We are guests in the Grand Hotel for three nights starting May 1. This restaurant is part of the hotel.
We entered the restaurant and asked the man who was at the front desk if we could dine there even though we did not have a booking. He asked if we were staying in the Grand Hotel and we said "yes." He then asked for our room number and told us we could get a table for dinner. He escorted us to a table in the back of the restaurant. The chair I was sitting in had a clear view of the entire room. We placed our order for a bottle of wine. When one of the females brought our wine to open and pour, I noticed the man and another female at the front desk looking at us, talking and grinning. It seemed odd. I wondered if our wine server was new, and whether or not they were watching her. I actually told her "They are watching you."
Unfortunately, it did not take me long to realize all three restaurant staff members would stand at the front desk, look back at people who were dining in the restaurant, talk, and laugh among themselves. It seemed to me they were more concerned with gossiping and making fun of those who had come to dine than actually SERVING us and inquiring as to our satisfaction with our meal.
Once I realized what they were doing, it was impossible to NOT see it. At no point did anyone come to our table to refill our wine glasses with wine. That is how "hands off" they were. When we finished our pasta, one of the females tried to bring us a dessert menu. I nodded my head "no." The next thing I knew, the man came over and asked if we wanted dessert. I said in a loud voice "no."
We paid our bill and left, my frustration was clearly visible to the staff as we exited the restaurant.
Yesterday morning, I noticed on another website that one week ago two people posted reviews complaining about similar non-service at this same restaurant. One said his fish was over cooked, but since no one came to see how it was, he didn't get a chance to ask that his fish be cooked properly.
In short, we have spent approximately two weeks traveling in Italy, staying at Hilton boutique hotels in Milan and Venice, and we have received excellent service when dining at those hotels. This experience as detailed above was the first time we encountered such rude staff.
Photos are attached of the rude staff. read more