131 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

Especially if they're swearing. 

[spanky123]

Mike didn't tell us the steak was under cooked. When the server made what we call a Quality Check he was told that everything was fine. We could have easily and quickly cooked it more.

Free advice.

Never go on social media and try to defend a position like this. If you want to score points you acknowledge the concern, apologize for the inconvenience and then invite the party back for a do-over. You would score lots of points and turn a bad situation into a great one.

Crap happens and every business has an off day in the eyes of the customer. How you address it is what people remember.

[Eddie. I]

Having worked in the service industry (including many bars and restaurants) i have to say it is a tricky one to try and keep a balance that lets everyone enjoy their night as planned. As above, as many people would likely take issue with being asked to quieten down (however politely) as would be disturbed by the loud group. But that being said, you clearly weren't looked after well by the staff so something is amiss and I agree, something could easily be done (even basics of acknowledging and apologizing for your discomfort, at least attempting to quieten down the group and a standard complimentary offering of some sort usually go along way but are often forgotten).

 

I’ve eaten there half a dozen times but entirely because of the food – its lovely. The service as always been ok (other than knowing you have to go and put your name on the list 1.5 hours ahead of when you actually want to eat, but I can live with that for great food) but it has always also been forgettable and never fantastic. I sometimes sense an undertone that the customer should be so happy they got to come and eat in the restaurant that a high level of customer service isn't required.

 

This may not be allowed to be posted I’m not sure (so I’ll leave the moderator to asses) but I mention it purely as it may be of interest. I work at UVic and there is a service management / customer service excellence course offered a few times a year through the University called 8 Moments of Power (http://www.execprogr...ship-Excellence). In  short it teaches using human behaviour techniques and business principles to deliver the best customer service possible. Whistler Chamber of Commerce have brought it in as the new standard for training in customer service roles in Whistler Village over the last year; perhaps this could become the norm in Victoria too  

[VicHockeyFan]

 

Having worked in the service industry (including many bars and restaurants) i have to say it is a tricky one to try and keep a balance that lets everyone enjoy their night as planned. As above, as many people would likely take issue with being asked to quieten down (however politely) as would be disturbed by the loud group. But that being said, you clearly weren't looked after well by the staff so something is amiss and I agree, something could easily be done (even basics of acknowledging and apologizing for your discomfort, at least attempting to quieten down the group and a standard complimentary offering of some sort usually go along way but are often forgotten).

 

 

Ya, agreed.  I've already stated that it's tricky for sure.

[spanky123]

^ Thanks Eddie

The profit from the ladies getting sloshed boozing it up should have been more than enough to comp Mike a free drink or meal if he raised the issue to the wait staff.

I have eaten at the Brass a few times and the food was good. The mistake any company can make though is thinking that the product alone outweighs the need for respectful customer service.

[johnk]

The old story: happy customer tells one person, unhappy customer tells 10 people.
They haven't done themselves any favours.

[Marc]

you should have seen the stuff I deleted before I posted that.  :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free advice.

Never go on social media and try to defend a position like this. If you want to score points you acknowledge the concern, apologize for the inconvenience and then invite the party back for a do-over. You would score lots of points and turn a bad situation into a great one.

Crap happens and every business has an off day in the eyes of the customer. How you address it is what people remember.

Edited by Marc, 25 September 2015 - 09:26 PM.

[Matt R.]

It's no BK Lounge, that's for sure.

 

Matt.

[Marc]

Welcome to the forum Colin.  OK, was it Trevor Linden?  You gotta tell us.

 

Also I see you are new, but you don't have to use the old typewriter if you don't want to, you can use a computer here.   

It wasn't Trevor. I think he has only been in once.

 

Colin's visit was a maybe 3 or 4 years ago. I remember the night well. We definitely failed that night. To this day I bring it up with staff..

[VicHockeyFan]

Matt LeBlanc before he went to Monty's?

http://www.canada.co...90-2f94da6d12a1

[VicBooster]

you should have seen the stuff I deleted before I posted that. :-)

I was pleased when I saw your post here. I assumed you would say something to address the concerns. Instead you took this opportunity to only deepen the rift between yourself and the patron and you dodged the primary theme of the review (it was not the food, it was the service). I've been a member of this website for many years and I have never seen Mike K. being critical of a restaurant. Evidently something happened that night that motivated him to stick his neck out and in response he was treated with arrogance and indifference both here and in your restaurant.

You know better than most that returning a meal makes patrons uncomfortable. You know very few people will ask for their food to be improved (in a fine dining restaurant of all places) because it is not something we do in our society. We'd rather suffer through it to avoid confrontation.

