This place has had some great days, and others, just the worst. After yesterday we won't ever come back. The great visits have one thing in common and it is the fact that the guy mentioned by appearance in this review wasn't there those times. I've seen the same guy being hostile with other customers before, and there's a reason this place, despite being in a nice neighborhood, rarely has more than two tables going at a time. The other staff are otherwise fine and even friendly.
Anyway, the beer I was given yesterday was completely flat, and when I politely told the waiter (the older middle aged man with glasses), he defensively told me it was a fresh bottle, and he opened another of the same brand (no pop or fizzle when the cap came off though) with the same result. He continued to look at me as if I was crazy. I've seen apple juice with more foam in the glass than either of these bottles. I said he might've gotten a bad batch and that he could contact his supplier for a refund / replacement. I felt like I was friendly, reasonable, and even helpful as someone who's worked bars and restaurants myself. I was expecting that he would offer me some alternative beer or beverage choice, but instead he just started arguing with me.
He insisted he'd opened them in front of me and started pointing at a single bubble he saw in the glass, seeming to think this was evidence that I was simply blind to what a beer should look like. He kept repeating that he opened it in front of me, as if I were accusing him of something when I wasn't. But it does become suspicious when someone gets hyper-defensive over something you're not even accusing them of (like serving poorly stored or rebottled beer in this case as he kept implying he hadn't done..). I finally reminded him that we've been coming here for years and have been very loyal customers. (For the reader's reference, I'm also American and have worked a lot of customer service, so they've also always receive tips from us.)
After some time of this, my husband came over to stir the beer with a knife to demonstrate that it wasn't even fizzing. I took a sip of it and it barely tasted like it had alcohol in it, if anything it tasted more like soap. The bottle was not expired, but it didn't make any characteristic sounds when opened. When I told him I didn't want to drink it, much less pay 50+ kronor for it, he got really angry and -blamed me- for the state of the beer.
Mariestad is one of the cheapest bottled beers you can get at Systemet (the alcohol monopoly in Sweden), and is tax free for businesses to purchase, so I know for a fact that offering something else wouldn't have broken the bank. When my husband spoke to him, he turned his back to me and pretended like I wasn't there anymore. When my husband remarked that this is poor service and a good way to lose customers, this man proceeded to blame his "8 bosses" for his behavior, and framed himself as the victim in this situation. We paid for my husband's soda and left before our food arrived. The man insisted we'd stay and eat and THEN not pay for our food. As if we'd want to eat in a hostile environment and risk a call to the police after we'd left.
We'd been staple customers for years, mostly because they have a version of the masala that comes with mango slices that make for a flavor combo that I love. This in spite of some bad stomach aches off and on (the food is sometimes clearly microwaved or reheated from previous days), and this aforementioned staff member who acts very much like a manager consistently tries to find ways to parse down the meat portions, at one time serving the meal on metal lunch trays that leave room for 3 or 4 small chunks of chicken and some less than fresh salad portions. It was always a gamble and I guess being yelled at and gaslit in front of other customers is the straw that broke the camel's back. This is not an establishment that deserves patronage, period. read more
