# Restaurant Review - Saratoga (SXM), let the diner beware!



## TTom (Feb 22, 2009)

Just returned from 11 days in SXM, most of which were wonderful, but I feel I just have to put out information on our one "bummer".

Having had at least one good experience over the past several years at Saratoga, my wife and I opted to go there to celebrate our anniversary this year.  BIG MISTAKE!!

I must say that the food was pretty good, particularly if you don't count the cost (it's not cheap).  However, a restaurant. particularly an expensive one, is about three things:  ambiance, food, and service.  And that's where our evening turned from a pleasure to a nightmare.

We had made a reservation well in advance, and we were told that we would have no trouble selecting the table of our choice, since we were arriving early, which we did.  When we got there, one other party was seated, and there were several tables available.  As we were being seated, the hostess told us that they had put our name on a particular table, not the one we really wanted.  After giving us a little "grief" (was that necessary?), we were seated at the table of our choice.

Our server appeared to offer us water and drinks, and a Mango Martini and Saratoga Punch were actually quite good.  Off to a reasonable start.

We had a bit of conversation about our appetizers, and we wound up asking our server whether the mussels could be made without lemon, since my wife is allergic.  Off he went to the kitchen to get an answer for us.  Meanwhile we were looking over the menu and the wine list.  Anyway, he returned to say that there was no problem with the mussels, but we had decided to shuffle things around a bit.  My wife had originally told him she would have the Lobster Bisque and I would have the Gazpacho.  When he returned with the answer on our mussels, we said that we did not want the lobster bisque, we would have a tomato/mozzarella, and the lobster risotto instead of the mussels.  Still going along pretty well.  Our server indicated that "he would send someone over for the wine", but we told him the bottle we wanted.  Here's where things start going south.

Our first round of appetizers (tomato and soup) arrived fine, but there was no offer of fresh ground pepper (which is generally a standard in any of the better restaurants we have eaten at).  That was OK, but on the next round, lo and behold, an order of mussels appeared.  When we informed our server that we had actually ordered the risotto, he told us that we had canceled the lobster bisque, but not the mussels, and we hadn't ordered the risotto.  I suppose that should have been a harbinger of things to come, but we were still trying to have a good time, and the issue with the mussels (other than the "debate") was not worth fussing over.

Meanwhile, note that no one ever appeared to take a wine order, the hostess came over and asked what bottle we had ordered, and no wine appeared through our first two rounds of food.  Since our server was not particularly handy, the party at the table next to us informed their waiter that we would really like the bottle of wine we ordered some time before the end of our meal.  He came over and asked us what we wanted and went off to get it.  When he returned, we told him that we were not particularly pleased with our server, and he informed us that our server was really a busboy and not a waiter.  Needless to say, that did not go over terribly well, including the waiter saying, "he's doing the best he can".  At the kind of prices Saratoga charges, "the best he can" is really a pretty lame statement.

At this point, we are not terribly happy, and this is compounded by our "server" returning to give us a hard time about the fiasco with getting our wine ("I told you I was going to send someone over", but NO ONE CAME).  Can you imagine any of the serving staff in a classy restaurant anywhere else engaging in a debate with the diners defending the inadequate service (or lack thereof) and errors with the order (by the way, there was NO offer to replace our incorrect appetizer)????

On to the main course.  Not a big one here, but my wife's salmon was dressed with a lemon sauce, which was not mentioned on the menu.  By this point, she is completely upset and not taken with the idea of trading her salmon for my tuna, which was quite good.  We briefly entertained the idea of sending hers back, but given our experience with appetizer and wine, we thought that was a hopeless cause.  We decided to try to make the best of it, but we found ourselves having to pour our own wine, while no one bothered to stop by to ask us how our food was.

Finally, at some point, our "server" cleaned the dishes and dropped the dessert menus on our table, with no so much as a "how was your dinner".

By this point, the evening was completely ruined, and we were left to walk up to the hostess to ask for our check.  Of course, we were asked how things were, and we informed them that our anniversary dinner had been completely ruined by the horrendous service.  Their "gracious" offer was to ask us to sit by the bar and have a complimentary drink while they prepared our check.  Right!!  What we should have done was to walk out and let them figure it out for themselves.

When the check arrived, we were a little "non-plussed" that the obligatory 15% service charge was included, and we promptly told them that we would NOT pay for the miserable excuse for service we were afforded.  A quick trip to the kitchen (apparently, the manager/owner is also the chef, but he was "too busy" to bother to come out and speak to us) resulted in the removal of the service charge.

I have to say that, if we were not as nice people as we are, we probably could (and should) have announced to the people who were waiting for tables that they were taking a significant risk by staying.

The "funniest" part of this is that a couple of friends who were at the resort with us also confirmed that they had previously received bad service at Saratoga, and they were not particularly inclined to go back.

