non-alcoholic drink.
I drank was was in the glass what seemed like just one mouthful of grapefruit juice. I had had enough and proceeded to the front desk. I was again met by another girl who also looked unkempt in clothing that had been used obviously before without being washed and ironed. Her attitude seemed to be that I was an interruption to what she was doing. that's $37.50 altogether"
I gave her a card and she put it through. No question of me whether my dining experience had been a good.
