Monday, December 20, 2010
The Salad Leaf
It was a pub, a pub with fine dining pretensions along with a very positive review by a well respected local blogger.
The interior was definitely upmarket and the food eclectic with many interesting notes.
We ordered and the meals came - in line with everything we'd expected.
Except for one thing, the stowaway hidden in the glistening tangle of my salad.
Fortunately, thank goodness, it wasn't animal, or happily for my dental health, not mineral, it was entirely of the vegetable persuasion.
Okay, it was a salad, but the dry elongated gum leaf had no right being there and I could eat no more of it. Mistakes do get made; it was what happened next that interested me.
After alerting our waiter, she said she'd let the kitchen know.
Not another word was spoken about the recalcitrant leaf from that point on, no apology, no comping the meal, no offer of an extra to make up for the uneaten salad.
What would you have expected the pub to do under the circumstances?
The interior was definitely upmarket and the food eclectic with many interesting notes.
We ordered and the meals came - in line with everything we'd expected.
Except for one thing, the stowaway hidden in the glistening tangle of my salad.
Fortunately, thank goodness, it wasn't animal, or happily for my dental health, not mineral, it was entirely of the vegetable persuasion.
Okay, it was a salad, but the dry elongated gum leaf had no right being there and I could eat no more of it. Mistakes do get made; it was what happened next that interested me.
After alerting our waiter, she said she'd let the kitchen know.
Not another word was spoken about the recalcitrant leaf from that point on, no apology, no comping the meal, no offer of an extra to make up for the uneaten salad.
What would you have expected the pub to do under the circumstances?
4 Comments:
I think we have a case of "Flaky Waiter" here. In my many years of training new waiters (young and old, male, female and everything in between) in every kind of establishment from steakhouse to fine dining, I can bet my left tit that she turned on her heel, headed back towards the kitchen, saw something shiny, and not another thought was spent upon your Koala Salad.
A very similar thing happened to Mister recently. They were served uncooked chicken. Mister returned the dish. NO apologies. No discount.
He paid and left...
Hi Neil,
I'm really surprised. We often complain if there is a fault with a dish and I can't recall a time when we didn't get an apology and an offer of a replacement, even of another dish if desired. The other night at Katsuyas not only did they bring another dish and take it off the bill they also were happy for us to finish the one they brought by accident. Of course pubs, even gastro-pubs are a bit down market but I'm astounded at the way you were treated. We would not have let it rest but made further inquiries after a while.
One question what was the pub you were at?
Happy New Year
She may have been too nervous to tell the kitchen - depends on how receptive 'the boyz' would be. Can be tough for young and female staff. But comping something should be within her delegation...
Post a Comment
<< Home