[gawdchyld]

Please don't go to The Boathouse @ Stanley.

Wonderful night out with my friends at Stanley, so we decided to stop by the boathouse and sit outdoor on the terrace.

There was a long table that could sit 12 or so empty so we asked them if we could take the table for 4 by the pedestrian.

They said the table is occupied by the private party who sits next, altho everybody's left that table. so they told us to wait at the entrance area of the restaurant. So we waited for a bit and they didn't get back to us whether we could have the table or not. So, we asked again (1st time), " is that table OK?" the guy told us to wait. then we wait.

asked 2nd time when i saw them cleaning up the tables " are you freeing up the table for us?" ... again, the server told us IMPATIENTLY, " Just wait!"

I mean, first, its a YES or a NO? coz if its a NO then i am not gonna stand around for nothing. It was then, i saw a family approaching from the pedestrian sidewalk to the server cleaning the table (That we waited for, at the restaurant entrance from a distance to the table) and pointing and from the gestures it looks like they want that table.

SO, for the THIRD TIME, i walked over to the servers cleaning, and said, we are waiting for the table, when can we get seated?

again, they told me to go back to the entrance to wait. So i assume they know wut they're doing and will give us the table after i've repeatedly asked them.

In a few minutes, i saw the family, SITTING DOWN AT THE TABLE I WAITED 15 minutes and asked 3 times for.

I was really pissed off and went over and asked the server, hey, I was waiting for the table outside and you guys kept telling me to wait and wait and now u give the table away? what is this?!

and the guy said "No, you never told me you're waiting for this table"

i'm like " you must be kidding me, i asked various staff, for 3 different times"

and he said " well you did not ask me then. did you ask me? was it me? did i tell you ?"

i'm like..i don't know which but i asked 3 different guys. i was thinking, what? I am not here to recognize your faces coz i don't work here! and then he said again " No I don't know about this so, its none of my business" (So if its not ur business whose business is it!??)

i was just simply so mad by then. what kind of attitude is this? First, they did not give me any answer whether I could have a table or not. it is wrong to begin with, to put me off for serveral times and not assure me whether i will be seated. and now after waiting so long you give my table away and pretend you didnt' know about me waiting there? and telling me off in a really cocky and bad attitude? This you call customer service??

While the guy was being rude to us, my friend went over to him and asked for his name. His name was Leo Ng. And then we were going to leave because we were SO GOING TO COMPLAIN. then he started to get nervous, and came after us (still with an attitude). " so now you tell me do you want the table now" ( what kind of attitude is that asking your costumer? am i begging from you or what? )

and i'm like " No man we don't want that table anymore" when there are about 10 other restaurants right next door ready to give imppecable service to their customers and ensure they have a good time!

So, DON'T GO TO THIS PLACE unless you wanna get bullied around and mistreated like you're worthless!!

VERY UNHAPPY and kinda ruined a bit of my night...

[Skyhook]

There's always 2 sides to any story, and by what you have expressed thus far, it definately sounds like a case of pot calling kettle black.

I suggest you drop in to the nearest hardware store, buy some tools, some timber, bricks, a bushell of nails.

Then you can build a bridge, and get over it

[brat]

hey, what you went through sounds frustrating. i know how that feels. some people here do have a problem with listening. they can hear you but they aren't really listening to you. i've definitely been through a similar experience here in HK. it could have been a simple mistake but it is enough to ruin one's night.

[jayinhongkong]

Service at HK restaurants often truly sucks, interestingly, usually at the mid-range places. I find the local spots and the high-end restaurants take better care of you.

[Skyhook]

Hong Kong is notorious for delays via waiting for tables at restaurants, it shouldnt come as a surprize. We've eaten at the Boat House in Stanley and had to wait 15 minutes for a table, its no big deal, and certainly expected during busier times.

Having a family member who works in the F and B industry, i also hear the other side of the story, especially how some sections of the expat community think its their god given right to be given a table right there and then, nobody likes to be treated like a door mat, and i am sure in most cases, the person throwing their wait around, would be placed on a less priority and deliberatley made to wait longer.

Human nature applies here. If you give it, you'll get the same.

Unless the Boat House staff have the ability to express their side of the story, I am sorry, but i just wont accept the OP's story on face value.

[Mijonju]

yahh.. i believe.. and understand completely..
they dont treasure their work.. neither do they treasure the clients~ maybe thats what they want.. they want the company to close down cos they hate the boss.. so that bunch o waiters.. probably succeeded.. now with us spreading this message to other people on facebook.. but because of such bad management this message should be brought to everyone to improve management.

[PDLM]

Maybe they were just holding the table in the hope that an expat family would come along and buy a meal (each, not one to share between four) and a bottle or two of wine (each if they were lucky), rather than have a what looks like a bunch of overseas-educated locals with a princess complex occupy the space for hours and spend 50 cents?

In principle that's good management, not bad, although they probably hoped you would just go away sooner without throwing your toys out of the pram online.

[cloudybay]

Since gawdychild gave a very descriptive account, I assume it's pretty objective. But I am not sure whether the offense was caused by one particular server or several of them. What I would have done in this case is go to the host or manager to make sure the waiters know the table is ours so if/when the table is given to others I can turn to them to get the table back.

If this is a bad experience from dealing with one server it seems hardly fair to berate the restaurant for it. You should have complained to the manager after they seated the other party, he/she might have apologized and come up with a solution for you.

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by cloudybay

Since gawdychild gave a very descriptive account, I assume it's pretty objective.

Er, I feel you need to consult a dictionary on the meaning of "objective". The original post is about as subjective as it is possible to be!

[Skyhook]

I agree with you PDLM, I think you're right on the money with this one.