A Dros disaster
In my neck of the woods in Gonubie the eating out options are a little thin so it’s big news when a new eatery opens up.
So there was some anticipation when a Dros opened up in the new mall development up on the Gullsway intersection. I usually avoid franchise restaurants like the plague but figured that we should try out the new Dros as having something local, predictable - and kiddy friendly - would make a welcome change.
I even removed from my mind an earlier horrendous Dros experience I had about 10 years ago and agreed to give it a second chance.
So we packed up out appetites and our toddler and headed off to Dros on Saturday night.
The decor is nice if you like to pretend that you are sitting in a wine cellar – and that, I’m afraid, is all that I can say that is polite about this place.
I would class our experience a culinary disaster had any food actually reached our lips.
Our sorry saga began with the wine list.
I made some five selections of wine none of which were in stock. It's not as if the wine list is particularly extensive and it's not particularly interesting either. You get a better selection of wine at your local Crazy J's.
The restaurant has only been open for a little more than a week so either they have been selling wine like water or didn’t manage their stock properly for the opening.
When our well-meaning, but clueless, waitress arrived with a bottle that could be found it was so warm it tasted as if it had been stored under the pizza oven.
Oh, and I had to open the bottle for her because she did not know how to use the corkscrew.
Forget about ordering a fruit juice for your child because apparently they don’t stock any. Healthy creme soda for the little bean then!
If you plan to have a beer sip it slowly through a straw because the next one will be a long time coming.
Eventually we were able to order. It took about 10 minutes for the order to be understood and fumbled over and tediously written into the waitress’s order book with many references to the menu to check on spelling and so on.
Finally – about an hour after we first arrived – our order was dispatched to the kitchen. And then we waited... and waited... and waited.
In the meanwhile, a colleague and his partner arrived and sat behind us.
We warned them to get out while the going was good. They left after waiting 15 minutes to lay their hands on a wine list.
After three quarters of an hour we had had enough and left without a meal at all.
By that time my daughter was about to faint from hunger along with the rest of us so we dashed across the parking lot where the good Colonel saved us with some deep-fried chicken.
I have to wonder about the Dros. The folk behind it have clearly poured millions into the decor and fittings but they appear to have forgotten to train their staff. Funnily enough it's the service that counts in the end, guys.
Don’t go to the Dros in Gonubie – ever.
May 5th, 2008 - 13:17
Last night service was a bit lazy or did not care all though you could count the amount of people on your hands eating there. Food wasn’t that great when a person orders a steak medium you don’t expect it to be well done and dry. And every drink we ordered had to be accompanied by two big glasses of ice because it wasn’t cold. I don’t complain i just don’t advise people to go back. Well at least my dog didn’t moan she likes food anyway she gets it and she had a whole doggie bag of ruined food.
May 5th, 2008 - 13:24
And everyone got so upset when I said having a restaurant is all about service service service and dare I say …… Service… Oh yes and the grub must be kinda good
May 5th, 2008 - 13:35
Thanks for the advice, I’ll take my chances in about 2 years or so! Maybe then their service will have changed. Adious Dros, what a pity too!!
May 5th, 2008 - 16:28
My experience of the Dros and this happened on two
occasions in one week Had no wine as we selected and when the second best bottle arrived we could not drink the wine it was like hot water,then the wait started.after an hour we ordered dinner.WELL
I said never again pitza was raw thicker than a two slices bread on top of each other Dont talk
about the Seafood platter Consist of Fried onions and chips Fish the size of a tablespoon. That was iIT.I Went with family and friend the same week What A disaster.We arrived at 7h30 and left 12h45.
Please they need to get jacked up Cant waist food and money which we rather can have a better take away some where els. will go back if I hear better results.
May 5th, 2008 - 16:52
Am so dissapointed to read all these comments. Was also so excited about a new place to eat opeing in gonubie. Headed down there on friday night and the place was so packed we couldnt get in. The guy at the door was most unconcerned and really turned us away without a second thought!!! wonder how he will feel after a few weeks when they will be begging for people to come and eat there!! anyway sounds like it was just as well we didnt get in there, if these comments are anything to go by!!