As a restaurateur it should be your goal and responsibility to guarantee all patrons leave satisfied. It is your responsibility to make sure a table full of disruptive guests is handled properly. Your patrons should not be reminding staff of their obligation to everyone in the restaurant, and if they do, my goodness do not brush them off, handle the situation like a reasonable restaurateur is expected to.

Reading through the lines of your reviews you appear to have difficulty with your steaks. And I see an underlying theme of management not showing a desire to make things right for customers who are left unsatisfied by your food or your service. That makes the review on VV resonate just that much more.

My strip loin was barely warm and flavourless compared to the Angus cut my wife had.
http://www.yelp.ca/b...source=(direct)

We ordered the steak done two ways. The first was a braise beef which was tender but really dry. Our server sensed we were having trouble with some of the meal and avoided us.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

The steak I ordered last week was poor. My wife ordered a hamburger. it was dry and
very ordinary. The lack of variety in the menu is significant

It is a great shame that a very good restaurant should be allowed to decline.

http://www.tripadvis...Island_Br.html#

We had a steak and fries and it was nothing special. I can have a better steak at Milestone! This place is nothing special ... not sure why it is so popular in Victoria. The fries are below average, the steak too. Not worth the line up.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

My french onion soup was bland at best and what happened to the cheese? We both ordered steak and frites, I the 12oz and my wife the 8oz. Being from Quebec I have had my share of steak and frites and while the fancy fries (cheese and truffle oil) were the best I have had; the steak was "awful". The steaks were both cold and similiar to chewing on jerky, the sauce was nothing more than some chilled merlot masking as a reduction. I am uncertain what butcher was used but strongly suggest locating another source. We mentioned to the waitor about our the poor dinner showing and was completely shocked as he promtly took our meals away, tossed us the bill owing the full amount and half heartedly murmoured a happy birthday to my wife as he ran away.

http://www.tripadvis...sland_Bri.html#

My wife was not impressed with her steak which was overdone in her opinion.

<snip>

The service kind of fell apart once we received our meals.

<snip>

So there you have it - the food was good but this restaurant needs to improve things to be considered in the top echelon

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

However the food is just average in my opinion. I had the 16 ox rib-eye and fries, a la French bistro. The steak wasn't particular tender but the fries were good.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

We both ordered the steak frites that we had been so looking forward to. The steak was mediocre, tender in some places and very chewy in others. I didn't even care to finish mine. The frites tasted like they came straight from a package. Maybe the chef was having an off night, but I know that we certainly won't be returning. What a disappointment.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

The presentation was fine, but the quality of the steak was not all the great. I found this esp disappointing given the price.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

Ordered a sirloin steak with "Frites". The steak tasted ok but was tough.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

I was terribly disappointed. Service was slow, my steak was cold, and I felt rushed to leave. It's no longer on the favourite list.

http://www.tripadvis...ri.html#REVIEWS

A bit disappointed in the steak - it was the 10oz - which I believe was a striploin. Had it medium rare and found it to be a bit tough -- not sure why- have bought better from Thrifty’s

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

..food was alright...tasted better french onion soup...was very bland. Was just a steak swimming in it's juices with a round circle of herb butter & a bowel of fancy french fries seasoned with cheese and herbs.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

When the server noticed we were not eating the soups, we politely tried to let him know they were not satisfactory. He essentially blew us off and kept on going. Without any explanation, a second server came to our table to process the bill at full price adding injury to insult. Sure hope no one else has to endure a painfully disappointing experience.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

I spoke with the manager on the way out. He pretended to be concerned or maybe he was actually concerned with
my feedback - he did admit that our service was not up to par and unacceptable. Well, good thing that I didn't expect compensation, as none was forthcoming. I suppose they don't have to worry about the likes of me: their reputation precedes them and losing my customer probably doesn't matter to them in the long run. In that respect, I did feel that I got the authentic experience of a snooty French restaurant.
<snip>

I was really disappointed by their indifference of the service. To be perfectly honest, the best description I can give for the feeling Brasserie left with me is sadness. I've had meals that have made me euphoric, satisfied, angry, annoyed - but I cannot remember the last time a dining experience left me feeling sad.
http://www.yelp.ca/b...source=(direct)

The wait staff here is woefully uninformed, but seems to have been brain-washed into thinking that Brasserie L'ecole is something terribly special.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

we were shocked when the check arrived. In most top restaurants, if they screw up your meal like this they would comp both meals. In this case, we were still charged for BOTH meals. I told the waiter (who was very courteous, helpful, and apologetic) that this was not acceptable. He explained that it was policy to not comp meals that were eaten, but he would ask for an exception. The manager then removed my wife's meal from the bill, but it was ridiculous that we had to ask.

http://www.tripadvis...HECK_RATES_CONT

[Barman]

I have worked in the industry since I was 18 (now 28) and the above situation has come up many times. Couple comes in, has never been in the restaurant before, has dinner, table next to them is loud and noisy, probably regulars who dine there every month and gets upset that they weren't given something for free for complaining. 

