name and shame

NewFrockTuesday

:mad: :mad: :mad: This happened last night .....Im so mad.



To the Manager of Casa Pasta:


On Wednesday 26/05/2005 my husband and I visited your restaurant in the early evening. Being fairly frequent customers we are well aware of the varying standards but have had sufficient pleasurable experiences to entice us back for the simplest of fare. It would appear we were slightly over ambitious once again.
Our previous visit to Casa Pasta resulted in my being served salmon that has slightly but as is always with fish, very noticeably – turned. On that occasion I declined a replacement main course from the absolutely charming waitress. These things happen. So did the fact of my not receiving penne as requested but tagatelli. However I do find that this happens in about 50% of restaurants of the Casa Pasta ilk, so again, this is no biggie – more a long standing joke as bets are laid on around the table as to whether I will get what I ordered.
I hope I have laid the understanding that my expectations are suitably low for the less expensive (by Irish standards) restaurant scene. However – now here is where the new standards arrive – last nights experience has moved Casa Pasta, Clontarf into pole position for what might actually be 2005s’ worst service decoration.
We breezed in around 6.45 – ish and were shown to our un-booked table. Within seconds the menus were in our hands and as he is a big fan of the humus he ordered that and as I am slightly less conscience stricken about my cholesterol, I ordered the deep fried brie.
I told the waitress about my previous experience with the salmon and she assured me it would be lovely tonight. Great!! Salmon it is then. Now two lovely glasses of house red to go with the starters and we’re all set.
While we waited – for what turned out to be quite a while, for our starters we were looking around idely chatting. Across the table I saw him looking intently at the bar and turned around to see what was going on. He was in horror at the fact that the barman had poured a full glass of wine out of one bottle and finished it off in the other glass. After this he poured the dregs of another bottle into the second glass and was opening another bottle to finish off the glass with!!!! The waitress came to the table with them and I told her I didn’t want the wine. When asked why I gave her the reason and she just looked at me and said ……” it’s all the same wine though!!!!!” I mean….come on….you give me the dregs of bottles and expect me to thank you for it??
We asked for two fresh glasses of wine and so she brought them back to the counter and gave them to the barman and told him in a very hurt and apparently not understanding the problem manner what had just happened with “those two” – point point. The barman took the two glasses behind the counter and took down one glass and the proceeded to put THE SAME GLASSES back up on the counter. WE were absolutely mortified that this was done in front of our eyes…not that it would be any better if it was hidden…but I mean - really – blind or stupid, take your pick but we are neither.
She came down and plonked them on the table and walked off. He did not want a scene and so said just to leave them and take care of it tomorrow. After the attitude of the first round, we knew we would be wasting our time.
This letter is going on somewhat longer than I intended so I will try to get my last points in as quickly as possible. His humus was simply blitzed chickpeas and olive oil – not nearly as tasty as it usually is and my salmon was lovely. Kind of hard to taste the gorgonzola in it though. I’m not sure there was any. His carbonara was full of big lumps of bacon but he did have a nice amount of sauce this time. When he asked for bread to mop it up with – this is actually descending into a complete farce at this point – he got soda bread!!!

So there you go. It’s easy to get it right with such a simple menu. Isn’t it? Or am I missing something? Nobody bothered to ask why our full glasses of red wine were sitting on the table – I suspect that they already knew that we had seen them and were afraid to ask as the restaurant was fairly full at this stage. If this is not the case, I would be obliged if you could ask the dark haired waitress who was working last night why she let this go?

My contact details are below. I would appreciate an explanation as to why an incident like this can be allowed to happen in neighbourhood restaurant and why the staff think they can do this to customers who have been using the restaurant for the last five years. I will not care for denials of the wine pouring as I saw the bottle again when it was put to the left of the barman on the counter. This is completely unacceptable and the staff trying to make fools of the customer and have a laugh our expense is not on. I know exactly what they were thinking when they put the wine back to us – they wont notice and that’s how much they know. Not acceptable.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Einstein

I assume you wont be going back?

Gilgamesh

and you posted this .... why again?

NewFrockTuesday

Because I felt like it. Nobody asked you to read it.

Bluetonic

Extremely badly executed complaint, full of ranting and raving.

They'll defintely be laughing at you now.

NewFrockTuesday

Im not bothered tbh. I just said what happened. Revised letter going in.

Beruthiel

Gilgamesh wrote:

and you posted this .... why again?

so the rest of us will keep well away?

I'm tired of restaurants in ireland thinking that we won't complain no matter what crap they serve up,
I for one would have refused to pay for the wine purdee, and I would have told them why, did you pay for it?

