The best restaurants serving British food in Brookside Northampton East Midlands
2 Restaurants on GastroRanking
5606 Opinions in 2 websites
Unit 18-20, Octagon Way, England
Left in tears! Arrived at the restaurant at 4pm today with my husband. Hadn't booked, but as it was 4pm on a Sunday, we took a chance. The man allocating tables inside the main entrance (the manager, I think), gave us a table, and the waitress took us to our seats. However, our table was so incredibly close to the people sitting next to us, I felt suddenly very uncomfortable, and asked if we could be moved. (This restaurant is enormous. It's 4pm on Sunday, and there are ample empty tables). The manager/table allocator, became so instantly furious at my request, he literally shouted at me. He was marching me around the place, with flailing arms, pointing and yelling at me about how "all the tables are close together! Because we need to survive you know!". I tried to explain that was OK, but that I would just prefer to sit next to an unoccupied table, if possible, but he wasn't listening and just continued to twist up his face, and spit at me further. I think I was so stunned (as a simple request to move tables seemed very reasonable to me, especially given how many empty tables were available), that I went and sat back down in my chair to process what had just happened. This emphatically rude and unprofessional gentleman then proceeded, in a very animated fashion, to point and complain loudly about me to the waitress standing next to him. He then engaged another member of staff in the same conversation, loudly, shouting down the walkway to one another next to where we were still sitting. The two tables of people next to us, were understandably staring right at us, having had their meals so rudely interrupted, and the entire ordeal was completely humiliating and honestly, quite traumatic. Especially for a socially anxious person, who has a been working hard to overcome a significant phobia of eating in front of others, and has finally been spontaneous and plucked up the courage to attend what is described in Google reviews as a "good restaurant", with "polite, friendly and accommodating staff". Honestly, all he needed to say was "I'm sorry madam, all of our tables are reserved and will be full before you finish your meal". Or, "as you didn't book, I'm afraid this is all we can offer". Or any of the other vast number of possible, proportionate responses available. This behaviour was totally uncalled for, reactive, egotistical and offensive, and I am utterly appalled to think that any service would feel justified in treating their customers this way. I'm not surprised they "need to survive"! If you enjoy being spoken to disrespectfully, being publically dressed down and humiliated, and leaving a place hungry and in tears before you've even so much as ordered a drink, then this is the place for you. Alternatively, you can spend your money at Karen's. Deeply disappointed.