Jamie's Italian
Discussion
I must confess to not being a fan of the bloke but I've been to his Italian a few times and have enjoyed the food.
My 8 year old wanted to go there for her birthday at the weekend so we popped into the restaurant on Saturday to make a booking.
Me: "Hello, I would like to book a table for 6 for tomorrow lunchtime please"
Front of house: "Sorry but we're a walk-in restaurant so don't take bookings, however you can do it yourself if you go online"
Me: "Sorry but I thought you said you don't take bookings?"
Front of house: "We don't but you can do it yourself online if you like"
WTF?
Were it not for the fact that my daughter wanted to eat there I would have never returned. I cannot believe Jamie thinks it is good customer service to tell people to do a job that the restaurant should be doing themselves. Does he not actually appreciate people taking the time to physically visit his restaurant?
It is a small thing but it's clear that this 'chain' can afford to potentially throw away a cover of 6, 3 course meals, soft drinks, wine and champagne. Any privately run restaurant would embrace this kind of business with open arms, especially in the current climate but I guess this chain is bigger than that
My 8 year old wanted to go there for her birthday at the weekend so we popped into the restaurant on Saturday to make a booking.
Me: "Hello, I would like to book a table for 6 for tomorrow lunchtime please"
Front of house: "Sorry but we're a walk-in restaurant so don't take bookings, however you can do it yourself if you go online"
Me: "Sorry but I thought you said you don't take bookings?"
Front of house: "We don't but you can do it yourself online if you like"
WTF?
Were it not for the fact that my daughter wanted to eat there I would have never returned. I cannot believe Jamie thinks it is good customer service to tell people to do a job that the restaurant should be doing themselves. Does he not actually appreciate people taking the time to physically visit his restaurant?
It is a small thing but it's clear that this 'chain' can afford to potentially throw away a cover of 6, 3 course meals, soft drinks, wine and champagne. Any privately run restaurant would embrace this kind of business with open arms, especially in the current climate but I guess this chain is bigger than that
CatScan said:
Discovered the same in the Cardiff branch a couple of years ago. Wasnt offered online booking even. Think they want a queue at the door, makes it look good.
Food was excellent, must say. Beef carpaccio salad was delicious.
You're probably right and about the food as it has always been great to be fair.Food was excellent, must say. Beef carpaccio salad was delicious.
Given the quality though, they really don't need employ these silly tactics as quality always sells itself.
Carpaccio is definitely one of my favourites although it wasn't on the menu this time (seasonal perhaps).
We were discussing "no-booking" policy at work the other day as it is becoming more common in busy locations. The whole purpose is to maximise occupancy and make more money. And, it does work. It might sound a bit odd but the last thing a busy restaurant wants is to have all it's tables booked.
21TonyK said:
We were discussing "no-booking" policy at work the other day as it is becoming more common in busy locations. The whole purpose is to maximise occupancy and make more money. And, it does work. It might sound a bit odd but the last thing a busy restaurant wants is to have all it's tables booked.
I can totally understand a "no-booking" policy as others do this as a norm nowadays and especially in city centres where the footfall is huge.What I find difficult to get over is that they will/can take a booking online but refuse to write down your request at the restaurant. Perhaps their computer system doesn't allow for this but telling someone to go away and "DIY" just makes it seem like they can't be bothered.
I think it is also more of a sign of the times. They have the reputation to ensure their restaurants are always packed, purely from walk-ins, rather than specific bookings. Part of the reason could be that they are leaving themselves open to those walk-in customers and not booking up all their tables and having to turn away potential paying customers.
I can understand that it is frustrating not to be able to book, especially when wanting to eat there for an occasion, as you then run the risk of not being able to secure a table on the day you'd like to visit. I have this issue every time the OH and I go out at the weekend and decide to grab some late lunch from Nandos/Chiquitos etc. We want nice, easy, good tasting food, but attempting to find a table in any of these 'high street' type restaurants is almost impossible at key times in the day.
I'd be as frustrated as you are if I'd asked to book for a specific place, to be told it can't be done unless it is online. I guess I'll remember this and call ahead with future bookings.
I can understand that it is frustrating not to be able to book, especially when wanting to eat there for an occasion, as you then run the risk of not being able to secure a table on the day you'd like to visit. I have this issue every time the OH and I go out at the weekend and decide to grab some late lunch from Nandos/Chiquitos etc. We want nice, easy, good tasting food, but attempting to find a table in any of these 'high street' type restaurants is almost impossible at key times in the day.
I'd be as frustrated as you are if I'd asked to book for a specific place, to be told it can't be done unless it is online. I guess I'll remember this and call ahead with future bookings.
Interesting, I sent my feedback to Jamie's via their website and the manager called me just now to apologise profusely for the way I was dealt with.
