1-Star Review
My…read morewife and I have been regular customers at Himalayan House on Friars Road for quite some time. We come here once or twice a week for lunch, sometimes just the two of us and often with two friends. Unfortunately, after what happened today, we will not be returning.
Today, my wife and I came in by ourselves because we had not been able to get a response from our two friends about whether they wanted to join us. We were seated at a smaller table, which was completely reasonable for two people.
About 10 minutes later, our friends texted us that they were on their way. When they arrived, we politely asked if we could move to a larger table. The restaurant was approximately 60% empty, and there were plenty of larger tables available.
Instead of simply accommodating the request, the gentleman working there made a big issue out of it and insisted on adding two chairs to our small table. I explained that four people would be crowded and that we would simply prefer to sit comfortably at one of the many available larger tables.
At that point, I asked why this was becoming such a big deal. His response was, "Yes, it is a big deal." He then told me that we should have told him from the beginning that we were going to be four people. I explained that we genuinely did not know our friends were coming when we arrived. I also asked him not to be disrespectful and simply allow us to move to a larger table.
He then explained that the problem was that he would have to clean two tables instead of one.
That was the moment we decided that this was no longer worth it. My wife and I paid for our meals, our friends left with us, and the four of us walked out.
I understand that restaurants have procedures and that tables need to be cleaned. But when you have regular customers, a restaurant that is more than half empty, and four people simply asking to move to a larger table so they can sit comfortably, turning it into an argument is completely unnecessary.
Hospitality is about making customers feel welcome and accommodating reasonable requests. If someone is unwilling to be hospitable, patient, and respectful toward customers, then they should not be working in the hospitality business.
It is especially disappointing because we were frequent customers and genuinely enjoyed coming here. One unnecessary confrontation over something this minor has now cost the restaurant four regular customers.