Needless to say, we will not be returning to Saratoga, and we feel justified in recommending to others that they avoid it (or consider very carefully before choosing it).

In an environment where good restaurants abound, it is unbelievable that an experience like we had should be tolerated or kept a secret.

I'm sure that others may chime in to recount good experiences at Saratoga, but, at the prices they charge, there is no reason for a bad experience, particularly when it relates to service.  You may or may not like the food, but the service should always be stellar.

Tom


----------



## SpikeMauler (Feb 22, 2009)

People have off nights. Your service wasn't good but you shouldn't have let it bother you so much that it ruined your anniversary. Don't sweat the small stuff.


----------



## gmarine (Feb 22, 2009)

I was thinking the same thing. 

Sometimes if I have a small problem at the start I let it snowball into letting every little thing get to me. At times its hard not to do that and it sounds a little like thats what happened to you. Unfortunately in my many experiences in dining in the caribbean it isnt that unusual for there to be slow service and other minor issues. 

Being from NY, I sometimes forget that not everyone else is in such a rush, especially in the caribbean.


----------



## lvhmbh (Feb 23, 2009)

Have to disagree with you there.  Poor service is poor service.  "Server" giving you grief because YOU'RE unhappy?????  No wine that you ordered (obviously the adjacent table felt the service was poor)?  The OP also mentioned that other people were having problems with service.  I'm in the Caribbean right now and dinner last night was slowish but even given that it was Carnaval and they were extremely short handed service wasn't terrible!


----------



## tombo (Feb 23, 2009)

There are 100,000's of people losing their jobs every month who are wondering how they are going to pay their bills. There are a lot of people losing their homes to foreclosure. Many more people have trouble sleeping worrying about how long it will be before they lose their job. Some families have lost one of the two incomes they have been paying their bills with. Ruining one's day is getting a layoff notice or termination letter. Not having the money to take your spouse to eat anywhere for your anniversary would ruin one's day.

To get bad service at a restaurant on the Island of St Maarten where a lucky couple is vacationing should not ruin an anniversary IMO. In the overall scheme of things that just isn't a biggie. I might not eat there again if I received that poor service, but just the fact that my wife and myself were spending our anniversary together on St Maarten would make it hard if not impossible to ruin our evening. To say that you got poor service and you don't recommend that restaurant to others is understandable. To let receiving the wrong appetizer and having to pour your own wine ruin a romantic anniversary on a romantic Island is something that I wouldn't let happen. If the poor service at this restaurant is the worst thing that happens to you this year, consider yourself blessed. We would have paid our bill, tipped, left the restaurant, and then we would have walked together on the moonlit beach enjoying our good fortune that we had our health and that we could afford to go to such a wonderful place to celebrate our anniversary. If we all spent more time appreciating the wonderful things we have rather than worrying about the things in life that are less than perfect we would all be much happier and probably live longer.


----------



## lvhmbh (Feb 24, 2009)

And being chastised for writing a restaurant review should not happen.  I'm sure the OP knows what is going on in the world and it wasn't "the worst" thing that could happen.  Not nice!


----------



## Kal (Feb 24, 2009)

Thank you for the heads up on Saratoga. This is EXACTLY the kind of information that is helpful to future visitors. There are so many restaurant choices in St. Maarten that this very kind of experience is enough to cross one of them off the list.  Consider it done!

We will be in St. Maarten for 3 weeks starting in mid-April and it's always a challenge to select just the right restaurants. Dollars are very tight and the last thing we want to do is not get full value for every dollar we spend.

An anniversary is a very important milestone especially when you consider as much as 50% of marriages fail. For that event good service makes a big difference. As you indicate, it's the celebration that counts.

You should have told him:

_Mess with me and you mess with the whole trailer court!_


----------



## tombo (Feb 24, 2009)

I used to own a restaurant, so I guess I kind of take this personal because the expectations of some customers are beyond belief. Sometimes the chef doesn't cook something exactly right, nobody is perfect (including the customer). Sometimes a waiter or waitress isn't perfect in their customer service either. People will get red in the face, scream, cuss, demand their meal for free, ask to have the employee fired, and spread the word about how horrible everything is to everyone who will listen. Ten great dining experiences will turn into "I will never eat here again and I will tell all of my friends how bad this place has gotten" after one real or perceived bad experience or meal. I would love to have been able to go to some of those customer's jobs and yelled at them, taken away a portion of their pay, and threatened to have them fired every time they didn't perform every aspect of their job perfectly. 

Some people have never worked in customer service and have never had to stand there apologizing repeatedly to people who are talking to them like a dog in order to keep their job. I think that everyone should have to spend at least a year in a job that deals with customer complaints at some point in their life. If they did they would probably be a lot nicer and cut people a little slack. I know I do. If the service isn't great I will give the establishment another chance and tip the server anyway assuming they are really busy. If it happens again I will not yell or scream, I simply don't come back.

