I hate having to call over waiters – my revenge on slow service has divided opinion
A FED-UP diner devised an out-of-the box way of trying to get a waiter’s attention – but not everyone agrees with their restaurant etiquette.
The hangry guest decided to openly set a timer on their phone after restaurant staff delayed in taking their drinks order.
Management at The Slamwich Club, a popular eatery in Hanley which boasts a five-star rating on TripAdvisor, were left scratching their heads at the extreme measures.
In a scathing review, the diner wrote that they reached boiling point after waiting for over 15 minutes after sitting down.
The patron said they set a timer for an extra 10 minutes, leading them to storm out of the restaurant when the timer ran out.
But while the establishment apologised for the delay, bosses said they were baffled why the guest hadn’t tried to call over a member of staff instead.
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The Slamwich Club, which also ranks as the second best restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent, politely fired back at the patron.
They said: “As you’ve previously visited and had a great experience – you’ll know that customer service is very important to us.”
The eatery added that while it was “extremely busy” on the night, it was not an excuse for the delay in taking their order.
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“However, we do wish that rather than setting a timer, you just let a member of staff know”, they continued.
“They are only human and sometimes they make mistakes… it could have been rectified within five minutes if you’d just made us aware”.
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The Slamwich Club, Hanley
The Slamwich Club told The Sun: “We felt the situation could of been avoided and a 1 star review is completely unwarranted.
“Yes, waiting to be served is not an ideal situation but to set a timer with no efforts in grabbing staffs attention, and then to leave a 1 star review seems a little much.
“Our staff work incredibly hard, and a little more understanding on a busy Saturday would be nice.
“Mistakes do happen, a situation like this is not uncommon in this industry but could of easily been avoided.
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“Tripadvisor can be a useful tool for small businesses like ours, however it’s very much based on the customers perspective and experience.
“We thank all our customers who leave genuine, honest reviews – it means the world.”