Swan's Cafe

04/05/07

Horrible Service...

by spf30 at Citysearch

As a treat, I took my friend's 9 year old daughter to afternoon tea. I read menus and reviews online before choosing Swan's Cafe at the Park Plaza Hotel since they offered a 'children's tea'. It was a Tuesday afternoon during school vacation week and we had 4pm reservations. The theatre production we had just seen ran late and I called "Swan's Cafe" which is little more than a bunch of tables on a platform in the main lobby of the Park Plaza. They said it would be fine and to just arrive as soon as possible. We arrived at 4:35pm. We went through 3 employees before being directed to a table. No one else was in the "restaurant". After being seated, the young waitress came over and very apologetically told us that "the manager said that she couldn't serve us as it was now 15 minutes before the close of Afternoon Tea service hours". I was dumbfounded. My 9 year old companion looked like she was going to cry. I apologized to her and whisked her out of the hotel lobby into the entryway so I could comfort her and redirect myself. I ended up taking her to another place where she had a great time. But, as you can imagine, I was furious with the Park Plaza hotel. I've recieved better service in most 3 star establishments. I might not have been so upset if I hadn't been told on the phone that I should still come for tea and, then, passed from one lazy, confused employee to another AND THEN to be seated at a table before finally being turned away. I vowed to tell everyone I knew of my experience and steer them away from the Park Plaza Hotel and Swan's Cafe.