It is with genuine disappointment that I find myself writing this review. If you look at my previous reviews, you'll see that I am generally a positive reviewer, so this marks a regrettable exception.
My friends and I visited the Mayflower yesterday, booking a karaoke room for the evening. Our initial impressions were excellent. The service was quick, the atmosphere nice, and the food enjoyable. We did experience minor issues with the karaoke machine, but these were things we were prepared to overlook. However, the problem that marred our experience was the bill.
When the bill arrived at the end of the night, it was noticeably higher than we had anticipated. While the food portion of the bill was itemised and correct, the drinks were not. In 2023, it's standard practice for bills to be itemised, and it was surprising to see this was not the case.
Given that not all of our group were present to challenge it at the time, we decided to pay the bill and discuss it the next day. After reviewing the charges amongst ourselves, we realised we had been overcharged by a significant £64.
I immediately contacted the restaurant the following day as soon as they opened to resolve the issue, stressing that we had thoroughly enjoyed our experience and planned to make it a regular occasion. However, the response from the manager was disappointing and condescending.
Rather than addressing our concerns, he explained away the higher bill with claims of certain drinks being priced higher than they were listed on the menu and a 10% service charge that had not been mentioned on the bill or menu. I expressed my frustration about these hidden charges, but even taking them into account, there remained a substantial discrepancy.
He brushed off our concerns, stating we had left it too late to bring up the issue, even though we had reached out at the earliest opportunity. Regrettably, the restaurant's refusal to address this issue has led to the loss customers who would have came back time and time again otherwise.
I would strongly advise against visiting this restaurant. read more