From the OP's review they had a great experience the first time, and the food was good this time but the server was an inexperienced bus boy. If they were using a bus boy some employees didn't show up. The bus boy, the owner/chef, and eveyone working there was probably doing the best they could with the staff they had. That bus boy, waiter, host, bartender, and almost everyone else working there will probably never be able to afford to travel abroad. I appreciate the travel, meals, and sightseeing I can do that are not the necessities. I am going to cut people working in low paying jobs some slack because they are just trying to make enough money to survive. 

Slamming a restaurant and it's employees on the world wide web because one of their two dining experiences was not great is not nice. Taking future customers and tips away from people because there was a mistake on their appetizer and because they had to pour their own wine could be the worst thing that will happen to those employees and owner. Poor service provided at one meal is no reason to try and destroy people's business and liveliehood. To not eat there again is a personal preference, to try and get everyone to stop eating there is vindictive IMO.Would you like for your entire career or reputation to hinge on one person's bad personal experience? Be thankful for your blessings and show compassion for those who have less. That is being nice.


----------



## sstamm (Feb 24, 2009)

I appreciate that the poster took the time to post a review.  Like all reviews, others are free to take it or leave it, and give it as much weight as they see fit.

The logic of the reasoning that someone should accept poor service at an expensive restaurant just because there are others in the world less fortunate than he escapes me.

While the poor busboy may have been in over his head, good management would have forseen that circumstance, and taken steps to prevent it in the first place, or alleviate it along the way if the busboy got off to a poor start.

I'm sure restaurant owners/managers these days are well aware, even on St. Maarten, of the presence of the internet, and the potential impact of customers sharing their experiences.  All the more reason management should have been on top of this situation.

I know there are customers whose expectations are unrealistic or beyond belief, and those customers would be unlikely to be satisfied no matter the circumstance.  I can't speak for the OP, but I can guess that if the owner/chef had bothered to come speak to them, offer his explanation and apology, and perhaps comped some or all of that meal, or a future one if they were willing to try again, it may have made a difference in how the OP reports his experience at that restaurant and the likelihood that he would recommend it to anyone.

JMHO.


----------



## Kal (Feb 24, 2009)

We had a similar experience at another restaurant in St. Maarten.  The one thing we did learn is that you have to ask for the bill.  Apparently it is bad manners to place the bill on the table as that conveys a message for the party to leave.  In our experience it took 30 minutes to get the bill once we finally asked for it.

Our response to that event was to never go back AND to pass the word to everyone of the quality of service.  Not to our surprise, we got many responses which were very similar to ours.  So it indeed helps to call out bad service and let other prospective visitors make up their own mind.  I would hate to be the one to say  _"...if only someone had told me beforehand, I would have gone elsewhere"._  Life is way to short for poor performers.  In this case there is no excuse for allowing a busboy to wait on a table unsupervised.


----------



## tombo (Feb 24, 2009)

Apparently everyone here does their job perfectly each and every time, day in and day out, without exception. Everyone here would think it is fair to list their personal employer's name and address and what mistakes they make at work on the intenet for all to read. All companies that employ TUGGERS apparently are staffed perfectly and if 3 or 4 people call in sick, quit, or go on vacation, the productivity and/or customer service will not suffer at all. Most here feel that any mistake or bad day at work deserves no forgiveness and the business they work for should no longer be patronized by anyone. If your company is ever less than perfect dealing with a customer please post a description of the event on the internet and ask all who read to no longer patronize your company because you weren't perfect every time. Please feel free to hold yourself and your employer to the same standards you expect from a restaurant and it's employees.


----------



## Kal (Feb 24, 2009)

Once upon a time, following a 2 hour presentation, Mr. X bought a timeshare.  Everyone in the room applauded and balloons were released.  Hi Fives from the four levels of management that participated in the sale.

Then 6 months later Mr. X realized that all four levels of management lied thru their teeth.  He couldn't get out of the deal as the purchase contract clearly stated that any verbal statements had no bearing on the contract.

So if I understand correctly, the good folks selling the timeshare just had a bad day.  We should all understand that bad days happen and that is absolutely no reason not to return again and again...even when every one of Mr. X's friends told him he was a fool and to NEVER, EVER go back.

I can't state the name of the timeshare outfit as it just wouldn't be fair to those hard working hucksters who deserve forgiveness and a visit from all TUGGERS.


----------



## SpikeMauler (Feb 24, 2009)

Kal said:


> Once upon a time, following a 2 hour presentation, Mr. X bought a timeshare.  Everyone in the room applauded and balloons were released.  Hi Fives from the four levels of management that participated in the sale.
> 
> Then 6 months later Mr. X realized that all four levels of management lied thru their teeth.  He couldn't get out of the deal as the purchase contract clearly stated that any verbal statements had no bearing on the contract.
> 
> ...



