Cosi Bar Ristorante South Yarra - Italian Restaurant Since 1996 — Restaurant in Melbourne

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the service I experienced at your restaurant during my recent visit. While the initial part of our dining experience was satisfactory, a series of issues arose towards the end that significantly affected our overall impression.

Excessive Waiting Time for Payment After finishing our meal, I requested the bill three separate times. On the second request, the server simply dropped the bill onto the table without asking how we preferred to pay and walked away. It was only on the third attempt that someone finally came to process our payment. In total, we spent nearly 30 minutes just waiting to settle the bill. During this time, multiple staff members walked past our table, and some were even serving other customers or clearing nearby tables. Given that we had already asked for the bill, I believe our request should have been prioritised rather than repeatedly overlooked.

Poor Handling of Birthday Arrangement This visit was a birthday celebration for which I had made a booking. When the cake was brought out, the server began singing the birthday song but abruptly stopped halfway and walked off. I want to emphasise that I had no strict expectation for the song to be performed, it would have been acceptable if it had not been sung at all. However, starting the song and then abandoning it midway felt disrespectful and dismissive of the occasion.

Lack of Professional Management Response Following these incidents, I raised my concerns with the front desk. I was told the manager would come to speak with me, but instead, only another server from our section came over. Their explanation was that the long wait for the bill was due to it being a busy Friday night. While I understand peak times can be challenging, I do not consider “being busy” an acceptable reason to neglect customer service. Furthermore, I observed the manager walking past our area multiple times during this period without once approaching us to address the situation directly. I had booked the restaurant specifically for a birthday celebration, yet not only was the experience disappointing, but throughout the waiting time and even after raising these concerns, no form of acknowledgement or compensation was offered. This lack of accountability left me feeling that my concerns were not taken seriously.

Overall, what should have been a pleasant dining experience for a special occasion was overshadowed by inattentive service, poor communication, and insufficient management response. I hope you will take this feedback seriously and review staff training and management practices to ensure greater respect and care for customers in the future.

[Update after the restaurant reply-20 September 2025] Since Google Reviews does not allow me to post a second response, I am adding this clarification here.

Firstly, since you mentioned reviewing the CCTV, you should also be able to see that before the time you noted, I had already asked for the bill twice. As I stated in my initial complaint, I had to call for service three times in total before the payment was processed. If you insist that the entire process was only 11 minutes, then there is nothing more I can say.

And regarding the manager: since you have checked the CCTV, you should also be able to see that the manager was indeed standing nearby without approaching us in front of the reception. In addition, the front desk specifically told me to wait because the manager would come to address the issue. This did not happen.

Overall, I am disappointed that your response focuses more on justifying the situation rather than offering a sincere apology. Instead of acknowledging the poor service and lack of respect shown, the explanation comes across as...

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