 

If you had any idea how expensive and hard it is to run a restaurant you would realize that the loud and noisy table probably brings in way more business than your social media BS ever will because word of mouth is much more powerful than the pandering of someone behind a screen. I agree with your point that the staff probably should have apologized, or made mention of you moving from your table. I am assuming you did this without notifying your server (which we all love btw). Maybe if you had flagged down your server and asked to move to the bar because it was too loud they would have been more concerned with your complaints. Coming from a service background, what I would have seen is a couple, probably in a bit of a huff, leave their table, grab their wine, tell no one what they are doing and just sit at the bar. No notice to their server. This behaviour instantly gets a servers back up as you now look like an entitled diner who can do whatever they want without letting anyone know. At this point they don't want to help you because you have bypassed the first person you should have talked to, your SERVER.

 

I have dined at Brasserie many times, it is where my wife and I go for all of our special occasions. I never name drop or ask for special service and I always have a pleasant experience. 

[VicHockeyFan]

^ If social media is so weak compared to word-of-mouth, why bother to register here just to come on and say this?

[Mike K.]

We weren't looking for a free meal or a comp. We expressed to staff we did not feel it was out of line for them to ask a table to tone it down a little out of respect for ourselves and other patrons. When I can't hear my partner sitting across the table from me, there is a problem.

I don't want to get into a back and forth here, but perhaps my notion of civility and respectful conduct in a restaurant and how that restaurant ought to ensure a respectful environment for all patrons differs from yours. And that's fine, I've certainly learned something from this experience and will take that away with me.

[spanky123]

^^^ I respect how hard it is to run a restaurant or any business for that matter. If you ever get to the point where you think that customer complaints are just people wanting something for free then it is time to take a break or hire someone to step in and act as your GM. Otherwise the people who don't come back start to add up and you wake up one morning without a viable business anymore.

 

He is a free template on how to handle 'Mike' in the future.

 

Instead of arguing your position on social media you immediately apologize (even if you did nothing wrong) and offer him a steak on the house if he comes back to give you another chance to impress. If Mike says thanks but no thanks then it costs you nothing, Mike won't continue complaining about service and  chumps like me think you are a decent guy and maybe I should try out the restaurant myself. If Mike takes you up on your offer then you at least still break even on the booze, appies and other meal that he buys for his GF. Win-win for you no matter how you slice it.

[dasmo]

^^^ I respect how hard it is to run a restaurant or any business for that matter. If you ever get to the point where you think that customer complaints are just people wanting something for free then it is time to take a break or hire someone to step in and act as your GM. Otherwise the people who don't come back start to add up and you wake up one morning without a viable business anymore.

 

He is a free template on how to handle 'Mike' in the future.

 

Instead of arguing your position on social media you immediately apologize (even if you did nothing wrong) and offer him a steak on the house if he comes back to give you another chance to impress. If Mike says thanks but no thanks then it costs you nothing, Mike won't continue complaining about service and  chumps like me think you are a decent guy and maybe I should try out the restaurant myself. If Mike takes you up on your offer then you at least still break even on the booze, appies and other meal that he buys for his GF. Win-win for you no matter how you slice it.

Can't argue with that. Even If I kinda think this is all a bit of an exaggerated whine....

[Greg]

... word of mouth is much more powerful than the pandering of someone behind a screen.

 

You may be about a decade or so out of touch for running a business. Online reviews drive a lot more customer choice decisions that word of mouth. Just saying.

[johnk]

Yes, operating a restaurant is very hard work. But no one is forced to enter that business.
The basic issue is simple:
1) legit complaint about overly loud and vulgar behaviour
2) no acknowledgement of the issue by staff or management

He did not complain about the food and beverage service.
He did not suggest running a resto is not hard work.
He did not ask for or expect any compensation.
He didn't freak out, yell or stamp his feet.

When he used social media to tell his story management hid behind a red herring involving his steak.
Unprofessional, IMO.

[VicHockeyFan]

Mike K. Did your steak come with a red herring?

[johnk]

Mike K. Did your steak come with a red herring?

Surf n'turf?