Her explanation, staff laziness as it is not their policy to tell customers to DIY. Shocking. Allegedly she's given the staff a dressing down and quite rightly too.
In some ways I'm glad as I do honestly like the food in there but was going to get on my high horse and avoid the place like the plague.
Her explanation, staff laziness as it is not their policy to tell customers to DIY. Shocking. Allegedly she's given the staff a dressing down and quite rightly too.
In some ways I'm glad as I do honestly like the food in there but was going to get on my high horse and avoid the place like the plague.
Fatman2 said:
Interesting, I sent my feedback to Jamie's via their website and the manager called me just now to apologise profusely for the way I was dealt with.
Her explanation, staff laziness as it is not their policy to tell customers to DIY. Shocking. Allegedly she's given the staff a dressing down and quite rightly too.
In some ways I'm glad as I do honestly like the food in there but was going to get on my high horse and avoid the place like the plague.
Out of interest, was it the Milton Keynes one?Her explanation, staff laziness as it is not their policy to tell customers to DIY. Shocking. Allegedly she's given the staff a dressing down and quite rightly too.
In some ways I'm glad as I do honestly like the food in there but was going to get on my high horse and avoid the place like the plague.
Yes it was the Milton Keynes restaurant opposite House of Fraser.
It was good to get an apology and fair play to the manager for getting in touch so soon. She basically said that you can book either way and it was the fault of the (lazy!) member of staff, who I'm assuming got an earfull.
In some respects the prosperous nature of Milton Keynes is its downfall as the sheer amount of jobs available (up till recently) means that you often have kids running places. It was very obvious that this member of staff didn't have a mortgage etc. balancing on the sucess of the business as she would have acted differently otherwise.
It was good to get an apology and fair play to the manager for getting in touch so soon. She basically said that you can book either way and it was the fault of the (lazy!) member of staff, who I'm assuming got an earfull.
In some respects the prosperous nature of Milton Keynes is its downfall as the sheer amount of jobs available (up till recently) means that you often have kids running places. It was very obvious that this member of staff didn't have a mortgage etc. balancing on the sucess of the business as she would have acted differently otherwise.
Davey S2 said:
You can book but it has to be for 8 or more.
The Cardiff restaurant is apparently the most successful which I can believe as its always packed.
Good atmosphere but I've always been a bit 'meh' about the food.
The online booking lets you book from 1-14 people. I think the 8 or more is an old restriction. The Cardiff restaurant is apparently the most successful which I can believe as its always packed.
Good atmosphere but I've always been a bit 'meh' about the food.
Fatman2 said:
I can totally understand a "no-booking" policy...
What I find difficult to get over is that they will/can take a booking online but refuse to write down your request at the restaurant.
Yep, this would be odd and while I can think of numerous technical/business reasons none of them make sense in terms of customer satisfaction. Exactly what you experienced!What I find difficult to get over is that they will/can take a booking online but refuse to write down your request at the restaurant.
However, sounds like it is sorted and it was more human error than anything else. Good to know as personally, I think JO is a bloody good bloke.
Fatman2 said:
Yes it was the Milton Keynes restaurant opposite House of Fraser.
It was good to get an apology and fair play to the manager for getting in touch so soon. She basically said that you can book either way and it was the fault of the (lazy!) member of staff, who I'm assuming got an earfull.
I had a feeling it might have been. My Father-in-law recently complained about the service and food following a less than satisfactory meal. He also received a phone call apologising profusely, and was informed that the member of staff concerned was no longer working there (!). It was good to get an apology and fair play to the manager for getting in touch so soon. She basically said that you can book either way and it was the fault of the (lazy!) member of staff, who I'm assuming got an earfull.
I've eaten in his Liverpool restaurant, the wife convinced me to go in but I was pleasantly surprised, though it was a weekday afternoon so no queues and we were told to pick whatever table we wanted which I wish most restaurants would do when they're not busy.
I thought the menu was a great departure from the run-of-the-mill Italian menus that seem to have the same boring fare, 3 great courses and superb service
I thought the menu was a great departure from the run-of-the-mill Italian menus that seem to have the same boring fare, 3 great courses and superb service
i have also eaten in the liverpool one and though the food was s
t. Pasta congealed, looked warmed-up. Very overhyped. I think he just hires stheads off the street and trains them up, rather than people who are actually interested in food. A bit like being cooked food by someone who has been forced to read a jamie cook book, rather than actually wanting to or being in any way influenced by him directly. Poor.
t. Pasta congealed, looked warmed-up. Very overhyped. I think he just hires stheads off the street and trains them up, rather than people who are actually interested in food. A bit like being cooked food by someone who has been forced to read a jamie cook book, rather than actually wanting to or being in any way influenced by him directly. Poor.Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff