Dear Susur Lee,
This is an open letter to you, to your restaurants, and on a blog where you probably will never find it. Of course, I could email this to you via your restaurant’s website. If I did though, I’m sure it would just be deleted anyway. See, the thing is…I had a terrible experience at one of your restaurants recently.
It surprised me because your reputation as a chef is well known, you have been celebrated internationally for your creativity and passion. Among the hundreds of reviews of your work, of your restaurants, you have been praised as a man who gives great attention to detail. You have had two successful restaurants in Toronto.
I had the misfortune of dining at Madeline’s this Saturday evening. Of course, you’re moving on to bigger and better things with a restaurant in New York City at the Thompson and so I realize you might not really care so much about dissatisfied customers. Because if you did? This open letter wouldn’t exist anymore than the other negative reviews online. Also remember how you approached me on my way out and asked me how everything was? Remember how I expressed to you that my dining companions and I didn’t have a good experience? And you had the hostess take my name and number so you could call my on Monday? It’s Wednesday. Clearly you’re not all that concerned.
Madeline’s is not a restaurant I enjoyed, would recommend or ever return to.
We chose Madeline’s based on the glowing reviews of Chef Susur Lee, on the ambiance and the décor. We were very much looking forward to having a small birthday dinner there for one of my dearest friends.
Our reservations were at 6, and we were on time. As it was a birthday, and a special one, I had asked the manager when I made the reservation if they’d mind if I brought in a few balloons and a cake. I was assured that balloons were fine as long as they were either on the table or on the floor next to the table. They strongly urged that we order dessert from their menu.
Based on the assurance that balloons were fine, I brought in a few to be set on the floor next to the table. Before I’d even sat down the manager comes over to tell me they only allow two balloons and they’d have to take these immediately. He looked at the balloons and told me “These are just not to my taste; I don’t want them in my dining room.” First of all, I made sure this was ok BEFORE I brought them in; I confirmed that it was fine when I made the reservation. And if they’re not to your dining room manager’s taste? I don’t care, they weren’t for him anyway. I am not a child, if you want an adult to cooperate with you – especially when that adult is a customer of your establishment- wouldn’t you make such a request with courtesy? Make it seem like you’re doing it for their benefit? Something along the lines of “Once you start your meal, would you like me to get those balloons out of your way?”. You can accomplish the same thing but nicely.
At 6:15, once our drinks arrived, our server announces “Just so you know, this table is booked for someone else at 8:30, you should really order your entire meal right now. We can’t add anything on later.” Ummm…?
She stood there and stared at us till we ordered. We ordered two appetizers, a lobster bisque, three seafood dishes and four vegetable dishes.
As it was all served in courses, it wasn’t until our seafood arrived that I noticed the soup never did. I asked her about this and she said she’d go find out…but never came back with either the soup or an update. When she came to pick up plates I asked her again and she told me she must have misplaced it.
I have no idea how someone can misplace soup. How is that possible? I’ve worked in restaurants, I’ve waited tables. It’s a remarkably uncomplicated process, pick up the item from the expo line and take it to the table. There’s no opportunity to misplace food.
Also, Susur? If you’re going to have your restaurant serve food family style, it would be good to have some serving utensils. As in, at least one serving utensil per dish. I don’t want put my used fork into the communal dish.
I think Madeline’s could also do with less staff and the staff that you do keep should perhaps take a few basic lessons in manners. Its rude to lean across a table without saying “excuse me” or “pardon my reach”. Every person on your staff clearly has one role whether it be filling the water glasses, bringing the food, asking to take away plates, coming over to rearrange plates. That means that every two minutes (yes, we timed it…) someone comes over to do one of those things and, by leaning over the table, complete interrupts the conversation.
The constant barrage of people made us all very tense, we felt very rushed and as though they really just wanted us to leave.
There must be some internal politics among the staff as well, I guess someone didn’t know his role because he brought out some of our food and started to describe it. We didn’t mind at all but our server certainly did as she RAN over and told him “This is my table and I will tell them.” To which he responded “Then maybe you should be paying attention.” And, to our great discomfort they both start talking about our food AT THE SAME TIME trying to make themselves heard above the other one. It was ridiculous.
When the meal was over the server brought out a plate with “Happy Birthday” written on it and a candle.
There was nothing on the plate. No dessert. Just a candle. She brought out an EMPTY PLATE with a candle on it.
It was so insulting. Why bother? Just write it on the bill. Any other restaurant would have given her a dessert or comped her meal because it was her birthday, not made us feel horribly uncomfortable and then add insult to injury.
On the way out I made eye contact with Susur Lee who then came over to ask how it was. Obviously he was expecting me to say it was good. I’m sure he expected praise for the food, for his restaurant because…he’s Susur Lee! Everyone knows who he is!
Except, I can’t lie. Like I physically cannot do so, I hesitated to try and find words that would convey what he wanted to hear and what I felt though they were exactly the opposite.
Noticing my hesitation he asked if something was wrong…. And as nicely as I could, I told him that our server was rude, we weren’t comfortable and the staff didn’t make us feel welcome at all. I didn’t enjoy myself. He looked quite stunned and had the first person he could find write down my name and number with a promise to call me first thing on Monday.
No phone call has happened.
So, if you happen to be anyone other than Susur Lee and reading this, do yourself a favor and never go to Madeline’s. Ever. I have never wanted to get out of a restaurant so fast in my life.
I realize that if you are an internally known chef you can feel like a unsatisfied customer here and there is no big deal. I have taken courses in Industrial Psychology…and, on average, a consumer tells eleven people about a negative customer service experience. Eleven. There were four of us, that’s an estimated 44 people who have heard about our bad experience. I can say though, that I have told more than eleven people myself. I told some friends over brunch the next day, a group of managers at work who were considering various venues for an executive dinner, my coworkers, my friends and a few people with whom I attended an event across from the restaurant last night. And now, this blog.
There will be more birthdays, promotions, reasons to celebrate and go to dinner…but not at Madeline’s.
An unhappy,
Ruby
