Gaucho, restaurants to be avoided.
As you may have noticed I have been a frequent customer of the Gaucho chain for some years. Quite a few of you have discussed future opportunities there.
As a headhunter in financial markets, it has been a rewarding location for me. Given the current warm weather in London I took the idea of having ice cream in Broadgate restaurant with some clients.
I felt this would be an informal way to keep contacts warm during a slow period. I booked a table for 4:30, and was informed that the restaurant closes at 5:00
I had assured the person taking my booking that as we were only having ice cream, we'd be out for 5. My notion was to try this as a regular thing during the summer. A pleasant outdoor location with ice cream and maybe wine would make a convenient locus to discuss business. Sadly I made a major error in assuming that just because I booked at table with Gaucho, that this would be honoured.
My clients and I turned up, to find some member of their staff telling me that she was "going to call me". This was ambitious given that we'd turned up at the due time of 4:30, and she had not bothered to make that call, even though by now it was the time of the booking. We were told that even though I'd booked, and ensured that we would be gone by 5:00, we could not have the table we had booked. To put it mildly, my clients were not impressed.
This is the last interaction between Gaucho and P&D. I will now take my business elsewhere.
I counsel you to avoid a restaurant chain that does not bother to honour bookings, and seems to think that saying they "will ring you" after you have actually turned up only to be turned away is an acceptable business practice.
As a headhunter in financial markets, it has been a rewarding location for me. Given the current warm weather in London I took the idea of having ice cream in Broadgate restaurant with some clients.
I felt this would be an informal way to keep contacts warm during a slow period. I booked a table for 4:30, and was informed that the restaurant closes at 5:00
I had assured the person taking my booking that as we were only having ice cream, we'd be out for 5. My notion was to try this as a regular thing during the summer. A pleasant outdoor location with ice cream and maybe wine would make a convenient locus to discuss business. Sadly I made a major error in assuming that just because I booked at table with Gaucho, that this would be honoured.
My clients and I turned up, to find some member of their staff telling me that she was "going to call me". This was ambitious given that we'd turned up at the due time of 4:30, and she had not bothered to make that call, even though by now it was the time of the booking. We were told that even though I'd booked, and ensured that we would be gone by 5:00, we could not have the table we had booked. To put it mildly, my clients were not impressed.
This is the last interaction between Gaucho and P&D. I will now take my business elsewhere.
I counsel you to avoid a restaurant chain that does not bother to honour bookings, and seems to think that saying they "will ring you" after you have actually turned up only to be turned away is an acceptable business practice.
