Recently had my boyfriends' grads there. I realise this sort of event isn't much to go by, but if the general service is anything like the service we received then I'd steer clear of the place completely.
Initially, when we arrived we were told to pay 20 euro for a photograph (in spite of the fact that the grads itself had cost 150 euro to actually attend). The we were seated at our tables and we realised that there were three menus between the eight of us. So we all shared them to have a look. It turned out we didn't even need menus, because what we would be having was soup, turkey and ham with stuffing, potato and veg as well as a cheesecake for dessert, with optional tea. There was no vegetarian alternative, and in spite of all the expense, some people found themselves unable to eat the starter (chicken and vegetable soup) or the main course.
So at about 8.45 they started serving us. They were literally flying around to the 24 or so tables, chucking the plates at us. I know they were in a rush to get things served but the manner in which they did this was nothing short of rudeness. At one point, I was sitting with my elbow touching the girl beside me's elbow because we were talking quitely to one another, and a cup of tea was actually shoved in between our arms.
The soup was cold when it initially arrived, the ham was more like bacon because it had been overdone, you couldn't physically stick your fork into either the stuffing or the roast potato because they were cooked so badly. There was cheese on the cauliflower which seeped onto the other veg and although I liked it, I found a lot of people couldn't eat their veg because of it. The dessert was lovely, but loads of people didn't like cheesecake and there was no alternative. The tea or coffee was given to us in the cup, with no option for a second one; I don't know if this is the norm or not but I certainly wasn't happy with it.
The way they stalked the tables during the meal would make you think that they'd be ready to help if you needed something, but when I asked for a glass of wine during the main course I was promply told "get it yourself". Fair enough if she couldn't get it, but she could've said "We're not able to get that for you" or something. My boyfriend said that at one point, he had his fork in his hand when he was almost finished his dinner and the waitress literally had her hand on his plate, waiting for him to take the last bite so she could grab it.
They came over and put out all the candles before we were finished at all, so we lit ours again because it gave a nice ambience to the table. The waitress came over and put it out again, saying "That has to be out". When I told her that we were still eating, and asked her why she just said "We have to take them in." They were like zombies or something, seriously. It doesn't take much to be courteous. The meal ended at 9.30. It had taken 45 minutes.
After the dinner there was a terrible band and an awful DJ, so most people stayed out in the foyer and the smoking area because it was too noisy to talk inside, just going in to get drinks. One wasn't allowed bring a drink outside when one wanted to smoke, and there was a barrier about 8sqft around the door so that we were kept from "escaping". A few people had friends come up to see their dresses/boyfriends etc, these people were all promptly told to leave; including three or four past pupils of the school in question who hadn't been allowed back for the grads.
At one point, my boyfriend was standing inside the door with a drink, and I was standing outside the door with a cigarette, and the nasty security one told me to get away from the door because there was smoke blowing in. I had made a point of keeping my cigarette away from the door, so she was being an idiot and I told her this. She kept away from me for the rest of the night, but I could see that she'd harass others for no reason whenever she became bored.
The bar was appalling. They didn't have commonly purchased drinks such as Baileys, there was a sign on the bar saying "One drink per person per purchase, and one drink per person per half hour." which was understandably so that people didn't get drunk, but it meant that rounds couldn't be bought and considering you're coming there with your significant other, it's incredibly short-sighted that one is not permitted to buy drink for the other.
We were all told to fuck off at 1am, there were buses organised to take us to Leisureplex in town. We also had to pay 10 euro to get in there. So was the 150 euro for a pretty horrible meal, a terrible (amateur) band, a DJ whose dance music only catered for the braindead and a bus to herd us the hell out of the place? Seemingly it was. read more