I think the "good folks" selling the timeshare had a good day. It seems "Mr X" had a bad day. The above quote has that Elementary School reading comprehension feel to it. What does all of this have to do with the price of tomatoes though?


----------



## tombo (Feb 24, 2009)

Kal said:


> Once upon a time, following a 2 hour presentation, Mr. X bought a timeshare.  Everyone in the room applauded and balloons were released.  Hi Fives from the four levels of management that participated in the sale.
> 
> Then 6 months later Mr. X realized that all four levels of management lied thru their teeth.  He couldn't get out of the deal as the purchase contract clearly stated that any verbal statements had no bearing on the contract.
> 
> ...




Restaurants sell a known product for a known price. You can go on the internet and see what items they have on their menu and what a meal will cost before you go. You can ask for a menu before you are seated. When they tell you that you will get beef, you will get beef, not a promise that you can trade the  veggie plate you purchased for any type of meat you want in the future. To compare timeshares to restaurants is ridiculous. Timeshares salesmen mostly lie and promise things you don't get for a price they won't disclose until well into the presentation. They use high pressure techniques to get you to buy. Have you ever had several managers beat on you for hours to try and get you to eat in their restaurant or order their special? These are two different types of retail businesses. I would advise everyone to never go to any developer timeshare presentation anytime, even for the freebies.

After you finish a meal (good or bad), you have the option to eat there again or never visit again. You have at worst had a bad meal, bad service, and dropped $150 or so. It didn't ruin your marriage, your career, or put you in a financial bind. You knew before you ordered that you were going to spend about $150. When you get pressured into buying a high dollar timeshare, you are obligated to years of MF's, you probably have a longe term note at a high interest rate,you probably spent more than you would have if you had been given time to research your purchase, and what you purchased will probably not get you anywhere near the vacation exchanges you were promised. Buying a timeshare can cause a lifetime of financial problems and emotional distress. A bad restaurant experience is over in less than 2 hours with no long lasting effects.

If the company you work for deals in lies and half truths to sell their products, then my previous statements don't apply. However if you sell a real product for a real price then it does apply. As I said previously, apply the same standards to your business that you seem to feel are fair for restaurants. If you hire a new employee and they make a mistake during training, please tell everyone on the world wide web that they shouldn't buy anything from your company ever again because the employees are inept and don't know what they are doing. If you personally make a mistake at work (I am sure you are perfect and never do), make sure that you get talked to rudely by your customer and employer, that you get your pay reduced immediatelly (like leaving no tip does to the waiter), and that you list your company, it's products, and your shortcomings as an employee on a web site for all to see. Don't forget to include a statement recommending that no one should buy anything from your company ever again while you are posting your mistakes and shortcomings. After all if that is the way you feel that a restaurant should be treated, then that is the way you should treat all legitimate businesses.


----------



## lvhmbh (Feb 25, 2009)

The manager should have functioned as THE MANAGER!  If he had been overseeing the restaurant - which is his/her job - the problems would have at least been addressed.  I started working in restaurants when I was 16 which was one heck of a long time ago.  I belong to www.chowhound.com.  Tombo - if you want to get your knickers in a twist about reviews you should check out that site.  All we're saying is that we want to hear others reviews.  I'm not spending that kind of money to receive poor service.  I posted a service negative re a restaurant in Aruba on the Aruba boards.  Made it clear it was because the manager wasn't doing his job and was glad to hear they fired him.  Just went there the other night - what a difference!


----------



## gorevs9 (Feb 25, 2009)

sstamm said:


> The logic of the reasoning that someone should accept poor service at an expensive restaurant just because there are others in the world less fortunate than he escapes me.



Just like when I was a kid, my mom used to tell me to think about all the starving children in Africa if I didn't "eat all my veggies"  To this day, I wonder how eating my veggies helped kids half way around the world .


----------



## Transit (Feb 25, 2009)

Restaurants are a dime a dozen .You get a chance to deliver a quaily meal and  service each time a customer eats there if you can't, that customer usually doesn't return. If the experience was as bad for a customer as the OP states you can expect that customer to go out of the way and write negative reveiws. I don't give restaurants a second chance.


----------



## tombo (Feb 25, 2009)

Transit said:


> Restaurants are a dime a dozen .You get a chance to deliver a quaily meal and  service each time a customer eats there if you can't, that customer usually doesn't return. If the experience was as bad for a customer as the OP states you can expect that customer to go out of the way and write negative reveiws. I don't give restaurants a second chance.



