We reached on 4th evening at 7pm through SpiceJet flight. The very first night we were to stay at Martin's Comfort, a small hotel in South Goa's Betalbatlim village. This is about 30 minutes away from Airport.
It has an adjacent restaurant, Martin's Corner, which seemed to be a local favourite, going by the number of cars with Goa number plates, parked outside. Another interesting thing is that there is a private villa on a stretch of land separating the hotel and the restaurant.The hotel manager informed us that a sumptuous buffet awaited us at 9pm at Martin's Comfort.
We stepped in and were amazed to see the crowd, phirang as well as desi. Live band. Lively crowd. Dancing couples. Wow! I was impressed.
But the story was pretty different when we asked about our seats and 'the buffet'. The stewards had no clue. We were a group of 30 persons, and they seemed to be unequipped for handling such a large group. After arguing with the restaurant manager, we were given a corner in the restaurant, tables were laid, but no sign of food. It was already 9.30pm and we were informed that we will not be served any buffet. The menu for us was pre-decided and would be served on the tables, but only when all the 30 members were present. I some how convinced the manager that already 20 of us were there, and people will keep coming and going, and he should start serving.
Even then the food took another 30 minutes to be served. The stewards were not proactively serving. They did not keep an eye, if any item needed to be replenished. We had to remind them continuously, and the entire group was hugely dissatisfied. When the remaining 10 members came, they had to wait another 30 minutes to be served, and that too with the condition that all be seated on only one table, together.
Well, first night, at a well-reviewed restaurant, did not go down well with most of us. All of us being from service industry, and from the organization which lays immense emphasis on customer service, this was a huge disappointment.
We were scheduled for lunch at the same place day after the next day. This time we were a 120 strong group. The promised buffet was there, but only one set. It seemed that they did take the learning, but did not have the farsightedness. Only one set of serving bowls for buffet for such big group was not adequate. The queue stretched till the entrance of restaurant. And by the time our turn came, the first set was ready to replenish. The stewards were again unable to manage the drinks orders.
Though the ambience was good, the food must be good (if served hot), going by the waiting crowd, but the place sure needs lessons in customer service.
My recommendation: Visit the place if you are a small group. Variety of drinks and sea food. For vegetarians, less options and not good on the taste buds.
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3 comments:
Customer service does not come easy and no one organization have monopoly on bad customer service.
So keep searching for elusive great service.
admittedly service was not up to your expectations...
but the question is, what were your expectations - gurgaon,or goa?
in millenium city gurgaon, this kind of service is unacceptable - even in roadside dhabas!
but in goa, this is part of the ambience and imagery that makes goa what it is - a lazy, easy holiday paradise where you don't hurry a good thing.
in fact, if you rush people in and out of a restaurant in goa, that will be considered poor service.
all this said and done, the restaurant should have been prepared differently, if they knew you were coming. and whoever made your arrangements, should have warned you about goa and managed your expectations. that too is a part of good service.
@Adesh I agree with you completely
@noshtradamus This was my first experience in Goa. Next time my expectations will certainly be different. Thanks for the insight
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