Raiser

1 Don't eat in restaurants where they serve rotten fish.
2 Waitress doesn't care - she works in a restaurant as described in point 1
3 How are standards going to improve unless you direct complaints properly?
4 You sound very pretentious and whiney - maybe they just didn't like you.

Einstein

jaysus lads,
are you seriously complaining because someone posted a complaint about a restaraunt in the food & Drink thread?
get a life, there should be more people naming other places that aren't up to scratch.
dave

NewFrockTuesday

I was trying to be nice in the letter and not go off on a mad rant about how mad i was. The restaurant was fullish and its tiny and we didnt want a scene. Any points for the letter welcome but dont judge me as a person on what you read. Im really nice!
The attitude we got was that we were being too fussy cos we didnt want to drink dregs. Would you drink what we were being given? Your right about the whiney maybe..i was trying to say that in fairness its not too bad for an over priced pasta house but im not sitting for that. We ahave had grand meals there but theres always something stupid done like giving the wrong pasta. Is it too much to expect to get what you pay for?

Beruthiel

purdee wrote:

The attitude we got was that we were being too fussy cos we didnt want to drink dregs. Would you drink what we were being given? Your right about the whiney maybe..i was trying to say that in fairness its not too bad for an over priced pasta house but im not sitting for that. We ahave had grand meals there but theres always something stupid done like giving the wrong pasta. Is it too much to expect to get what you pay for?

in fairness, I think if I wrote that letter, it would have been a lot harsher than that!
also
considering the amount we are charged in ireland when eating out, it is not too much to expect top service and great food.
when I consider what you can get in most of europe for half the price, it annoys me no end

landser

the letter is badly drafted, but given that it's an off the cuff rant, it could be worse. pity you didn't wait until your final draft before posting... as written you sound like a pain in the arse, and i, for one, would be glad to lose your custom

i agree with the fact that that place is over priced with poor food and generally well intentioned but poor and unprofessional service.

p.s. you're not married!

NewFrockTuesday

in fairness, I think if I wrote that letter, it would have been a lot harsher than that!
also
considering the amount we are charged in ireland when eating out, it is not too much to expect top service and great food.
when I consider what you can get in most of europe for half the price, it annoys me no end

__________________

My point as well - just put foward more eloquently by you. Compared to what the rest of Europe gets for the same money, im sick of paying through the nose for bad service and worse food. I think I could cope with bog standard service if the food was great but not both being bad at the same time.

Gilgamesh

as pointed out by you, this is a small company, if it would have been me, after the second serving of the same wine, I would of had the manager at my table to stand question for this.
the thing is, that if you send them a letter it will not scratch them to that degreee as possibly defacing them in front of the people currently in the place ordering their food.
it putting a glancing blow to them and the way they are working on that day, who knows the people the next day might have great service and food.


Managers are only interested if they see that your words will cause damage to a greater degree to them.

also, as Beruthiel pointed out, did you pay for your food, after that?
I might get myself into trouble here for saying this now, bu I personally think that would be a very typical reaction for this country, complain all you like but still pay for the mess up.

If you were in a different country you wouldn't pay for a served sh!tpile in front of you.
So why accept it here.
If you want to complain, do it properly and prove your point by the refusal of payment.

NewFrockTuesday

p.s. you're not married!

No...but it sounded better!!

NewFrockTuesday

as ponted out by you, this is a smal company, if it would have been me, after the second serving of the same wine, I would of had the manager at my table to stand question for this.
the thing is, that if you send them a letter it will not scratch them to that degreee as possibly defacing them in front of the people currently in the place ordering their food.
it putting a glancing blow to them and the way they are working on that day, who knows the people the next day might have great service and food.


Managers are only interested if they see that your words will cause damage to a greater degree to them.

also, as Beruthiel pointed out, did you pay for your food, after that?
I might get myself into trouble here for saying this now, bu I personally think that would be a very typical reaction for this country, complain all you like but still pay for the mess up.

If you were in a different country you wouldn't pay for a served sh!tpile in front of you.
So why accept it here.

Point taken and agreed with.

Blub2k4

If you want a new bottle of wine then order a bottle, if you want house wine then sometimes you get a mixed glass.
What are the staff supposed to do in the case where there are dregs in a bottle, and when we say dregs here we mean just the end of a bottle, nothing particularly bad about it?
This is standard practice in pubs and restaurants and you were being precious to be honest.
I worked as a waiter for years and you sound like the nightmare customer.
My advice would be, next time buy a bottle and dont be so cheap if you want to guarantee that you get what you want.

