Author Topic: christmas dinner at a restaurant,  (Read 5414 times)

Alfred

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4869
christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« on: Nov 23, 2019, 03:53:22 PM »
Several years ago for a Christmas treat I had booked a table for four, myself, , wife, son, and daughter,

we arrive 10 minutes before time, and we waited for a few minutes as the table was being re-laid, the restaurant is very busy at that time of year, and during the year is very popular,

so well we waited over twenty five minutes, before the soup arrived  and not long after that the dinner arrived,  minus the stuffing, having asked the waiter where's the stuffing, we were told the stuffing is extra,

having explained that we had booked for the full three course meal including all the trimmings. the waiter apologised but we still didn't get the stuffing,  the meal was to our minds warmed up and not nice and hot straight out of the oven as one would have expected,

we didn't wait for the Christmas pudding, as that too looked as if it had seen better days  especially when people on the next table to ours were heard commenting about the food, the service, all thougherly disappointing, including the Christmas pudding, ??

we weren't alone as other customers by then were doing like wise as we noticed some  leaving before they too had had the whole three course meal,

we had asked the waiter for the manager, as we had noticed there were only two waiters , attending over twenty tables all with at least four persons to a table, the reply was the manager was busy and might be some time before we would be able to speak to her,

And so we left  fuming and very angry as we noticed other customers too were not far of the mark ready to explode,  evidently they too had much the same problem as we had,

after Christmas I sent several e-mails to the head office which un-known to me then were passed back to the same restaurant we had gone to have our Christmas dinner with, so she received all my e-mails of complaint, ?

the manageress apologised, and offered  us a voucher for a free meal after the Christmas period ,as she had few too staff too few waiters at that  time as others didn't want to work on Christmas day, either??

I replied that I would tell all our friends and neighbours not ever to go to that restaurant especially for the Christmas meal, unless they wanted a Hugh disappointment, not only on the food but with the service in general,

she asked me which waiter had told me the stuffing was and extra charge and I told her as there was only two  waiters attending the whole restaurant, one was a woman, the other was the man, who had told us , she asked what was his name I replied how would I know ??

she said there was no charge for the stuffing to which I replied how many other customers had been told the same story as I had , ?????

evidently a neighbour who lives in our cul de sac also went to the same restaurant an hour after we had been there, and they too had a similar experience regarding warmed up food, they wont be going there again definitely not at Christmas time,

I didn't go to that restaurant for almost eighteen months, and only went in the middle of the week in the summer time when at least the food was piping hot and the service was excellent ,

so never again will I book anywhere for a Christmas dinner, no matter what the cost, as the experience learnt, was some thing we will never have again,..... our neighbours too stay at home for Christmas, as well,

Q; have you a story to tell about Christmas ,.

Sheila

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7094
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #1 on: Nov 23, 2019, 05:36:57 PM »
We went to a Turkish restaurant near to my daughter's house.  I don't think they had made a roast dinner before but did quite a good job.  Unfortunately there was a totally blank look when we asked for cranberry sauce etc.  I don't think they had heard of it.

Raven

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27193
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #2 on: Nov 23, 2019, 05:41:38 PM »
Never in my whole life have I been out some place for  Christmas Dinner. It's always had at home with whoever from the family wants to join us.

GrannyMac

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 25218
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #3 on: Nov 23, 2019, 05:59:51 PM »
I've never eaten Christmas dinner in a restaurant. We always had it at home, then we moved it to our son's.  Only missed one year when we couldn't get there because of the weather.  Parts of the Peak District can become impassable when it snows!  Fingers crossed for this year.
Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right.

R. Gervais

Jacqueline

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5261
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #4 on: Nov 23, 2019, 06:20:33 PM »
As soon as I had children it was always my house for Christmas Dinner, taking children and all their presents and things out was too much hastle. We did go to my parents sometimes but mostly it was my place.


We have never been out to a restaurant on Christmas Day, but usually have a few Christmas lunches out before the big day. 


Christmas day is a chill out day for us now. Hope for a better one this time as Christmas was cancelled last year, My husband was taken into hospital early hours of Christmas morning and not out again until the new year. Thankfully he is much better now.

Alex22

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 19425
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #5 on: Nov 23, 2019, 08:14:50 PM »
I've never eaten Christmas dinner in a restaurant either.   Even when I was living away, we always made it back to UK for Christmas at Mum and Dad's.   Somehow it wouldn't be the same sitting in a restaurant, my frend does it but she says sometimes you can tell the staff can't wait for you to finish and go !   ;D
.

richmond62

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9193
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #6 on: Nov 23, 2019, 08:25:46 PM »
When I was a kid my job on Christmas morning was to run round the village and collect as many single pensioners as I could and get
them back to our house because, as my Mum said, "Who wants to eat turkey for a fortnight?" Also, with all those people get warm and merry
it meant that my sister and I could b*gger off somewhere else and not have to cope with all the sickeningly gluey "Oohs and Aahs" from
relatives.