May 5th, 2008 - 20:55
What bad service. My familey of five went for lunch, well when you order your steak done medium and it comes just slightly warmed up but still blood red then I do not wont to see what rear is. For medical resons my husband may not eat fried chips or onions so I asked if he could have a side salad in place of this. I was told that they could do this but that they would have to charge me extra. When his food came there was a sause bowl with a salad no bigger than a garnish. One of my party ordered a beer that requiered a opener. This was just put down on the table and we thaught that the waiter had gone to fetch an opener. Thank goodness for key rings. With big doggie bags in hand we asked for the dessert menue. Well I suppose we should have told them that we meant to order the desserts not just look at the menue because 30 minutes later we got up and asked for our bill at the door. When I paid I explained to the waiter that if he had actualy given us a service then I could have given him a better tip. His reply was.(sorry I thought you had placed you order.) Well ye right with whom?The noise in the kitchen was so loud that you could not even have a conversation at your table. When I complained I was told that it was so that the kitchen staff would know which orders were ready. What a waist of money. I will not be going back.
May 6th, 2008 - 07:03
ANY COMMENTS FROM THE DROS MANAGEMENT?????
May 6th, 2008 - 08:28
I fully understand the sentiments from all, it is a real pitty that we cannot have the service that we require in East London,as every one has said, you cannot run a business with no service. and there is no answer from Dros Management as well.
somebody needs to notify them, we met the owner there and he seems to be half asleep, if they carry on like this I am sure that there restuarant will close shortly
May 6th, 2008 - 09:10
I completely agree with all the comments above. My boyfriend and I ate at the Dros 2 weeks ago, on a sunday night, it took our waiter 10mins to understand what a Coke was and it arrived at our table another 20 minutes later. We then we ignored with service and when we finally tracked down the Manager/Owner (so he told us) of the Dros, he fumbled around and only could apologise for his useless staff, our food took 40 mins to get to us, and when it did our Lamb shank was ice cold. What a waste of money and truly and dreadful experience, we did not enjoy ourselves at all, I was completely stressed out and felt very unhappy with the service and quality of food!
May 6th, 2008 - 10:31
I have sent a email to Info@dros.co.za pasting a link to this blog but no reply.
May 6th, 2008 - 11:57
I have phoned the manager of the Dros and asked him to give us a feed back on this blog. He said that he was not aware of this blog but that he would look into it. He also said that they new about the problem with heir service and were addressing it.
May 6th, 2008 - 16:18
We went there on saturday and were served by Rosy and Donald who were extremely professional, well spoken and were friendly and polite. We waited the normal 30 minutes for our meal – melt in the mouth steaks! No complaints here! Give them a break, but would like to make a suggestion on the kiddies room – please could you place more child friendly toys in there, i have a four year old grandson who does not participate in video games.
Keep up the good work!!
May 6th, 2008 - 17:00
Isn’t it typical of Gonubie (And EL in general) – rather than be understanding of the fact that the restaurant is new and experiencing teething problems , we would rather slate them and criticise at every opportunity. The fact that the franchisee has outlayed huge expense to provide an alternative dining facility for the people of Gonubie and created employment for Gonubie locals should be appreciated. My experience at the Dros was pleasant and enjoyable – as is the case with many others that have been there.
Granted , as a paying customer , you have every right to expect a level of service and a meal that is to your satisfaction. However , some constructive critisism direct to the management is likely to ensure that you enjoy a more pleasant experience in the future. Cut them some slack.
May 6th, 2008 - 18:58
well what does one expect when waitrons are paid around R8 an hour! if companies put into their staff what they put into their decor and set up, then blogs such as this would not occur.
May 6th, 2008 - 20:02
Nobody made these waitrons do this job. If they put just a little effort into thier job maybe then this blog would not be here and maybe the waitrons would get better tips. I do blame the owner for not training their waitrons. I am sure there are many people who have a better understanding of what is expected of a waiter, that would love to work at the Dros. PLEASE DO NOT LET THIS BE ANOTHER DEAD END RESTURANT.
May 6th, 2008 - 20:18
Bottom line, you get what you pay for.
Have you been to Grazia or Smokey Swallows? First class service. As for Dros, I have not been to the one in Gonubie, I did make two visits to the previous one down the sea front……..my first and my last!!
May 6th, 2008 - 22:34
In response to Local Support:
Who cares how much money the Dros have invested? It is quite unlikely that they have done so out of a desire to “provide an alternative dining facility for the people of Gonubie”. Seriously, you honestly believe that in the ivory towers of the Dros franchise it was decided that the good folk of Gonubie deserved an alternative eating spot? That they invested cash out of the desire to give Gonubie residents an alternative?