NewFrockTuesday

On Wednesday 26/05/2005 my boyfriend and I visited your restaurant in the early evening.
Our previous visit to Casa Pasta resulted in my being served salmon that has slightly but as is always with fish, very noticeably – turned. On that occasion I declined a replacement main course . So did the fact of my not receiving penne as requested but tagatelli. However I do find that this has happened before so its not a big deal.
.
We arrived around 6.45 – ish and were shown to our un-booked table. Within seconds the menus were in our hands and as he is a big fan of the humus he ordered that and as I am slightly less conscience stricken about my cholesterol, I ordered the deep fried brie.
I told the waitress about my previous experience with the salmon and she assured me it would be lovely tonight. Now two lglasses of house red to go with the starters and we’re all set.
While we waited – for what turned out to be quite a while, for our starters we were looking around idely chatting. Across the table I saw him looking intently at the bar and turned around to see what was going on. He was in horror at the fact that the barman had poured a full glass of wine out of one bottle and finished it off in the other glass. After this he poured the dregs of another bottle into the second glass and was opening another bottle to finish off the glass with!!!! The waitress came to the table with them and I told her I didn’t want the wine. When asked why I gave her the reason and she just looked at me and said ……” it’s all the same wine though!!!!!” I mean….come on….you give me the dregs of bottles and expect me to thank you for it??
We asked for two fresh glasses of wine and so she brought them back to the counter and gave them to the barman and told him in a very hurt and apparently not understanding the problem manner what had just happened with “those two” – point point. The barman took the two glasses behind the counter and took down one glass and the proceeded to put THE SAME GLASSES back up on the counter. We were absolutely mortified that this was done in front of our eyes…not that it would be any better if it was hidden…but I mean - really – blind or stupid, take your pick but we are neither.
She came down and plonked them on the table and walked off. He did not want a scene and so said just to leave them and take care of it tomorrow. After the attitude of the first round, we knew we would be wasting our time.
This letter is going on somewhat longer than I intended so I will try to get my last points in as quickly as possible. His humus was simply blitzed chickpeas and olive oil – not nearly as tasty as it usually is and my salmon was lovely. Kind of hard to taste the gorgonzola in it though. I’m not sure there was any. His carbonara was full of big lumps of bacon but he did have a nice amount of sauce this time. When he asked for bread to mop it up with – this is actually descending into a complete farce at this point – he got soda bread!!!

So there you go. It’s easy to get it right with such a simple menu. Isn’t it? Or am I missing something? Nobody bothered to ask why our full glasses of red wine were sitting on the table – I suspect that they already knew that we had seen them and were afraid to ask as the restaurant was fairly full at this stage. If this is not the case, I would be obliged if you could ask the dark haired waitress who was working last night why she let this go?

My contact details are below. I would appreciate an explanation as to why an incident like this can be allowed to happen in neighbourhood restaurant and why the staff think they can do this to customers who have been using the restaurant for the last five years. I will not care for denials of the wine pouring as I saw the bottle again when it was put to the left of the barman on the counter. This is completely unacceptable and the staff trying to make fools of the customer and have a laugh our expense is not on. I know exactly what they were thinking when they put the wine back to us – they wont notice and that’s how much they know. Not acceptable.

meditraitor

Bluetonic wrote:

Extremely badly executed complaint, full of ranting and raving.

They'll defintely be laughing at you now.

:rolleyes:

Raiser wrote:

4 You sound very pretentious and whiney - maybe they just didn't like you.

:rolleyes:

Bad day guys, no need to be so flipant,,

The complaint was plain and simple , got the point across IMO.

Do either of you work in restuarants? (or that one)

NewFrockTuesday

My advice would be, next time buy a bottle and dont be so cheap if you want to guarantee that you get what you want.
__________________

If I want a glass of wine...just a glass ...Ill order just a glass.

What are the staff supposed to do in the case where there are dregs in a bottle, and when we say dregs here we mean just the end of a bottle, nothing particularly bad about it?

I understand this...but I dont want three different bottles in my glass.....would you?

irlirishkev

Purdee, well done.
I've always sent letters of gratitude in to places/companies when I've been extra happy or impressed with the service. It's only recently I've started complaining!!!
I just got fed up being taken for a ride, or being ripped off everywhere I go.

K.

Blub2k4

purdee wrote:

If I want a glass of wine...just a glass ...Ill order just a glass.

But that means that you dont get a new bottle opened, did I miss something?

purdee wrote:

I understand this...but I dont want three different bottles in my glass.....would you?

Well having worked in the industry so long as long as all were fresh then yeah, it wouldn't bother me.
What would you do at home?

The wine complaint is completely unfounded, you were being precious, you didn't even taste it.....BS.
Did you pay for it at the time? (thereby accepting the wine?)

