1 /5 Bridget: I visited for lunch today with my 87-year-old mum who has dementia. I take her out for lunch every week, and unfortunately this was one of the worst experiences we’ve had.
The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, yet we had to wait quite a long time before we were even served. When my meal finally arrived it was clearly not fresh — something the waitress herself noticed. I had to send it back.
I then waited around 40 minutes for a replacement meal, which somehow arrived even worse than the first. At that point I simply told them not to bother bringing another one.
During all of this I made sure my mum could eat her lunch in peace, as that was my priority.
When the bill arrived, I politely asked the manager if they would remove my glass of wine as a goodwill gesture, considering I never actually had a meal. I was perfectly happy to pay for everything my mum had eaten and drunk.
The manager’s response was shockingly rude. He said, “But you drank your wine, what’s wrong with that?” — completely dismissing the situation.
As I got up to take my mum to the till to pay, the manager then stretched his arms out and blocked us into the corner where our table was, saying “I recommend you don’t do that.”
I was stunned. I asked what he meant and said I was simply going to the till to pay. He later admitted he thought we were going to leave without paying.
To treat a customer — especially someone dining with an elderly parent with dementia — like that is absolutely disgraceful. At no point did we suggest we weren’t going to pay.
Not only was the food unacceptable and the wait times ridiculous, but the manager’s behaviour was aggressive, accusatory, and completely unprofessional. We were then asked to leave and told we were banned.
I have never been treated so poorly in a restaurant. What should have been a simple lunch with my mum turned into a deeply upsetting experience.
I will never return.