Signal Gun Wines — Attraction in Cape Town Ward 105

Let me begin by saying, the review on the restaurant, views, food and wait staff would have made it a 5 star rating. Were it not for 1 factor I could not ignore.

We attended a wedding on 15th December. The groom and brides families booked into accommodation in Durbanville. The morning after the wedding we decided to have breakfast as the grooms family. We decided on your restaurant based on the stellar feedback of my partner, who previously had her stuff function there. I called to book for 12 people for 11am. The receptionist indicated 11am will be a bit late in the day. And I leaned into taking a table outside. Sadly I underestimated the downpour of rain. When we arrived the brides family (an additional 6 people decided to join, including the bride and groom) the ladies did not want to sit in the downpour and we asked if we could be seated inside. The floor staff was excellent in arranging seating. The gentleman that seemed to be the floor manager made us feel welcome and I apologized to the receptionist for the change of plans.

Now I work in the hospitality and tourism industry for a massive brand and I fully understand the frustration of major planning changes on the last minute and the situation is far from ideal and puts preasure on the staff. However what happened next should be never be allowed.

I went to the receptionist office behind the main till to apologize for the inconvenience. At first she seemed flustered by the change of plans and rearrangement. Which I could understand. And I sincerely stated we would eat and go to limit the disruption. This was 11:10am. The floor staff seated us and arranged the tables but gently explained due to the elevated flooring we had to be a certain number of people. At this point we were 16. They helped swiftly and we were seated. I was informed the bride and groom were about to arrive. Knowing there would be a welcome by the family I darted back to the reception to apologize if there any noise for a brief moment on their arrival. Please note what I mean by this is cheers and welcome to the newly weds. Not a gumboot dance and festival. The response I received even before finishing my sentence can only be described as demeaning. The receptionist sat at her desk and looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. And interrupted even before I could conclude my sentence she went on a 5 minute rant about how this is not on in regards to the change of plans and that she needs to send other guests to the dungeon. She went on to mention she is not an owner and that the owners were calling her about this matter. I stood there quietly nodding and allowing her to conclude even though her manner and approach was demeaning like a grandmother disciplining her grandkids I nodded and said OK, understanding the situation. She then promptly mimicked my nod and said no its not OK. And said it not on. At this point I felt professionalism had gone out the window and having been raised to respect my elders. Attempted to end the interaction by saying we. Would eat and go. She seemed not to either care or realize this is not how you address someone. In that moment I felt like the business and she was the customer complaining. I don't know if she wanted us to leave or what response was needed, I ended up saying OK one last time and walking away. I went back to the table and kept all of this from the group as not to spoil their day. I asked the floor manager if everything was OK and he indicated it was and told me to enjoy my meal. Sadly I could not. The meal, service by floor staff and views were spectacular and my fellow guests were very happy. By 12 we were done and paid without fuss and departed the venue. I cannot however think of the visit without the interaction of your reception playing out in mind. As a fellow member of the hospitality industry I ask you sincerely. Send her for customer care training. One never addresses anyone in that manner. We live in a age of cancel culture and your establishment is one of the best I've visited. Please don't let something like this...

Terrible experience there today. I have been there on a few occasions but today was a major let down. I had made a booking for a largish table. When we arrived our table had two people sitting there waiting for food. First of all how does the staff let a table of two sit at a table that is clearly setup for more people and that had a reserved sign clearly displayed.

I asked the waiter to call the manager so that we can get the people to move to a smaller table.

15minutes later still no manager. Eventually the waiter asked them to move..... This is not his job its the job of the manager. Eventually the people moved and we got to sit. After another 15minutes still no menus. They eventually come...... At this point I am still waiting for the manager. We ordered a pizza and a burger for my kids which took a blistering hour and a half to arrive.

The meals eventually came out for the adults which took two hours in total. When we arrived the restaurant was busy but when we ordered around 2:30pm there was only 3 other tables there..... Still no manager.

We ate our food which is the restaurants only saving grace as it was fantastic. But still not worth the incredibly long wait. We ate and waited forever for the waiter to come back and take a dessert and coffee order...... Still no manager.

We eventually paid our 2600 bill and as good as the food was the rest of the experience was pity full.

I come from a hospitality background and for a manager to not come out and check on tables, especially a problematic one will be the downfall of any restaurant. No matter how good the food is if the service and hospitality is absent then eventually so will the customers.

On a few occasions I saw other tables complaining about how slow things were and the lack of service and the fact that there was no manager to be seen.

It must be said that our waiter was friendly and did the best he could under the...

If I could go into negative stars I would. Let me start by saying that if you want to waste your money....then come here. My advice....AVOID THIS TRAP. We go to wine estates 3 times a month and have been to some STUNNING places. Let me repeat STUNNING. We take our 4 adult children and son in law on most of these lunches. In fact I am going to start a blog about the wine estates we have been to. I NEVER COMPLAIN but hell man ...no. Our food was an HOUR late. Our bill was R1 500.00. We have no problem spending our money for good service. My daughter's pizza with pork was a case of count the pieces of pork. The burger according to our son was average. The chicken schnitzel on the menu said a cheesy sauce....well ....we are still looking for the sauce. The cappuccino was ICE COLD. When I went to ask about it...everyone blamed the other. The manageress was USELESS. She really made an unpleasant situation worse. I actually asked the manageress if it was at all possible for things to get any worse. We took our elderly parents with us and I felt so sorry for them having to wait SO LONG to eat. Well hippee hooray....we got 3 cuppacchino off our bill....I eagerly await a list of excuses as a reply from management! Common etiquette is to be informed about the long food wait by the waitress and, then left for patrons to decide if they are prepared to wait or leave. When my husband enquired about the service we were told the kitchen was under renovation. Why were not told this when we booked? AVOID THIS PLACE unless you are happy with...