Yesterday I went to have dinner with a friend at El Gaucho in Leiden. I must say that it is more…read morethan 10 years that I go there and as much as I find the wine selection not the best, the food has always been quite good.
I had a very bad experience with a waiter, possible the manager of the restaurant, I am not sure, he behaved like he was in charge.
I called to reserve a table for two for the evening, I asked for a table close to a window, if possible.
When I arrived I was given not a table at the window, while there was a free table (not marked as reserved) close to a window, a table for 4 people. I asked if I could get that table if free, since it was already 20:15 (it was unlikely for them to fill that table), he said no because I had bookd just a few hours earlier, I then asked to see other available tables in the back of the restaurtant, and he eventually accomodated me on a table for 4. So, the feeling was that I could not get a table close to a window just because he said so. OK.
After a few minutes a table for 2 close to a window got available and somebody else kindly transfered me there.
When I order the food, I was clarifying with the waiter the piece of meat I wanted, this guy come close, jumped into the conversation and told me I should not ask such things and have no expectations that my wishes could be fulfilled (I have asked for the same thing everytime I have been there for the last 10 years and was never disappointed, and also yesterday eventually what I got was ok), still this guy had to be like that with me.
Then, at 21:30 we were brought the menu for dessert, at 21:42 we asked for a dessert, and the same guy told us that the kitchen was closed at 21:30, we were not reminded of that when they brought us the menu, nor we knews what time it was, we were having a good time and did not mind the time.
I asked to still make an effort, as we really wanted to have a dessert, which by the way is not something that you cook on the moment, it is just something you place on a dish and bring to the table. Anyway, the guy (still the same guy) said that that was impossible, and he refused to go and ask in the kitchen, and treted me like I was crazy just only asking for it. Left us with no dessert.
He said we could order coffees, we said no, and he brought us the bill 3 minutes after that (we did not ask for it), and 3 more minutes after someone else came with the machine to make us pay (again, we did not ask for it, and they even refused to split the bill).
Result, this guy ruined the good experience we were having. He works in the hospitality business but he is definitely an amateur of this business and ruined the experience for us, it felt like he was being mean to me from the moment I stepped into the restaurant.
Not going to El Gaucho anymore, there are many other good places for steak in Leiden or in Den Haag. I am very disappointed!
