Casa Vieja (translating to Old House) is a Spanish restaurant in the heart of Old Nicosia which used to be one of my favourite restaurants because of the ambiance (particularly of the garden), the great food and extensive menu (37 different tapas!). The prices were quite good too as we used to pay just under 20euros per person for a filling meal of 5 or 6 tapas (no wine). Then, imagine my delight when I received a text message a couple of weeks ago saying that there was an offer of 50% off all a la carte food just for that week. I called BH instantly, told him the exciting news, hang up, and called the restaurant to make the reservation.We ended up going with another couple I knew they would love food and the restaurant. In fact we all would if the service wasn't so bad. They messed up the order, bringing the wrong food, but insisting we did order what they brought us, despite any of *my* protests. Maybe it's an ego thing but I've been going there for years. I know the food, and I know what I ordered. By the time the waiter messed up the fourth dish (which although it was delicious, it was NOT what we ordered), I was too tired of complaining and asking for the correct dish. On top of that, the other couple ordered a seafood paella to share. It looked delicious, but although I understand paellas take longer to prepare, it arrived more than an hour later, and they weren't that busy!
As we left I was disappointed and sad. Casa Vieja was one of my all-time favourites, but now everytime I think of returning I remember the face of the obnoxious waiter. It's a shame really.
PS: I know the post reads a bit bitter, but if I write about things I like, it's only fair I also write about things I don't like, n'est pas? Like rude waiters.
Ohhh, I've been in that situation before! I understand your frustrations. It's sad to see a restaurant that was once great, turn into a catastrophe. What ever happened to "the customer is always right"? It's ashame the waiter haggled you and made you feel that you were wrong. I wouldn't want to go back either.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
well, our satisfaction level was reflected in his tip, so I certainly hope he got the message and improved his behavior!
DeleteSounds like a less than stellar performance. Bad service is such a deal breaker. I think it is important to write about the things you don't like!
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/PopPugPeoBlog/status/231272218741600256
...and warn others!
DeleteDear Maria,
ReplyDeleteApologies for not seeing and responding to this sooner, but better late than never I guess. Your essay above is (though upsetting for us to admit) a somewhat true depiction of the situation we were facing at Casa Vieja about a year ago. Partly due to complacency and partly due to having too many things on our plate, we regret that we may have let our standard of service drop and for that we are truly sorry.
We are happy to say that CV has gone though a bit of a transformation since then. We have reviewed and made changes to our staff, our service, as well as our menu and our pricing. We have also made some changes to the restaurant itself.
Let's leave it at that. We would urge you to give us another chance and please let us know what you think of the changes. We always appreciate constructive criticism and we always look for ways to improve ourselves.
We look forward to serving you again!
On behalf of the owners and all the team at Casa Vieja
Mr Xenophontos, I appreciate that you take my comments as a way to improve your service. I'm sure that with your positive attitude and commitment to hard work, as well as good costumer service, CV will thrive once again. I would love to visit CV again soon and of course mention in the blog any improvements that have been made. Again, I applaud your commitment in improving your work and not just being bitter as most Cypriot business owners would be!
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