NewFrockTuesday

The wine complaint is completely unfounded, you were being precious, you didn't even taste it.....BS.
Did you pay for it at the time? (thereby accepting the wine?)

Its not unfounded....I dont know how long the wine was sitting there. I dont care what you would drink....If your into slops, thats your look out. I worked in the industry, but maybe I just worked inplaces where we actually cared about the customer and didnt try to decieve them.
yes, you did miss something. you missed the whole point of the complaint. I already said I realise a second bottle will prob be used but I dont like the dregs of a 3rd bottle being used just to fill my glass. You also missed the most important bit where the barman just took them down for a min and then served them to us again. If your not going to bother reading the post properly, dont waste my time by replying.

dudara

Purdee, I'm glad that you actually sat down and wrote a letter describing your experience. I only wish more people would start to complain. however, to do this the letter really needs to written in a less flippant manner. Good luck though..

Raiser

- Sounds like you used poor judgement in returning after the veteran fish incident. Your standards and the standards in place in this establishment (as described by yourself) are clearly not aligned.

There are those who will be happy with what is on offer at this restaurant, leave it to them......

Some people don't have access to fresh drinking water, be honest - if you hadn't seen the plonk being poured, you and your faux-husband would have enjoyed your wine, your meal and your night.

The waiter did what we all do on occasion - try and get away with something. He was just thick enough to get caught, maybe he should have just explained that it was all the same, sold by the bucket, red table wine ANYHOW.

I think you spoiled things for yourself by imagining injustices and evils where there were none...

NewFrockTuesday

The waiter did what we all do on occasion - try and get away with something. He was just thick enough to get caught, maybe he should have just explained that it was all the same, sold by the bucket, red table wine ANYHOW.

Yes. that makes it completly ok.

TheBigLebowski

Maybe I'm common as muck but it wouldn't bother me in the least if I recieved a glass of wine poured from 2 or 3 different bottles, as long as it's the same type of wine. You keep calling it dreggs but people of a less complaining nature would call it the end of a preiously opened bottle. In a busy restaurant, it is unlikely that the wine was sitting there for too long, a few minutes I would imagine. If you were to let small things like this get to you, you would rarely enjoy yourself on a night out. Whats the point in letting it ruin your evening?

Blub2k4

purdee wrote:

Its not unfounded....I dont know how long the wine was sitting there. I dont care what you would drink....If your into slops, thats your look out. I worked in the industry, but maybe I just worked inplaces where we actually cared about the customer and didnt try to decieve them.
yes, you did miss something. you missed the whole point of the complaint. I already said I realise a second bottle will prob be used but I dont like the dregs of a 3rd bottle being used just to fill my glass. You also missed the most important bit where the barman just took them down for a min and then served them to us again. If your not going to bother reading the post properly, dont waste my time by replying.

Ok did you pay for it? Or did you refuse to pay for it at the time therefore rejecting the contract made when you asked for (the provided) glass of wine?

I could list the places I've worked but that would be a waste of time, I did care about customers, up to £400 sterling a week in tips proved that. If I had been seen I would have made it look like the wine was changed and not been seen doing it, secure in the knowledge that I was not going to hurt anyone, maybe just an ego or two.( ten years in the industry).

Blub2k4

TheBigLebowski wrote:

Whats the point in letting it ruin your evening?

Unless you were sitting there talking it up with someone else and fantasizing about your "rights" as a consumer.
Is it possible that the bottles were filled from different tonneaus, hmm that would be worth investigating :rolleyes:

Raiser

Lebowski people of your "ilk" are as "common as muck"

The first wine was decanted from a full bodied Chateau Saint Elisabeth packed with red and black cherry fruits, with hints of pepper, spice, and the local wild 'Garrigue' herbs.

The second from an appealing and highly drinkable blend of Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah, Merlot and just a hint of Tempranillo. Made for early drinking in a very open and fruity style, it comes from Jacques Frelin's second estate.

The third bottle delighted the senses with selected parcels of old vines planted with Syrah and Grenache on the slopes of Mont Ventoux were harvested and vinified following rigorous methods to produce an intensely rich, structured wine. The wine is smooth and rich and is like a treasure trove for the inquisitive palate.

Clearly these should NOT be mixed.

tabatha

i've been to casa pasta in donnybrook a number of times and have found them so nice. i am pickey about service and value for money and have never found them to be a problem. the staff are so friendly and very accommodating. on saying this not enough people complain in this country about "crappy" service. i find that in a lot of places there is no customer service. on saying this there is also no point in "half" complaining. if your going to do it, do it right and dont be made a fool out of. better luck next time.