I guess "we don't serve lunch at 14:30" would be too helpful a reply. Letting a customer sit idle while 4 waiters keep visiting yet refuse to take an order- causses maximal wait time for the customer who then needs to hurry elsewhere... Sweet...

Maybe I'm slipping, but I really don't know what the title means, or what it has to do with the problem you had.

Many restaurants stop serving full meals at a certain time (when I presume the cook and other kitchen staff take a well-earned break before the evening rush), but have a 'small menu' which they serve all the time. Both these 'documents' may well have the relevant times on. Was this not the case at your place?

What was being said/communicated during those earlier visits from the four waiters?

Because we're with kids, we send a 'scout' to order everything in advance. This time it was my wife.
Basically she was told that the menu will be limited, which she accepted, but after that they ignored her request to set a table for 5 and to place some orders.
P.S. i'm familiar with the knee-jerk response for EF restaurant reviews.

If you mean by that, that we didn't take your post very seriously, perhaps it would be easier to do so, had we known what had happened. And I still haven't a clue what the title means.
'snobbish' has little to do with bad service and the 'swiss vappeur' has me beaten completely.

Ok i think i got it. I love google. Swiss vappeur is a train park. Apparently that restaurant was outside that park and they were snobs because they didnt serve the OP

What do i win?

That is worth five Internets.

Ah, Swiss vapeur - I Googled too but as the OP has a location of Basel, I thought she wouldn't be talking about a completely different area of Switzerland without saying that they were out on a day trip or something.

As prize, you have permission to spend a full 24 hours online here, reporting all the spelling mistakes in titles and Googling all the bits which are not immediately obvious.

.

I also very bad experient in Vapid Swiss - very snob, very rude.

Bad rapier nose in sky for lobster chips.

PS I'm familiar with the fact that EF hate every one.

Isn't?

Hi Longbyt,

No, I was not thinking about any of the current responses (including yours) in any negative way. I was merely mentioning that I am familiar with many similar threads on EF, and I was anticipating that this will attract some negative comments later on- typically on such forums the OP is accused of provoking the restaurant's negative behavior.

And about the title- I just wanted to avoid mentioning the restaurant's name. Sorry for spreading so much confusion. I really thought that everybody are familiar with it.

I spoke to the waiter, and it transpires that somebody fitting your description slept with his sister, got her pregnant with triplets and left her destitute in the gutter.

If that isn't provocation, I don't know what is.

The outdoor seating was limited to long tables when I went.

come on, you're afraid we'll blame you because we have a hive mind typical of other forums/hive minds on the internet? You won't be blamed unless you seem at fault, but actually you wrote an entirely incomprehensible post, and even now I'm not entirely sure what went on. However, please, I'm all ears.

I think I understood. So, they let you wait with the whole family instead of having the decency of a common sense customer services to say "sorry, but the kitchen's closed" even though they told you before they'd serve some limited menu? Just chuck it down to learning curve, customer service does not seem to be too customer dependent. Next time, just remind yourself to them earlier. Maybe they were worried you would mess the table, or sumfin.

Actually I waited with the kids in a playground nearby, while my wife was sitting at the restaurant, trying to order some food. Then, some 45 minutes later, she gave up and we went looking for another place.

Ah, that's too bad. I would wait 10mins max, me thinks. But at least the kiddos had a good time at the playground, no?

I wonder if they thought she was sun tanning, enjoying having some down time for herself....

ive had that happen 2x also. now i just ask before i even sit down.

customer service in Switzerland.....

I think this is what went wrong. They were probably waiting for the rest of your party to arrive.

Yes, I guess that's the most likely explanation.

If I walk into a restaurant outsidewhat I consider to be normal kitchen times I collar the first waiter I can find and ask if the kitchen is open.

Saves a lot of time.

Cheers,
Nick