Dear all,

We had a very unpleasant experience last Saturday: we went to Bonvivant, a quite expensive and "cool/design" restaurant in Basel. After being there a couple of times, we knew more or less what to expect: good ambience and good food (no Michelin stars...). Everything was fine until we decided to take a couple of pictures (it was a surprise birthday dinner for one of our friends, we were 8). The waitress just told us: turn down your flash! And left without a "please", "sorry" or any indication of civilization. I couldn't even apologize, because when I tried, she had already turned her back to me...
My friend called her and asked why was that? She said the she and the other employees were annoyed by the flashes of the clients (!!) and among other unpleasant sentences we had to hear the sad one: "we are trying to create a certain ambience here! this is not Disneyland!"
Although all of us were visible pist-off she did not apologize and still came back to the table with the bill (120CHF per person) saying she was doing us a favor not charging the 2 people that did not show up (2 of our friends had a no show of the baby sitter and could not make it at the last minute)
We and our friends will not come back there nor our companies (the biggest pharmas in town) will book any other event there.
As Julia Roberts would have said to the the shop attendent in Pretty Woman: 'you work on commission right? BIG MISTAKE DEAR...'
Wish you all a lot of fun in less snobbish restaurants in the Basel area, with better food, better "ambience", and muuuuch better service.
cheers,

Good tip.

and useful info.

Suggestion: write an email to the management of the restaurant stating your grievances in a polite and factual way.

The restaurant appears to be quite new - and chasing away customers is the last thing they will want to do.

Cheers,
Nick

What's the address please, I would love to dine there.

Here is the website: http://www.bon-vivant.ch/en/restaurant.html

I am thinking of giving the place the bastronomy.com once-over sometime. Of course we will have to test the place for baby-friendliness - see how they cope with an 11-month-old.... I assume they have a Wickeltisch (changing table)...

Cheers,

Nick

Remember, it isn't DisneyLand

But they appear to have a Mickey Mouse (tm) approach to customers nonetheless.

Cheers,
Nick

Can you get portable strobes these days?

Bit OTT isn't it. Normally in Basel the staff have taken the pictures for me!

Sorry guys

but the restaurant was right. Going to the restaurant like this includes to dress up, respect the privacy ot the people dining and yes it is no Disneyland, I assume the waiters did not come clapping their hands, singing happy birthday. And taking an 11 month old to a place like that is as inconsiderate as shooting to many flashes.

maybe we should have "No Fun" and "No Talking" restaurants.

I'm assuming that you've not been to this place.

You must be joking !!! Children and cameras inconsiderate ?? Are they only expecting people with no birthdays/functions and no children to turn up . Discrimination does not need any dressing up !

What?! being downright rude and not allowing a paying customer to enjoy their evening? If that is what restaurants in Texas are like, I'll stay at home thanks.

Dear amucomm: are you the waitress?????
what's wrong with u? no body needs to dress up to go to Bonvivant - it is not that good and chic.... and 3 flashes for a birthday party is not that much, at least not at my birthday parties, sorry

If you want to take your camera and/or children with you, go to a "local" restaurant around the corner, a simple restaurant, a "Quartier-Beiz", if you go to a "Fress-Palast" like this, you will have to expect this.

It is expected to not bring kids to a place like this, to not being too loud, to muffle your conversations to a table loudness that does not transcend to the next table...

so you're saying local places are for having fun and places like this are for sombre events? And we should not go there if we have children because they should be seen and not heard? Photos of the sombre moments to share with our friends who could not make it are allowed?

And there was I thinking eating out should be a pleasure....

What are you talking about???? you are creating a whole new party that was not mine, sorry... we are polite and very "chic" people
by the way, have you ever been there?
if so, next time try to actually HAVE SOME FUN!!!!

I don't care what type of restaurant it is the staff have no business being rude to the customers, they keep that up it will closed by summer as they will have driven everyone away. If the staff had a problem with flash photography a discreet but polite request would have sufficed.

.... and don't wear loud colours as it may hurt the staff's eyes ?? Unbelievable ... I think you could have more fun with Basil Faulty as the manager ...

DaveA would be denied entry if this was the case. To most places!!

Flashes in restaurants rates up there with cigaratte smoking and cell phones in my book. Fine if it is done in a considerate manner to others but can be a nuisance in the wrong hands.