Your argument is puerile. And so naive as to be laughable. They are there for money. There is no difference in their ultimate motivation from any of the other restaurant owners in Gonubie. They want your money. To do that, they SHOULD provide a service.
When that service is not forthcoming, well… they deserve all the criticism that they get.
May 6th, 2008 - 22:49
I don’t live in Gonubie. I haven’t visited the Dros in question. But I do know something about the restaurant business, both as a provider, and as a consumer.
The Dros’s owners (franchisees?) invested their money in the hopes of getting a return on their investment. That’s a given. The only way of getting that return in the restaurant business is by having customers use your business. Your customers will come – once – out of curiosity, out of need, or out of a desire to use the services of a franchise they know and have a high regard for. If their expectations are not met for whatever reason, they will not return.
It is surely a prerequisite for the opening of a restaurant business to train, train, train and retrain the staff. After all you only get a chance to make a first impression once.
There is a truism in the marketing industry that a happy satisfied customer will tell three poeple of the experience. An unhappy, dissatisfied customer will tell ten people – more if they can access a blogg, methinks.
May 7th, 2008 - 10:16
Wonderfull News
Dros Head office just phoned me and they are looking into this mattter with utmost urgency and concern.
just goes to show you that we have a voice that can be heard.
we should be receiving a post on this blog soon.
May 7th, 2008 - 10:35
Oh my word!! Can’t believe this blog.. I just knew this was going to happen!
It seems management these days is more concerned with making a quick buck than actually giving us a dining out experience we deserve.
It’s not like the old days – we don’t get to go out all the time to different restaurants and live up the good life.
We watch every penny we spend and when we go out for a treat to a restaurant we want it to be a good and memorable experience.
Everyone seems to be complaining about bad service and lack of training – well here’s a newsflash – waitressing is not that hard.. I know I was one for a very long time.
You put a smile on your face.. learn your menu before you start (that’s not so hard either I promise~!) and then go out there and just treat the customers exactly the way you would want to be treated! 15 minutes for a drinks order is just plane stupidity and laziness. And yes you might say what do we expect from people being paid R8 an hour – well I would imagine they should just be happy they get R8 an hour and aren’t sitting on the streets hunting for work.
I think the managers and waitrons need to take a little bit extra pride in what they’re doing – You’ve got a fantastic opportunity where you get to socialise and meet new people every night – and all they ask in return is prompt service and a good hot plate of food and a cold glass of wine.. Not so hard is it??
May 7th, 2008 - 10:43
They might get only 8 Rand an hour but i know for a fact that my sis when she waited she made between 300 rand 500 rand a night at Spur
May 7th, 2008 - 12:08
I only tried to get a beer and was handed an unopened bottle when I asked for a draft. 10 mins later I flattened the beer and ran. I e-mailed the head office and the owner phoned me and gave me same sad story about untrained staff. I will try them again in 3 months when they get sorted
May 7th, 2008 - 12:24
Had the exact same experiance last Saturday evening as the 1st family only worse – will never go back to the Dros ever again!!!!!!
May 7th, 2008 - 13:11
We were a party of about 14 on the second night, Saturday, since opening. Two waitresses were assigned to our table, situated at the kitchen’s entrance. I am surprised at some (most) of the statements above.
*The Good*
Between the two waitresses they managed to deal with all the drinks orders, starter orders (some had starters, some did not want starters and others wanted starters as their main meal). The main meal was just as efficient – even after orders were changed.
Granted, the waitresses were nervous, but I think our crowd could be a tad intimidating. They re-checked orders twice and let rip. They kept up with the drink orders and kept the kids happy.
I was amazed at the speed that the kitchen were churning out the orders and spot on every time.
Desert went like clock-work.
Overall quality of the food was good except for the beef dishes.
*The Not-so-good*
- Beef was as tough as hell, apart from for the Steaks with the cheese sauce.
- Expensive!
In my humble opinion, they get a pass mark and I wish them well for the future.
The one thing that all service providers should implement is a customer satisfaction slip with their bill. Just a simple, 3 to 4 question, tick box – and of course participate in forums like these (:
May 7th, 2008 - 14:00
We recently visited the Dros in Stellenbosch. Lunch time, not busy, same thing. No Castle or Millers, no cold beers at all, no coke lite, no tab, no sprite. NOTHING was cold & there was no loadshedding. Poor service from the waiter – all requests took at least 5 or 10mins for the waiter to come back & tell us that he didn’t have that, then we’d request something else & wait again. Surely they should know what’s in stock before taking orders?? Maybe it’s a general “Dros” thing…??
