2 /5 jenny davis: I chose Sorties to host my birthday dinner and unfortunately the experience left me feeling extremely disappointed with the level of organisation and customer service.
I made this booking back in January, originally for 19 people. A week later I added five more guests and later confirmed the final number as 23, paying the outstanding balance in advance. With this much notice, I expected the table arrangements to have been planned more carefully.
When we arrived, our group was split across separate tables, which I initially understood given the size of the booking. However, six of my guests were seated far enough away that I constantly had to get up from my table to check in with them throughout the evening. As the birthday host, this meant I spent a lot of the night walking back and forth rather than enjoying time with my friends. It was frustrating, especially as there was a closer table nearby that could have made the seating arrangement much easier.
To help the restaurant, I had already sent everyone’s food orders in advance via email. Our booking was for 8:15pm. Four guests had starters and the rest did not, which I completely understand can sometimes affect the timing of service. However, our main courses were not served until around 9:45pm, which felt extremely late. In the meantime, my guests were hungry and I was repeatedly getting up to ask for updates. The whole evening felt very disorganised despite the preparation we had done beforehand.
Throughout the night, the waitress approached me multiple times to go over orders that had already been submitted. Instead of enjoying my birthday with my friends, I spent much of the evening rechecking and confirming details.
When I eventually asked where our food was and explained that I wasn’t happy with how long it had taken, the waitress responded in a very rude and condescending manner. She gave what felt like a very insincere apology, and when I questioned it she told me “that’s just the way I smile.” The interaction felt patronising and uncomfortable rather than helpful.
I then asked to speak with the manager, hoping for some understanding. Unfortunately, this made the situation worse. The manager came across as angry and defensive rather than willing to listen. Instead of apologising for the experience, he repeatedly tried to justify the situation and talked about how the restaurant is “one of the best.” At no point did he show any real empathy or offer a genuine apology.
One of my friends had to step in and remind him that it was my birthday and that I had spent the night organising things, going back and forth between tables, and repeatedly confirming the order while we were all waiting for dinner. I was simply hoping for some understanding from him, but instead the conversation left me feeling even more upset.
There were also several smaller issues throughout the night that added to the frustration. One guest was asked to pay separately including a service charge without any clear explanation. I ordered a JD and Coke but was charged for a double that I did not request, and although the waitress said sorry, the charge was never corrected. By that point I had had enough and just paid for the drink even though it wasn’t what I ordered.
Overall, I woke up the next day feeling really disappointed. I chose this restaurant for an important occasion and had put effort into organising everything in advance to make things easier for them. Sadly, the lack of organisation and poor customer service overshadowed what should have been a special evening.
I hope this review finds you well and that perhaps some small changes to the way large bookings are handled in the future could be implemented. Rather than becoming defensive, it would be helpful to listen to feedback from customers and recognise that they may have some valid points. Constructive criticism should be seen as an opportunity to improve the experience for future guests.