I hope there will be folk who do that for us when the need arises.

The thought of Christmas lunch in a restaurant gies me the dry boke.

Michael Rolls

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 72679
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #7 on: Nov 23, 2019, 10:17:15 PM »
I've had a family Christmas lunch at a restaurant, nor would I want to, but I have had quite a few Christmas lunches in hotels as part of a fairly large group and never had any problems. These have been 'organised' lunches, the hotel knew beforehand that they had to cater for X number of people and that if they didn't offer a decent service they could kiss goodbye to a repeat booking the next year. From that awful experience, it was clearly an establishment just unable to cope - i.e., poor management.
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #8 on: Nov 24, 2019, 04:05:27 PM »
We had a very similar experience Alfred.  Not on Christmas day but because we don't have room to seat many guests at home any more we tend to take groups of family and friends to the local pub for their Festive Menu quite close to Christmas.  We used to go there a lot when we came here about 7 years ago but they went through a period of ever cheaper food and fewer staff and it showed.  You could get 3 courses for £5!  We stopped going and after a few months I got an email asking me why we had stopped going, so I let rip with both barrels and told them I did not intend darkening their door again in spite of them being a real ale house.

I got an email back from their regional manager promising they would change and a few months later a phone call from their new pub manager asking me to notify him next time we went and he would personally ensure both the service and the food were just right.  As it happened the opportunity did not present itself  for some months but one rainy day when we did decide to try it we just walked in and everything was fine so we have been going on regular occasions and been very satisfied.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

Butterpuff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #9 on: Nov 24, 2019, 04:06:02 PM »
I've never gone to a restaurant on Christmas day either, since we got married we always had my mum and dad on Christmas day, now my parents have gone....our family and grandchildren come round on Christmas day, that's how we like it . after dinner we can relax  not have to make our way home from a restaurant....some places do Christmas lunches in december, and I like that ,don't have to book a meal, maybe when I'm out Christmas shopping , a wee treat

Butterpuff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #10 on: Nov 24, 2019, 04:14:58 PM »
We had a very similar experience Alfred.  Not on Christmas day but because we don't have room to seat many guests at home any more we tend to take groups of family and friends to the local pub for their Festive Menu quite close to Christmas.  We used to go there a lot when we came here about 7 years ago but they went through a period of ever cheaper food and fewer staff and it showed.  You could get 3 courses for £5!  We stopped going and after a few months I got an email asking me why we had stopped going, so I let rip with both barrels and told them I did not intend darkening their door again in spite of them being a real ale house.

I got an email back from their regional manager promising they would change and a few months later a phone call from their new pub manager asking me to notify him next time we went and he would personally ensure both the service and the food were just right.  As it happened the opportunity did not present itself  for some months but one rainy day when we did decide to try it we just walked in and everything was fine so we have been going on regular occasions and been very satisfied.

Mike.X
not enough people complain, and we should, what would happen to these places if we all stopped going

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #11 on: Nov 24, 2019, 05:16:04 PM »
One drawback is that it's now very busy and not so easy to get a table.  It always surprises me that in times of apparent austerity folk can still find money to spend on eating out.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

sparky

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9831
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #12 on: Nov 24, 2019, 05:30:20 PM »
For many Christmases before my late wife's health began to fail, we had our Christmas day meal  at the same very good restaurant near  Burford , which has now sadly changed hands, and we always enjoyed it, and at least it gave my wife a break from the kitchen, where she usually did around 75% of our meals. I would not eat out Christmas day now, it would not seem the same without her.

prestbury

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 772
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #13 on: Nov 24, 2019, 10:58:07 PM »
Interesting to see the comments.

We have booked this year for the first time to go to a local pub for christmas lunch on christmas day. I hope that it will be ok as we have a fixed time as do all the customers on the day. The pub is a well renowned local carvery and always exceeds expectations so it will be interesting to see how they perform on christmas day. If it fails I have the CEO of the chain on speed dial.  ;D

zoony

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 63553
Re: christmas dinner at a restaurant,
« Reply #14 on: Nov 25, 2019, 01:24:05 AM »
My life has been such that 'family' Christmases have not been a regular feature. I remember childhood Christmases only vaguely but the excitement and gifts were always over-shadowed by the impending pressure to eat Brussels sprouts.. No family traditions to maintain but the usual childhood excitement about presents and such. I've always been in different places, not now though, when Christmas was celebrated that I never quite got to like it much. I like the joy that it brings to so many but I never got the hang of it I'm afraid.
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

                                           cowboy wisdom.