Estrella 4.6
Franklins

Franklins

157 Lordship Lane London, SE22 8HX, United Kingdom

Pubs • Steak • Drinks • British


"I went to Franklins to treat my Mum to a Valentine’s Day dinner. Staff, particularly the waitress serving us, were initially friendly and we were seated quickly. Our orders were taken quickly but it was downhill from there. We had to wait over 20 mins to receive our drinks and I noticed the couple next to us that were seated a good 15 mins after us were already drinking from a bottle of wine. We waited over 45 minutes for our starters and were only served after we asked (the couple next to use were served their starters before us). Similar to our starters, we had to wait over 30 mins for our main and we had to ask for updates twice. We were told the kitchen were having issues and I was offered a glass of wine. We were finally served our main (again, the couple next to us were served their main before us) to which mine was bland. After over 20 minutes waiting for our desert (during which the couple next to us left after finishing their desert and paying), I asked for an update and I was told the kitchen was busy today. After discussing with my mum we decided to cancel the desert so we could leave as it had already been 2 hours since we had been seated. The waitress explained the deserts were ready but I insisted we leave as it had been over 2 hours since we had been seated. The waitress then brought the bill. It had no discount on the set menu (I expected they would’ve applied this automatically based on the constant delays) and it included service charge. After I requested the service charge be removed, the waitress walked off visibly agitated in a huff. After returning with the new receipt she then asked me “have you ever worked in hospitality?” This is unacceptable. My mother and I were clearly subjected to very poor service and to be asked that question after I, rightly, requested the service charge be removed is quite frankly rude. Being busy is not an excuse for poor service. Accept the number of diners you can handle whilst still providing good service. This ruined dinner with my mother. I would not recommend this restaurant. Update: The owner has since contacted me, apologised, offered me a full refund and an opportunity to return with some drinks on them"

The Hare and Billet

The Hare and Billet

1A Hare & Billet Road London, SE3 0QJ, United Kingdom

Fish • Steak • Pasta • British


"I had high hopes, a lovely looking building , great location, a warm welcome but all unfortunately undone by one individual. Looking back at previous reviews of the hare and billet it would appear that this is not the first time my experience has happened, that there is an issue and it is yet to be addressed. in hindsight I probably should have been more diplomatic and asked to speak to the restaurant manager, but when you are out for a relaxing evening with your loved one, you really don 't want to be ruining the evening any further by pursuing the issue in public, sometimes, and I 'm sure we are all guilty of this, we let it ride and try to restart our evening. But this is acceptable and no guest under any circumstances should be made feel this way. It is extremely unprofessional and distinctly shows a lack in skill and training. It 's by far the worst experience I have ever had as a paying guest in the catering industry. one individual, one very rude, aggressive and impatient male member of the bar/ restaurant team , more suited to doorwork than service it would appear. everything seemed to be a problem , service was invasive, rushed and impatient, not a smile. not one for the whole painful experience. I 'm sure the hare and billet have heard about smile training within their industry, it really works but clearly not here. The pinnacle of the whole miserable experience was been called out by this individually in a threading manner when ,I think, he finally noticed I was not entirely happy with his attitude and service, with the words what 's your problem ? unbelievable. To summarise, I get the impression that this does not happen all the time, but I bet it 's happening a lot more than people are prepared to say or post about. It seems to be an ongoing issue and until resolved. I 'm sure it will unfortunately most likely continue to the detriment of the business. I will not be returning and I would not recommend."