We chose Fortu this past Friday night to celebrate my mom's 65th birthday after discovering the restaurant through the Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables program. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a special dinner became one of the most disappointing dining experiences we've had in quite some time.
We had an 8:00 PM reservation, arrived at 8:02, and were not seated until around 8:15. That alone would not have been a major issue, but it unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Once seated, we ordered all of our food at once because everyone was hungry, and we specifically explained that we would be sharing everything family-style. Despite that, we waited approximately 40 minutes for our first dish--which was a raw dish--and nearly 50 minutes for the second. We did not receive all of the food we ordered until approximately 9:20 PM, more than an hour after being seated.
What made the delay especially frustrating was watching tables immediately next to us, including one seated after us, receive their food considerably earlier. Those tables had a different server, who was also noticeably more attentive and personable with her guests.
Each time I asked our server, Teal, for an update on our food, she would return shortly afterward with a single dish, but her demeanor increasingly made us feel as though asking about food we had been waiting nearly an hour for was somehow an inconvenience. At a restaurant of this caliber, delays can happen, but communication and hospitality should make up for them. Neither did here.
We have dined at many Michelin-starred, Bib Gourmand, and Michelin Recommended restaurants, and the issue was not simply that the kitchen was running behind. It was the complete lack of communication and the increasingly dismissive service that accompanied it.
The most disappointing part involved my mom's birthday. Teal knew from the beginning that we were celebrating her 65th birthday and even told her, "Don't worry, we'll do something special for your birthday." Nothing was ever done.
Toward the end of the meal, Teal asked whether we wanted dessert. I said I wasn't sure and turned to ask my family if anyone wanted something. Before we had even made a decision, she responded that there were "plenty of dessert spots nearby on the strip" that we could go to.
We were genuinely stunned. For a restaurant with Fortu's reputation, telling a table celebrating a milestone birthday to essentially go somewhere else for dessert while they are still considering ordering dessert from your restaurant is remarkably inhospitable. We had even mentioned that we came from Orlando specifically for the evening.
She then returned with the check, loudly dropped the checkbook onto our table, immediately turned around, and walked away. No "thank you," no acknowledgment of my mom's birthday, and not even the bare-minimum "have a good evening."
Meanwhile, looking around our section, the contrast was obvious. The server handling the neighboring tables was engaging, attentive, and taking the time to make her guests feel welcome. Unfortunately, that was not the experience we received.
There are far too many excellent restaurants for people to choose from when deciding where to celebrate milestone occasions. We chose Fortu for my mom's 65th birthday because of its reputation and its inclusion in Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, and it was a complete flop.
Ironically, we ended the night at the nearby pizza place we had asked Teal about earlier, and the hospitality there was better than anything we experienced during our dinner at Fortu.
The food itself may have merit, but hospitality is part of dining, especially at this level. On a night that should have been memorable because we were celebrating my mom, Fortu unfortunately became memorable for all the wrong reasons. read more