What other business do you treat this way? If you hail a yellow cab and the driver is rude will you never ride in another yellow cab and post bad reviews? If you go to Sears and a sales clerk is no help will you write shopping at Sears off for life and post bad reviews. If you go to the hospital and have a nurse with poor bedside manners will you refuse to go to that hospital ever again and post negative remarks? If you take your car to the dealership for repairs and they don't fix it right the first time that is it? No second chance? If your lawyer is busy and doesn't call you back when he was supposed to, no more dealings with him? I dare anyone to write a negative review online about a lawyer, but no one will because you would probably get sued. Where is the web site to complain about your dry cleaner who didn't have your clothes ready in 2 hours? I assume you will never play golf at the country club again if you had a 1 PM tee time and didn't get to tee off until 1:30. Cancel your club membership and post negative reviews on the web.

I am not saying to accept poor service and bad food no matter what. What I am saying is to put yourself in someone else's shoes. If they are very busy or shorthanded but trying to do the best they can, smile and tell them that everything is fine and you understand. Their annual income is probably one tenth of yours, they probably work harder than you do for their meager pay, and they definetelly work more hours than you do. Instead of getting mad and ruining everyone's day, how about a little understanding. Think about how you would feel if you had a customer in front of you (or on the phone) and the computer system crashes or locks up. Would you think it was fair that you were doing everything that you could and the customer asks for a supervisor and wants you fired because they had to wait? If three people call in sick and you are carrying your work load plus the other three people's, would it be fair to you to have anyone who called or came in that day and had to wait leave forever and write a post that you were bad at your job and never give you or your company a second chance? People with both professional jobs and minimum wage jobs have divorces, sick children, and deaths of loved ones. You never know what another person is going through. 


FYI, if you are loud and rude to the staff before you have finished eating, the chef or waiters will add things to your food and drinks that the health dept won't approve of. Yes that does happen, and if you have been rude and loud in the past you have probably eaten or drank some things you would rather not know about. If you continue to be rude you will probably receive some more of that special sauce in the future too. While you are all content and smiling because you got the employee fired or got your meal free, the employees you treated poorly are smiling too because they know what they did to your food.

Someday your boss might walk in and say you did several things poorly today, and since employees with a degree like yours are a dime a dozen, I am going to let you go, no second chance. It would let you see how it feels to be treated poorly, without compassion or understanding, and if you believe in Karma in this economy it might happen. If you and your company don't perform perfectly each and every day, then don't require a perfection from others that you yourself can't deliver. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." If you don't like to be yelled at, belittled, berated, and threatened with loss of your job if you have a bad day, then why would you do it to others. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Or you can just keep on being rude and insensitive and wonder while you are are lying in bed before you go to sleep what they did to your food.


----------



## Transit (Feb 25, 2009)

The OP paints a picture of a disrespectfull staff. There are no possible excuses for that.I don't get argumentive at all in eateries because I'm well aware of the "secret sauce" situation.I would just never go back and if I felt mistreated like TTom I would write negative reveiws.I don't shop at Sears anymore because I got beat there once. (snowblower).Mazda dealer's cutoff,Bestbuy,My last dentist ect.ect.Yes I'm very much like that.


----------



## Kal (Feb 25, 2009)

Transit - I agree 100%.  Life is too short to have to fund poor performers.  I've already crossed Saratoga off my list and will spread the word to everyone else who wants restaurant ideas at St. Maarten.

Now if you are a lobbyist for the restaurant owners association, then hey, somebody has to support the poor performers.


----------



## tombo (Feb 25, 2009)

Transit said:


> The OP paints a picture of a disrespectfull staff. There are no possible excuses for that.I don't get argumentive at all in eateries because I'm well aware of the "secret sauce" situation.I would just never go back and if I felt mistreated like TTom I would write negative reveiws.I don't shop at Sears anymore because I got beat there once. (snowblower).Mazda dealer's cutoff,Bestbuy,My last dentist ect.ect.Yes I'm very much like that.



I am no longer in the food business (thank goodness), but I am curious what type of work you do. If you hold yourself and your company (or employer) to the same standards as everyone you are willing to deal with, you can apparently make every widget you manufacture perfect, sell your widgets for cheaper prices than any competitor can, and deliver your widgets faster than anyone else could. I really am curious as to what type of work you do. I am also wondering how you could have spent considerable time in the food business and have no sympathy for the misery the employees have to put up with daily for low wages.

I have never eaten at the Saratoga and don't really know if they have good or bad service. I just know from experience that you could slap a lot of people's momma's and they wouldn't get any madder than they get when they feel their steak was cooked wrong or that their server didn't kiss their ### enough. Life is too short to let a non perfect meal ruin your night, get your blood pressure up, and scream and holler like an idiot in public. Of course I feel the same way about accomodations. When I check into my timeshares (or motel) I don't call the front desk and complain if I find a dust bunny under the bed or if there is a small stain on the sofa. I look for the positives. I don't want the maid fired and I don't demand a better room.  I will leave them a note telling the minor things I found that need to be addressed when I checkout. I will call or visit the front desk to get anything fixed immediatelly which would adversely affect my vacation if I waited. I don't come back and write crappy reviews on TUG and I don't low rate the resort with RCI if there are a few minor problems. If the room is bad and/or the resort is a dump, I will rate the resort low and write a review saying that. I will not however walk around the room and the resort looking for anything I can find that isn't perfect to complain about. I am on vacation (or out for a good meal), I am relaxing, and I am not about to let minor problems ruin my time away from work.


