I wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts regarding today's lunch. While we've had enjoyable…read moredining experiences in the past, this occasion was marked by unexpected shortcomings in service.
Arrival and Greeting: There was no hostess present, which meant we received no greeting. After waiting for a few minutes, I decided to take the initiative and locate our reserved room myself. Having dined there before and being the one who organized the lunch, I was familiar with exactly where to go.
Upon reaching the upper level, we found our table only equipped with utensils and empty water glasses--there were no place settings to be seen. Once our group sat down, I had to leave the table several times in search of someone to assist us. During one of my trip's downstairs, I encountered a woman who appeared to be an employee. I informed her that our group of 14 was waiting upstairs for lunch service. It felt as though no one was taking any initiative, leaving us in a state of anticipation. I returned downstairs once again and sought help from the bartender this time (I felt bad even having to tell him we needed service upstairs!) After speaking with the bartender, I went back upstairs, where server Guillermo appeared and came to our rescue!
The lunch was set up buffet-style, but in another room away from our dining table. Our lunch was supposed to be buffet style and served as a sit down so guests can help themselves. There were assorted sodas over in the side room and where I guess, they expected us to go help ourselves (although I touched the sodas thinking I'll grab what they have and bring it to our table, they weren't even cold and there was no ice in sight. But that wasn't the main issue, it was the set up and the thought that our group was going to go line up in a corner and serve ourselves.
Service Challenges: Additionally, there was only one server for our group of fourteen, which made it challenging for him to manage everything effectively. He began by bringing one large bowl of salad and three side garnishes, expecting us to pass the single bowl around the table. We were provided with dinner plates instead of salad plates. I asked if we could have two servings of each item once it was determined I did not want my guests to get up and go to another room to retrieve lunch, so I suggest he bring it to our table with a serving on each end of the table. He stated that it was going to be tough. Given our group size, he seemed unaware of our sit-down buffet arrangement and since it was set up as a 'walk up and get your own food' style, it appeared that everything was set up for just one serving bowl or platter which was not ideal for such a large group. I was intrigued by the reasoning behind the belief that 14 individuals would repeatedly return to fetch their own meals over in another room with minimal space for more than a couple of people at time.
A few entrée items were served after the one big bowl of salad was placed on the table, but we noticed that there was no salad dressing available. I had to get up yet again to request dressing before we could even start on the salad, but the main course was on its way out now. The three side condiments that went with the salad were in three separate bowls. No on our end of the table got any of the side condiments unfortunately.
Beverages: I took the initiative to get up and pour water for my fellow guests and eventually placed the pitcher on the table when it became clear that the server was overwhelmed. We also weren't offered drinks or asked if we wanted anything beyond what was served until, I asked him to take drink orders after everything was served. Although he was doing his best, our group noticed his struggle, so we opted to stick with water, except for the guest of honor who received a lemonade.
Post Meal: Once the food arrived, things began to settle down, but it felt like it was lacking that coffee and tea were not offered after our meal. Only one person received coffee, and it was served black, without cream or sugar, which were located on another table in a different room. When dessert arrived, he brought dessert plates with spoons, but I found it difficult to eat the chocolate cake with just a spoon. We all had a laugh about it as we tried to manage eating the dessert without proper serving utensils.
After we finished, I addressed the bill, and the server mentioned that a hostess, manager, and one bartender were out sick. Today's experience was disappointing, and I felt it reflected on my role as the overall event planner. The total cost for the food and service was over $2,000.00.