My family and I recently went to one of the Ocean Basket restaurants for dinner. To put it simply, I was appauled by the service.
Service / customer care is one area of business that I take to heart. One of my biggest gripes about South Africa is that there is a VERY POOR attitude toward good service / customer care. There are a number of reasons contributing to this bad attitude, but I’ll leave that discussion for another day.
So, we arrive at The Ocean Basket and there are four of us. Our waitress looks around and saw that there were NO 4-seater tables only a few 6-seater tables. She told us that we’d have to wait while she sees what she can sort out for us as the manager of this Ocean Basket, doesn’t like seating less that six people at a 6-seater table as 6 people may come in needing the table. What a REDICULOUS policy!
Hmmm, lets see. Seat 4 people at any of the available 6-seater tables, where orders will be placed and create satisfied happy customers… or irritate the customer making them want to leave and NOT come back… hmmm.
Next thing, there was some scuffling in one of the corners of the restaurant as a 6-seater table was being split for us. But there was no way this was going to work. The area in which that table was, was so small that the people seated around it were being bumped and when the table was finally split there was no room for 4 adults to sit comfortably. So, we sat ourselves down at a comfortable 6-seater table and asked for menus.
Next thing we knew, our waitress was ushering us to the table behind ours, which was a 4-seater and had just been vacated by it’s previous occupants.
Finally, we were comfortable and decided to just carry on and enjoy the evening. We ordered and the meal came quickly. There were 6 waiters at this Ocean Basket that night, 4 of which were trainees. The trainees were doing most of the running around while the manager and perminant waiters kept huddling together around the till area chatting to eachother.
Our waitress eventually left the huddle and walked passed our table. By this time we had finished our meal and our table was ready to be cleared and dessert offered. She looked at us an just carried on walking. Then the manager decided it was time for him to do his rounds. With his shirt half hanging out, he stopped at 2 tables to ask about their meals. These 2 tables happened to be 2 of the biggest tables that evening. Interesting.
It took another 10 minutes for our table to be cleared, after our waitress walked passed us. We sat at the table for another 25 minutes and were never offered dessert. In fact, nobody even came to check on us. I had to interrupt the huddle for the bill when we wanted to leave.
I did comment about the service that night, but it was just brushed off. If I didn’t have a conscience, I would have insisted that we walk out without paying. I was also tempted to tell them that i was working undercover for a newspaper restaurant rating column.
I will definitely NOT be visiting this Ocean Basket any time soon!
No way thats totally unacceptable, they need get a grip on their service and quickly. Manager sounds half asleep too, very bad.
Well well…working in the service industry myself ( as a part time waiter at a top 20 S.A. restaurant just outside Stellenbosch), i know what good service can do to make or break a restaurant, or a good night out!!
Ocean Basket smells like a decomposing fish…to be quite frank.
I WENT TO OCEAN BASKET IN VANGATE MALL ON THE 17th of DECEMBER 2008 AND HAD THE MOST HORRIBLE SERVICE AT THE ABOVEMENTIONED ESTABLISHMENT.IT WAS MY DAUGHTERS BIRTHDAY AND AS I WAS NEVER THERE BEFORE I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE IT A GO.WE WAITED OVER 40 MINUTES FOR OUR FOOD AND WHEN IT FINNALY ARRIVED I WAS SO TIRED OF WAITING I LOST MY APPETITE.I HAD TO ASK THE WAITER FOR THE SALAD WE ORDERED HER REPLY WAS “SHE FORGOT ABOUT IT”.I HAD TO PRETEND EVERYTHING WAS FINE BECAUSE IT WAS HER BIRTHDAY.THE MANAGER GAVE ME SOME LAME EXCUSE TELLING ME THEY ARE SHORT STAFFED AND IT WAS “FESTIVE SEASON”.I NEVER HAD SUCH BAD SERVICE FROM ANY OTHER OCEAN BASKET BEFORE.I CAN GO ON AND ON BUT I THINK I MADE MY POINT.
NOT SO HAPPY CUSTOMER
ANWAR ABRAHAMS
I think its very easy to complain about Ocean Basket in general! As you are all aware this is a franchise hence different people run their Ocean baskets differently! You could on the 1 hand have the worst experience and service ever but in the same breathe you could go to another Ocean Basket and receive amazing service! All depends on the manager of that specific franchise!
Personally I think I’ve had both, terrible service and great service! Now I just stick to the OB in Melville as its probably one of the only OB’s that I have received incredible service and terrific food! Next time maybe include which OB you received this experience at so we can avoid it in future! But to say that OB in general is sinking, well thats just daft and unfair on the franchise owners that do go to all the stops to make your dining experience great!
I been to vangate too, and they really do need to look at the service which they deliver. My husband and i always order the platter for two, and twice in a row we were not given the ‘calamari heads’as it is called. We were instead given, without prior notification, the kingklip nuggets. when i told the waitress that i was not impressed, she told me that they were out of stock. my point, if there is going to be a replacement for something they don’t have in stock, i think that i should be the one to decide what it is, not so. I left there not too happy.
I had the same experience 3 times in a row at CTFM one of the other fish branches. It is our choice where we eat. I love Ocean basket but acknowledge the fact that some restaurants do not understand the meening or the word service. This is not a Ocean Basket problem, it is a problem all over especially where the owner is not actively involved and leaving the Job for people who are underpaid.