I'll just paste the post I also wrote on one of the forums I belong to:
My sis and bro-in-law, who work for one of the Big Three petroleum companies in the Philippines, had a chance to try Antonio's (in Tagaytay) last night. They were with their colleagues, 18 lahat sila na kumain in Antonio's. They were disappointed because the service was quite bad! The server assigned to them was really snooty (feeling ba nya porke he's working for a high-end establishment e clients are beneath him na?), and here are examples of his bad attitude:
-- One of sis' colleagues did not receive a serving of bread; when they asked (politely) the server, he apparently said in a snooty way - "Eh kasi naman, yung bread yung nasa right side. So dapat hindi siya ang walang bread" or something to that effect. Bottom line was, he was actually blaming the clients! --
-- Main course items arrived; the one given to bro-in-law wasn't the one he ordered (of course he'll remember what he ordered in the first place di ba?). Server said, "Hindi ba ito ang order nyo?" and proceeded on insisting on it for a while. BIL nicely insisted that he ordered a different item...after a while, nabigay din sa kanya yung correct main dish.
Come dessert time, funny because yung nabigay kay bro in law seemed to lack presentation, compared to the others. Siguro napagdiskitahan na sya (though sis said he was actually very nice, maybe because he was in such a good mood). While everyone had some sort of ice cream/gelato with a sprinkling of pistachios on top, kay BIL parang latak na very small nuts ang inilagay.The whole group was still good-natured about it, even joking that "Hindi lang galit ang meron sila for you, poot na ito!" :p
The good thing was that last night, most of the group seemed to be in a very good mood - they were celebrating the birthdays of two of their colleagues, and most of them were I guess just enjoying their time away from work. Kaya tinawanan na lang nila ang actions ni "Koya" (the server) -- or else, the restaurant would've gotten a really big complaint from that big group of diners.
Bottom line? I don't think this is a good image for Antonio's - having snooty servers/staff, that is. People are paying really good money to go to their place, and this is what they're treated like? My sis' group was a big one, and the business they brought in was considerable -- what would've happened if the snooty server was assigned to a small group of friends, or even a couple celebrating a milestone? Would he be much snootier? Or would he be more thankful that he had to deal with "just" a couple of people, as opposed to a large group?
I asked my sister if he considered Antonio's worth revisiting, and she said no - mainly because of the really BAD SERVICE they encountered last night. And I agree wholeheartedly - no matter how good the food is, or how well-known the restaurant is - it's just not worth going to if the staff treats paying customers like something they've scraped from the bottom of their shoes.
That's unfair! Antonio's is not cheap, so I think the customers deserve good service.
ReplyDeleteI agree sis J...even if it IS an isolated incident (as most of those who have dined there are firm in saying), there's no excuse for really bad/rude service :(
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Went there with my hunny on a date, casually dressed coz tagaytay naman is a "chill" place diba? Upon entry palang they were super cold na. Walang smile, walang good evening. And yes, you're right. Their servers are downright glum and snobbish! To think we ordered the most expensive on the menu you would think they can show a little butt-kissing, right?
ReplyDeleteButi pa sa mang Inasal, pagpasok mo palang they are so warm and welcoming na!
But hey, you know I heard chef Tony is nice naman daw. Maybe he just needs to train his servers better in the PR department.
Am I going back to Antonio's? Bakit? There are so many other booming food establishments who will be perfectly happy to suck up & what's more provide better service! :P
Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice - I used to know someone who was friends with the chef, and it seems that he is a nice person. But his staff should be trained on better customer service/MUCH BETTER manners, because the restaurant (and everything about it) will be seen as an extension of his (the chef's) persona.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear about your unfortunate experience with them as well.:( At the end of the day, no matter how terrific the food is in an establishment, you'll still remember clearly how you were treated. And being treated like crap is surely not one of the things that will guarantee customer loyalty.