----------



## tombo (Feb 25, 2009)

Kal said:


> Transit - I agree 100%.  Life is too short to have to fund poor performers.  I've already crossed Saratoga off my list and will spread the word to everyone else who wants restaurant ideas at St. Maarten.
> 
> Now if you are a lobbyist for the restaurant owners association, then hey, somebody has to support the poor performers.



I am curious as to how you make a living too. You must feel that your company is above reproach and that your daily activities are perfection in motion.


----------



## Transit (Feb 25, 2009)

Tombo,your restaraunt days must be haunting you.Your reading way too into this assuming that someone here has been rude to a person in the food service industry.I've eaten at many places where the experience was to be as expected with no problems or complaints.I ate at a restaruant the other day where the food and service was fine but the menu was boring .Why should I go back when there are plenty of other choices? What TTom is describing simply is not the norm and he felt it needed to be addressed.If you were in his shoes how would you handled it? I'm in the front lines of customer service and deal with real upset customers on a daily basis.I always remain professional and I never take what a upset customer says as personal nor do I become argumentive with people who are indeed looking for a battle.


----------



## TTom (Feb 25, 2009)

*Entering the great debate*

As much as this discussion has been weighing on my mind for days, I have tried to stay out of it.  I don't want to engage in a debate as to whether I was justified in writing/publishing what I did.  I will only make a couple of quick points and then go back to my corner.

1.  Yes, if I get bad service from ANY sort of service establishment, I will no longer support that establishment, and, should anyone ask, I will be happy to tell them why.  That includes doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, mechanics, cooks, bagel vendors, hairdressers, sales clerks, and even the wait staff at establishments I normally frequent.

2.  I have spent a number of years in customer service businesses and have dealt with customers, members, etc.  While I am not perfect, I have always done my best to provide the best, most helpful service I can, and that's what I expect from my staff and the people I deal with.  That means not telling the customer who returns a bad bottle of wine that it's a chance you take when you buy a bottle or, even worse, that the wine is fine and it's your taste that is inadequate or you just chose the wrong bottle for your dinner.  It means not telling the member on the phone that they got the wrong number and you are not the appropriate person to help them, but that's their problem.  It means not telling the person who is on the phone with a problem that they should have known better than to call when the system is down and they need to stop bothering you.

3.  I suspect most of the service staff which has ever had to deal with me would say that they wish ALL their customers were as good.  We regularly tip well (20-25% or more), and we always try to make the best of what comes our way, particularly when we can see that someone is making an EFFORT to show us a nice time, even if everything is NOT perfect.  What I will not suffer is an arrogant, argumentative serving person, or an establishment where no one seems to care whether the clients are happy or not.  In our case, the (more experienced) waiter who finally brought our wine should have made it clear to the manager and the staff that we were having a problem and that they might just want to make a SMALL effort (e.g., stopping by to ask about the food or pour some more wine) to see what could be done to correct the situation.

4.  Perhaps, my biggest "justification" here is that I offered up the idea that others might have had different experiences at Saratoga, and I hoped/thought someone would chime in, either to support my experience or to share their more positive one.  All I have seen so far is a number of responses, both supportive and contentious which have NOTHING to do with actual experiences at Saratoga.

5.  I wonder how this would play out if I indicated that I am a syndicated restaurant reviewer for major publications.  Would you say that I was not doing my job properly because I my review may have cost them some business?

6.  Note that I did not start this thread in an effort to gain sympathy for my experience; only to make others aware of what happened.  Whether or not this should have bothered us is not the point, it's trying to make sure that it does not happen to someone else.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Ciao,

Tom


----------



## Kal (Feb 25, 2009)

tombo said:


> I am curious as to how you make a living too. You must feel that your company is above reproach and that your daily activities are perfection in motion.


 
For me, if I didn't have excellent customer service I might as well hang it up. I spend considerable time in thinking ahead as to what I can do to make my clients happy. The minute I get the slightest hint from a customer or anyone close to the customer that (s)he is even less than totally pleased I immediately proactively rectify the matter.

Customer satisfaction is JOB ONE!

If I were in the restaurant owner's shoes I would require my staff to give me a heads up if a customer is not totally pleased. In TTom's situation I would at least provide a complementary nice bottle of wine and an after-dinner liquor. I would even consider providing a desert on the house if the wine did not soothe the problem.