May 7th, 2008 - 15:04
Pathetic service, after an hour of waiting and being ignored by the waiter we were finally asked if we would like to place an order! We waited even longer for the meals and to top it off we were charged for food we never got! 1st and last meal at Dros!
May 7th, 2008 - 15:22
On Monday evening, 12 of our friends joined my husband and i at the stunning new Dros in Gonubie in celebration of my birthday. We had one waiter allocated to our large table of 14, and i would like to praise him for taking such good care of us. He was polite, helpful and always around. After placing our order,we waited a little over an hour for our food to arrive, although thought it not to be out of the ordinary for such a large table and the meals we had. Its is always found that there are one or two niggly complaints regarding certain meals and their portion sizes where ever you may dine,as was the case too with this occassion, although did not leave our fellow diners unhappy. Both my husband and i raved about our meals, as did most others at our table.
We eat out on a regular occassion and can compare the meal we had at the Dros on Monday evening with some of the best restaurants in town.
The place is new and although it is fair to say you pay a good price, you deserve a good meal – everyone has their teething problems, the more support we give them, the better they are able to improve. Let support, suggest and bring unpleasant things to their attention, rather than constantly complaining and driving another potentially successful and well needed good restaurant out of town.
P.S – to our waiter – thank you for the delicious birthday don pedro you paid for out of your own pocket.
May 7th, 2008 - 15:30
Looks like bigger table bigger tip so more effort.
27 comments
2 thumbs up
25 thumbs down
May 7th, 2008 - 15:37
I am a person who likes to go out .We`ve received a lot of bad service in various restuarants,but never thought of publishing it-maybe because I also know that I`m not expecting miracles and we go on our own free will.Give them a chance or dont go- that`s MY MOTTO!!!Errors and mistakes happen because we are human beings.I will definitely go to Dros.
May 8th, 2008 - 07:29
Bulelwa
I don’t agree with your comment, they are a service provider; they are there to serve you the client. the main reason a person goes out is to have that good feeling of friends enjoying themselves or a romantic evening you expect it to be somewhat perfect because YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT. To say humans make mistakes has nothing to do with good service, and to say it is a norm is also just accepting that you don’t need them to be good. The things people are complaining about arnot human errors it is about not providing the proper service they are selling.
And I do agree that yes not all of the staff are to blame, at the end of the day it is management and the owners that have to answer to the franchise.
Bad service can ultimately close the doors of a business and one person that don’t mind bad service won’t be able to keep them from closing down.
“ We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
May 8th, 2008 - 10:06
Hey Guys
How many people were waiters after school???
It is only now recently that a waiter accually gets a basic salary!!! Before we worked for tips only and we made danm sure you gave the best you could in order to get a well “deserved” good tip
I blame management for the this problem and suggest that they see to this matter before they loose the franchise.
I Havent been to the Dros yet but will certanly go support them and if i have a problem i will ask for the Owner or Manager and complain face to face instead of hiding behind my PC.
GO SUPPORT THEM
May 8th, 2008 - 10:20
Rodney
Maybe we know now why the resturant owners never paid a basic salary before. At least then we got better service. Please do not get me wrong I am not saying that anyone must work for free but just think of it. Why not let the waitrons work for a % of their sales then maybe one will get to actualy order your food and get it before you forget what you wanted to eat.
May 8th, 2008 - 11:23
How about the owner/manager making his comments and perhaps offering some sort of apolagie and/or compensation to all the dissapointed customers or like the staff are they not effectively trained to do so?
May 8th, 2008 - 12:12
Look you must not get me wrong i top believe that a person must get paid for the work performed and yes R8 an hour might be too little and i agree with the Purdy about the % but if this blog was here because of the customers applausing the staff of Dros for their exelent performances the management would have probably increased the R8 to much more, however management must see that the staff get decent training, i must say knowing east london that they probably will get the problem sorted out and live happily ever after.
The stuck-ups of East London must just cut them some slack in their most difficult time of starting a business.
May 30th, 2008 - 09:47
My Mom & I went to the Dros a week ago for supper – excellent service, excellent food, excellent atmosphere. Well done guys !!!!!!