I have been a regular user of Be Be's Cafe, for over four years, in fact, I was probably, their longest, most loyal customer, but alas no more! There is nothing wrong with the food, which is standard, British Cafe fare, plain and simple, but quite tasty, though, perhaps a little over priced, but that is down to the Cafe's location, which is in a quite prosperous area, bordering onto the New Forest. No, my gripe, is with the quality of service in the cafe, which leaves a lot to be desired. With one or two exceptions, the waitresses are not particularly polite, and the owner himself, always seems to have a miserable look on his face, and barely acknowledges my exsistence, although, I had been going there virtually everyday for four years. One waitress, in particular, is so rude and surely, she would make Basil Fawlty seem like a shining model of politness in comparrison, I think, she gets away with it, as she is related in some way to the owner. On several occassions, I have witnessed her throwing her pen (the one used, to take orders) across the counter table, where the orders are taken, because she is feeling, particularly fed up that day, or other times, hunched at this same counter table, with her elbows on the table, with a miserable look on her face, all in full view of the customers, I am quite sure in any other catering establishment, she would be told to buck her ideas up!, or face the sack. I have also witnessed other waitresses arguing amongst themselves, often in front of customers, which is not good practice and the general mentality of the waiting staff is, when can we get finished?, so we can get home.
And this leads me on neatly, to the reason, why I decided never to, grace them with my prescence again. On January 2nd (a Bank Holiday), I went into the Cafe, as usual, for my lunch, and I must spend up to £40 pounds a week at the Cafe and sat at a table, only to be told by a waitress, "We are closed now". On the door, the closing time for that day, said 3.00pm, and it was 2.10pm, so I naturally, qurried this, only to be met with a reply, from the said waitress, in rather an embarrassed tone, "Sorry". I, of course, was very irritated, because in my mind, you either keep to the hours you advertise, or not bother opening at all (also I would like to know the legality of it, from Trading Standards) and there were plenty of other people in the cafe at the time. I still, might have continued going to the Cafe, even after this, but as I was heading for the door, the particulary rude and surly waitress mentioned above yelled at me in a most unpleasant manner, "We're closed!" and with a look on her face which read to me, "Clear off". So, of course, I will and so, at a stroke this young woman, has lost her employer, up to £40 pounds a week. It never ceases to amaze me, the attitude, of people who work in the Service Sector of the UK economy. Do, they not realise, that its customers who pay their wages. read more
