The Waverley Tea Room

Had the misfortune of visiting on Sunday 16th Jan mid afternoon. On arrival we were told that the kitchen had stopped taking orders for around 10 minutes to allow them to clear backed up orders. Reasonable and understandable and while we had a drink whilst choosing what to order we were told which items on the menu weren't available which amounted to nearly half the menu.

35 minutes later our food order still hadn't been taken and when we asked if we could order we were told not to order any food and the waitress didn't know when we could order food. No apologies were given and the staff just didn't seem to care that they were wasting their customers' time.

Avoid at all costs and definitely no stars for this cafe which doesn't seem to serve any food!

the service in this place was laughably bad.
we waited an hour for someone to come near us - that was after the 3 members of staff on shift passed us by many, many times and i asked one of them if i could take a menu as i retrieved them from the basket at the front door (he said no then smiled - a weak attempt at being funny i think).
Having entered the pub at 1.30, someone approached us and asked if we would like to order a drink at 2.30, we ordered and instead of returning with them and asking if we'd like to order food he plonked the drink down and went back to faffing about behind the bar.
there seemed to be a lot of confusion amongst the staff and i felt a bit sorry for them as there were only 3 of them on shift and every seat was taken (albeit not everyone was ordering food). we heard at least 2 tables of people complaining to the person who seemed to be in charge. food coming out of the kitchen seemed to happen at a sporadic pace and lots seemed to be getting sent back. we heard the incompetent man in charge telling one of the other members of staff "if you get another complaint, pretent you dont understand english". the fact that this was said near enough for us to hear indicates the attitudes of the staff here.
really we should have left after waiting for an hour to order a drink and all the other warning signals but we weren't in any real rush and it was warm inside (for a change!) and the menu looked decent so we decided to stay.
Huuuuuuge mistake, when we were eventually asked if we'd like to order food (at 3.15!) we asked if there'd be a big delay in the getting food and the guy assured us that we'd have our food in no time at all so we ordered our food. ages later our starter of nachos arrived and they were ok, main courses took another age, i had ordered an italian sausage burger and my friend a chicken burger. my italian sausage burger was just plain weird, greasy and had kidney beans in there - it tasted a bit like a veggie burger. i ate a quarter of it, my friend ate the same amount of hers but this of course wasn't picked up on by the person who retrieved our plates (by this time it was 5pm and there were significantly more staff on shift).
the person clearing the plates didnt ask if we'd like coffee or desert (a real bugbear of mine in a restaurant)
my friend asked for the bill on the way to the ladies at 5.30, when she came back it still hadn't arrived, we waited another 10 minutes and eventually she got hacked off and asked for it again. the guy who brought the bill over had the grace to apologise for the delay but unfortunately the damage was done and we wont be back and i felt compelled to write this. i dont enjoy slating local restaurants but honestly, save your money and go round the corner to the Brooklyn Cafe

Set the scene, dinner for two, Tuesday evening, two course meals and a bottle of vino for thirty pounds....

The Waverley Tea Rooms Shawlands.

I should have done my homework first.

Tuesday evening, three other tables, and 1 waiter. I ordered mussels; no butter for the bread no bowl for the empty shells and no dipping bowl to clean my fingers. But hey what do I expect for £30.
Twelve mussels came – tasted ok, looked ok.............

FFW 4 hours later – I was wakened up but the pain in my stomach, high fever, headache, vomiting and nausea, seizures and stiff neck. I thought I was going to pass out. I tried to drink water but the more I drank the more sick I became.

By 5am I was finding it very difficult concentrating and I was confusion. This was just the start. After trying to maintain my temperature for several hours (as one minute I was hot the next I was freezing), I was left no alternative but to call the GP. As at this point I became very sensitive to light, difficult to find my balance and was still unable to keep any water down.

Within, what seemed to be a lift-time, but was only 40 mins my GP was at my house.... He treated me for dehydration, sickness and took several samples. The medication was slow to work. Three days later and still in bed, I have to inform the general public. No one should experience pain like this, giving them the chance to admit they had done wrong, I emailed them, what a waste of time as this is the reply I got back:-

Please be assured that we take this type of situation very seriously and that I will be focusing my immediate time on gathering all the necessary information relative to this incident, until we get resolution on how and why this has happened.

I can guarantee you that we follow strict guidelines and procedures her at Waverly Tea Rooms and have extremely tight controls on suppliers, stock control, food safe records and training to ensure such incidents do not occur.

I will contact you again as soon as I have gathered all the relevant information, and hopefully be able to pinpoint why and to what you may have had such a severe reaction.

No apology, and a very basic letter! (A STANDARD TEMPLATE LETTER)
My GP has confirmed it is food poisoning caused by seafood. Causing me to be 10LBS lighter in weight, making me under weight for my height and age.

totally agree about the staff not caring about their customers especially the duty manager on shift on the night of 20 February 2010. After our meal we made to go to the theatre and discovered my sister's jacket covered in candlewax which was dripping from a candle situated precariously on a brick shelf on the stone wall above where we were sitting!! The duty manager knowing what had happened, came over and coldly asked what our problem was. Totally unconcerned he reluctantly said there wasn't a lot he could do apart from try to take it off. He disappeared for ten minutes but the jacket was still badly marked. It was obvious that it would have to be professionally cleaned and as we were running late for the theatre we asked if they would be prepared to reimburse us for the bill - he grudgingly agreed but not convincingly. It was as if he just wanted us out of the way asap. To cut a long story short we sent a letter and the laundry receipt to the manager at the Waverley by recorded delivery three weeks ago. They haven't even had the decency or the manners to reply or refund the laundry bill (the wax marked is still apparent). We have never experienced such bad attitude in any establishment and strongly suggest they - or should I say the duty manager (whose name I stupidly didn't note!) attends a refresher course on customer care - after all if it wasn't for us the customers he wouldn't have a job. To this day still can't understand how they are allowed to have candles situated so dangerously - it could easily have been an innocent person and not a coat it happened to. Having read previous comments one wonders why the management of Waverley Tea Room don't sit up and take heed and realise something needs to be immensely improved. But then again maybe THEY JUST DON'T CARE!!!

The service is atrocious and the staff appear not to care at all. if you happen to be lucky the food is average if it ever arrives! this place just does not care about it's customers. It looks good, it's in a great place but it's ruined by the current staff and owners.

This place is relying on the fact it's in a good place and has the only decent beer garden in the area. very very poor, could be great but in my opinion very very poor. proove me wromg, try and get served in order and within 10mins if it's at all busy and see if anyone cares if you dont. good luck