We used to dine at Taverna 5450 at least three or four times a month…read more
Unfortunately, after our most recent experience, we won't be returning.
We stopped in for an early dinner on a beautiful afternoon and decided to enjoy the patio. When we arrived, only one other couple was seated outside. Following the instructions posted inside, we approached the bartender to be seated. He directed us back to the entrance, where the hostess arrived approximately five minutes later and seated us with menus.
Over the next 20 minutes or so, we watched as five additional parties arrived and were seated on the patio. During that time, we observed the two servers taking drink orders, delivering beverages, and taking food orders from these tables. Meanwhile, not one person acknowledged our presence.
Having worked in restaurants myself, I understand that things happen. Restaurants get busy, staffing can be challenging, and occasionally a table gets overlooked. We were patient and initially assumed they were short-staffed. However, when another couple arrived and was promptly greeted by a third server and their drinking order was taken immediately, we realized something was clearly wrong.
I went inside and approached an older gentleman behind the bar, asking if I could speak with a manager. He indicated that he could help, so I politely explained the situation.
His response was, "Oh, you must have seated yourselves."
I explained that we had followed the posted instructions, spoken with the bartender, and had been seated by the hostess. Rather than acknowledging what had happened, he repeated that we must have seated ourselves.
Once again, I explained that we had been seated by the hostess. His response was simply, "Well, I guess we could get you set up now."
At that point, we had no desire to stay.
What makes this experience outrageous is that I later learned, when I called the restaurant hoping to speak with the owner, that the gentleman I had spoken with was actually the owner himself (Nick). That revelation was surprising, to say the least. I would expect anyone working in hospitality to understand the importance of acknowledging a service failure, but I would certainly expect the owner of a restaurant to lead by example.
The original oversight was completely forgivable. What wasn't was the dismissive, arrogant attitude we encountered when we brought it to his attention. Rather than taking responsibility or offering a sincere apology, his first instinct appeared to be blaming the customers.
As someone with restaurant experience, I know that how you handle a problem often matters far more than the problem itself. A simple acknowledgment and a genuine effort to make things right would have completely changed the outcome.
Instead, we left feeling as though our business was neither wanted nor appreciated.
It's particularly disappointing because we genuinely enjoyed Taverna 5450 and had been loyal, frequent customers for quite some time.
Good food may bring customers through the door, but genuine hospitality is what keeps them coming back. It's sad when that understanding is lacking at the ownership level.