Restaurants are a dime a dozen. When I find good ones, I return again, and again and again. That's exactly what I will do when I return to St. Maarten in 7 weeks.


----------



## vineyarder (Feb 25, 2009)

TTom said:


> Just returned from 11 days in SXM, most of which were wonderful, but I feel I just have to put out information on our one "bummer".
> 
> Having had at least one good experience over the past several years at Saratoga, my wife and I opted to go there to celebrate our anniversary this year.  BIG MISTAKE!!



Since we are headed to St. Maarten next month for the first time, we will scratch that off our list, but do you or other members have any restaurants that you do recommend?  Looking more for casual, bistro style 'steak-frites' places for a group of 4 adults and 4 teenagers... thanks!


----------



## tombo (Feb 25, 2009)

TTom said:


> 1.  Yes, if I get bad service from ANY sort of service establishment, I will no longer support that establishment, and, should anyone ask, I will be happy to tell them why.  That includes doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, mechanics, cooks, bagel vendors, hairdressers, sales clerks, and even the wait staff at establishments I normally frequent.
> 
> 2.  That means not telling the customer who returns a bad bottle of wine that it's a chance you take when you buy a bottle or, even worse, that the wine is fine and it's your taste that is inadequate or you just chose the wrong bottle for your dinner.
> 
> ...



1. I understand that some people will not accept anything less than great customer service, and I too like great customer service. I guess the difference for me is that I will accept great service the majority of the time from the majority of employees. If I have been treated well numerous times (or even once) I will forgive the occasional shortcoming. Some won't forgive even one small problem, but I like to give the business and employee the benefit of assuming this was an aberation rather than the norm. If the behavior is too rude or extreme I obviously would get angry and never forgive. I try to treat people like I like to be treated, with courtesy, respect, and understanding.

I too always try to do my best to take care of my customers, but sometimes I do not do the job they deserve whether it is due to reasons beyond my control or simply a mistake on my part. I will always admit my mistakes, take the blame for things I can't control, and ask for forgiveness. Thankfully most people will understand that occasionally things won't be what they deserve, and they will continue to patronize my business. If the mgr had sincerely apologized you might have never posted your negative response.

2. I apologize for ranting on your review. You obviously have the right to review what you experienced however you want. One thing I would have done differently is to demand to talk to the owner or manager in charge. That employee might have walked to the back, acted like they told the owner that there was an upset customer up front, and walked back out saying he was busy without actually telling the owner anything.. The owner/mgr should know that there was a disatisfied customer . He would then have the opportunity to try and make it up to you. If he did you might have posted a review that said you had a bad experience from a new employee but that the owner was sympathetic and made it up to you. Now you can never be sure the mgr/owner even knew that there was a problem. A new employee isn't going to turn himslef in if he can help it.

4. Sorry I hijacked the purpose of your thread. I guess I am too sensitive to unreasonable expectations and undeserved bad PR from years in the food business. You work so dang hard for so many hours to get slammed for anything that wasn't perfect. Not that we never deserved a bad review, but often times a small thing was turned into give me my meal for free or I will spread bad things about your establishment all over town. I have had people want $75 worth of food free because they found a piece of brown lettuce half the size of a dime in their salad. This of course came after they had finished the salad, their main course, and their dessert. 

5. A critic typically picks movies and restaurants that don't appeal to the masses. I usually love a blockbuster movie more than some weird indy movie and I prefer some restaurant chains which are panned critically to some new eclectic dining experience which some critic adores. I think most people expect critics to be brutal since it is maily through shock value that they get people to read their posts (think of Simon Cowell). I think most people take a critic's review with a grain of salt. However the average Joe's opinion carries a huge amount of weight.

I was really not that upset with what you said, so once again I apologize to you. I was mad at the overall attitude from so many here and other places who feel that if you ever have a so so meal, or less than perfect service, that you need to shout it from the rooftop, post it everywhere on the web, and forever refuse to eat there again. It kills me that so many people who work in all sorts of businesses feel that they can expect something that no one (including themselves) can deliver, and that is a perfect product and a perfect experience each and every time someone buys. 

 Your review might be justified, but whether it is or not there are several people on this site that will now never eat there. That is tough on any business when someone with an ax to grind can post anything they want without having to prove anything bad really occured. Some people tell everyone to stop patronizing a restaurant for little or no reason. In the past people complained to the Better Business Bureau and the business had a chance to answer the complaint and to try and rectify the situation. With the internet anyone can say anything they want whether it is the truth, a half truth, or a total lie.

There are crimes that deserve the death sentence, and there are situations at a restaurant that warrant never eating there again. However jaywalking and a minor service problem at a restaurant both should receive a slap on the wrist, not the harshest possible punishment IMO.


----------



## tombo (Feb 25, 2009)

Kal said:


> The minute I get the slightest hint from a customer or anyone close to the customer that (s)he is even less than totally pleased I immediately proactively rectify the matter.




