An Edinburgh restaurant has apologised following a staff member's 'horrible' response to a diner's complaint.
The disgruntled customer, called Karen, took to Tripadvisor after being told that their booking at Maison Bleue had been cancelled an hour and a half before their booking. When the customer phoned, she claims she was met with a rude response from the restaurant.
The diner explained: "Let me start by saying I made a reservation for a Saturday night several nights in advance, received a confirmation and then an hour and a half before I was to dine I received an email saying they overbooked by mistake and my reservation was cancelled.
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"So now last minute on a Saturday night I was left to find another place to dine. When I contacted them to express my displeasure at this ,the response was, "sorry we will make a note you don’t wish to dine with us again". So rude and unprofessional.
"I had decided to give them a chance despite the other negative reviews they received because it looked so cute but now I see others were correct. Rude and unprofessional. Don’t bother making a reservation they won’t honor it."
The French restaurant quickly responded, apologising and insisted that's not how 'things are done' at Maison Bleue and admitted it was 'totally unacceptable'.
They wrote: "Dear Karen, I am very sorry to hear that you were treated so poorly, this is absolutely not how we do things at Maison Bleue! Having investigated the situation my supervisor has assured me that they did try to call but that the number you gave on the system was incorrect.
"Having said that it is totally unacceptable that they should email you so soon before your booking to cancel your table. This has never happened before and I can assure you will never happen again. I will get my manager to email you with an apology and a compensatory offer which I hope will go some way to rectifying the situation."
Maison Bleue is currently ranked number 341 of 2,546 restaurants in Edinburgh, according to Tripadvisor and has four and a half stars. Despite the disgruntled customer, 869 people rate it as 'excellent' and 506 say it's very good. Meanwhile 166 rate it as average with 71 reviews claiming it was poor and only 44 say their experience was 'terrible'.
One diner said: "I visited Maison Bleue on two occasions. After a hot day at the beach, craving mussels and fish. It was a mouthwateringly gorgeous experience! You can taste the love that goes into the prep of each dish.
"Delicious wine and cocktails to wash down the very moreish delights you find here. This place really is a hidden gem, a family-owned business truly authentic (which you can taste!). Best merguez sausages of my life (and believe me, I have tried many on my travels) oh so tasty!
"I came back to celebrate my last birthday in Scotland here. Staff were so warm and welcoming, making it hard for us to leave. The place is full of character, chilled music, fab banter as well as knowledge and recommendations provided by staff.
"On both occasions we came without a booking (I know) but they do fill up so I recommend you reserve! A restaurant not to be missed on your stay in Edinburgh. I felt at home here… I hope to return soon."
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