To expect slightly more speedy service?

My daughter has a restaurant and would much rather anyone who is unhappy tells them at the time so they can try and put it right rather than go away with a bad impression. I remember once seeing a sign that said "if you had a good time tell all your friends. If not please tell us". Daughter's business was the victim of a malicious campaign on Trip advisor that was traced back to a competitor.

Why does the word "banned" make me feel edgy?

Oh yes! That forbidden word!

There's me thinking it was two words - 'duck eaters' - phew, what a relief! [Grin].

Yeah! Me too.....Is the forbidden word Xmas?

If so, I totally agree. Delete immediately.

There is a post on this thread that I do not understand.

And I'm getting really curious.

i once sent back 2 consecutive meals on the same evening, both were so badly cooked. By which time I had lost interest in eating.

Banned!
She brought up the forbidden word!
GNHQ please delete immediately?

I went to a Xmas do at a local restaurant which we had booked because a colleague's son worked there. I can't remember the starters so they must have been all right but we then waited over an hour for the main course. My vegetarian friend had ordered a mushroom omelette, which turned out to be a frozen microwave omeltte with some raw mushroom stuffed in the middle. I had asked for a tasty sounding toasted baguette with garlic prawns and cheese. When everyone but me had been served I asked for my baquette. Somebody rushed off and brought me back a limp prawn baguette, which had obviously been microwaved rather than toasted, and apologised because they'd run out of garlic butter! Our colleague talked us out of complaining because of her son but we never went back and after 20 years it is still my worst meal.

DD and I walked out of a Harvester restaurant once because we were fed up waiting. We had had 'help yourself' salad bar and waited over an hour for our main course. What made it all the more frustrating was seeing the next table receive their 'mains' even though they arrived after us. I told a passing waitress that we refused to wait any longer.The manager was apologetic and said we wouldn't be charged for our salads I replied "Well good, that's the least you can do!"

You had every right to be annoyed. I would have asked for a discount.

If you complained reasonably and they were unsympathetic then writingan unfavourable report on Trip Advisor was the correct thing to do. I nearly always write up reviews whether good, middling or poor. In one case I had a personal reply from the restaurant owner with apologies and the offer of a free return meal. I didn't take it up but I did go back to that restaurant again and found my next experience very much better. Those who don't bother to reply never get a second visit.

I also check out the Standard Hygiene ratings online and was shocked to discover one local pub we had planned to eat at had a rating of only 1 indicating very serious hygiene issues. We cancelled and went somewhere else.

It is very annoying to be treated so badly isn't it JesseM ? i am afraid though I shant return because we don't go out that much (aaahhh) so when we do it needs to be reasonable. They were told of the problem and accused us of ordering late - time on receipt 7.15p.m. There was also a warning of a 25 minute delay not 90 minutes.

Thanks for that advice MiceElf would not have occurred to me but I have done it and now feel less aggrieved!

It's difficult to complain when it's a special occasion and there are numerous guests. Brits are awfully inefficient about complaining too. I have walked out of restaurants without paying the bill after having explained about the problem – badly cooked food, a long delay, the wrong dish, the wrong wine twice or whatever – and leaving my address and telephone number. Only once did I not get a follow up call and an apology – some quasi-French bistro chain whose name now escapes me.

I had a bad experience like that once in a P. Express on DH birthday. They had obviously overbooked (ie let too many people in) and knew it - they had someone doing card tricks to try to distract the waiting customers! When my pizza eventually came it was part cooked. I got progressively crosser and he too, with me, because i was complaining. No more PE for me (Express? ) but as it is your local (and you would really like to give them another chance) I would truck down there today and say that you are complaining today as it was his b.day last night and you did not want to cause a scene. Give them a chance to grovel and give you a stack of credit notes for future use.
These things sometimes happen I guess because a chef has called in sick or something and they are struggling in the kitchen.
But doesn't it p you off when they sprint past your table asking the closed question "Is everything alright with your meal" and gallop off before you can finish your mouthful?

No, not unreasonable. I hope you made your dissatisfaction clear to the management at the time. Have you put a review on Trip Advisor?

It sounds as though they were short staffed and not honest enough to say so.