I am surprised that your customers still do business with you. You admit that some of your customers are less than pleased which means that you aren't operating a perfect business. I am shocked that one who is as demanding as you does not provide perfect, stellar service. You don't think that there is any reason to do business with anyone who doesn't please you personally 100% of the time. One chance and it is over. Maybe your customers should treat your business like you recommend treating other businesses. I am sure that whatever  service you offer is also offered by many other businesses. Since your business is one that is a dime a dozen too, perhaps your customers should spend their money elsewhere because once you don't please them 100% they should never give you another chance. Please post your web site so unsatisfied customers can post their complaints (real or not). Also, please list the name of your business so we can mark it off of our places to patronize when we are in Bellevue Washington. It doesn't matter if anyone here ever had a bad experience personally at your business, all that matters is that mistakes that displeased customers have been posted here on the web whether they are true or not (this time I believe the poster because it was posted by you). The posting of one single complaint is reason enough to mark your business off of our list, forever. No second chances as you so proudly proclaim in numerous posts. I look forward to your post listing your business and detailing the shortcomings in customer service you have acknowledged. Having people not patronize your business solely because of this post is OK because it is exactly what you advocate for other businesses.


----------



## MuranoJo (Feb 25, 2009)

I agree with Tombo, having been a waitress throughout high school.  Everyone ought to have that experience.  You learn a lot about how to deal with people, running a business, and managing time.  

I can relate to the OP's negative experience (especially since it was a 'special' occasion) as this has happened to all of us I'm sure, but it may have been an anomaly in that night of the restaurant, especially given they had positive reviews before.  

I say the best recourse is to voice the issues with the restaurant directly.  IMO, the restaurant should have just waived the cost of the dinner or provided some other type of apology.


----------



## Kal (Feb 26, 2009)

Tombo - Best you stay away from restaurants serving Mexican food....way too many bad buritos.


----------



## Anne S (Feb 26, 2009)

TTom said:


> 4.  Perhaps, my biggest "justification" here is that I offered up the idea that others might have had different experiences at Saratoga, and I hoped/thought someone would chime in, either to support my experience or to share their more positive one.  All I have seen so far is a number of responses, both supportive and contentious which have NOTHING to do with actual experiences at Saratoga.
> 
> 5.  I wonder how this would play out if I indicated that I am a syndicated restaurant reviewer for major publications.  Would you say that I was not doing my job properly because I my review may have cost them some business?
> 
> ...



Tom, you answered question 4 in your first post, although somewhat obliquely. You mentioned that you had at least one positive experience dining at Saratoga, and that is the reason you decided to go back and celebrate your anniversary. I am sorry that your last experience was such a bad one, but why don't you share the positive things that made you go back?

Now in point 5 you ask how this would have played out if you indicated that you were a syndicated restaurant reviewer for major publications. I don't know of any syndicated restaurant reviewers, but I do read the reviews that Frank Bruni, restaurant critic of my local hometown newspaper (the New York Times), writes. His reviews are a distillation of several meals eaten at a particular restaurant. He will not pan a restaurant unless the food, service is consistently below par. And since you indicated that this was not the case, your syndicated review would not be very ethical, based on only your one bad experience.


----------



## dchilds (Feb 26, 2009)

*Been twice*

We've been to Saratoga twice in the past two years.  The food was some of the best we've had on the island.  The service was average for that type of restaurant on St Maarten.  We'll go back.


----------



## riverside (Mar 1, 2009)

I am very grateful that time was taken by the OP to let us know about his experiences.  Isn't that one of the things this board is about?  We just got back from Tobago and had bad experiences with one of the most expensive restaurants on the island.  I won't mention the name here because of the obvious remarks I would get, but I will review it on Trip Advisor.  I hope the review of the Saratoga is put there also.  I appreciate reading of other's experiences, both good and bad.  Often I will still go and make my own decision, but there are other times that I will not eat at specific places due to someone else's experiences.  Especially if there are several negative reviews about the same place.  If I take the time to write a review (and I review both good and bad), then I consider my time helpful to others.  

Often times this board seems to be a place where someone flames someone for writing what they feel.  I don't post often, but I have been a member for years and read the boards nearly every day.  One of the reasons I don't post is exactly what happened here.


----------



## Kal (Mar 1, 2009)

There's a big difference between reviews at restaurants near home vs restaurants at a relatively small vacation destination.  For those types of destinations, there might be only limited reviews while near home there's much more latitude.  

In the case of St. Maarten the island is only 36 sq miles but there are at least 100 restaurants to choose from.  If you're on the island for only a week there's no room for error in restaurant selection.  One person's bad experience could be substantial in reducing the list of 100 possibilities down to maybe 5 or 6.  One bad review speaks volumes in beginning to narrow the list.


----------

