Service with a sneer

March 11th, 2008 · No Comments

The bars in Berlin are world famous, and rightly so. There is a vast array to choose from ranging from traditional beer cellar type things with kitsch frilly bits to minimalist cool places, where electro music pumps away while people suck their cheeks in and try to look wasted. They come in all shapes and sizes and the really cool thing is that many stay open as long as they have paying customers to serve. There is one common thing though and that is that normally the level of service does not quite live up to expectations (although my expectations are falling into line with reality now)…there are exceptions but normally a trip to a bar or restaurant can lead to conflict with staff. It seems that even as a paying customer you are made to feel lucky to get noticed (let alone served) and that you are an inconvenience getting in the way of ‘work tasks’ as smoking cigarettes, chatting to mates or reading.

Often your orders arrive late, perhaps even the wrong items and sometimes poorly presented/prepared all delivered with a glum look. If you complain then either an argument will ensue, or they will silently plonk down what you actually ordered with no apology. On top of all this tips are expected and are given regardless of the actual service you received, which defeats the object. Going out in Berlin is great for many reasons, but sadly the service culture sucks and needs a new approach - ‘Star Employee of the Month’ or maybe ‘I’m lovin it’ t-shirts for staff could help move things forward But then again probably not.