Oasis On Bourbong — Restaurant in Queensland

We have eaten here many times over the years both when living in and when visiting Bundaberg and it used to be fine. This time was very different.

A group of 13 of us (including kids) came in for breakfast on a Sunday morning. There were plenty of empty tables and the food came out in good time, so capacity was clearly not the problem. The shock came when, after most of the meals were finished and paid for, the chef came out to ask who was “in charge” of our group and what the “occasion” was, as though we had booked the place for an event, we thought this was really nice as he also offered to take a picture for us. We let him know we were simply a family grabbing breakfast before heading out of town.

He then handed my dad a piece of paper with the phone number and loudly told us we really should have called ahead, adding that he had “regulars” to look after. The way it was said made it clear he thought we had put him out simply by being there, which made our business feel unwelcome. What stood out most was that this was only raised after we had eaten and paid. Staff had every opportunity to say something before taking our order if serving us was really such an issue. If a café sets out enough tables to accommodate a large number of people and then treats customers as a burden for using them, that is a management problem, not a customer problem. And to be clear, even with our so-called “large party,” plenty of tables were still empty.

My bill was $72, so with 13 people to feed in the group that is significant business. My sister left an honest review with feedback of our experience (so that the cafe is aware that it wasn't received perhaps the way they intended it) about what happened, and the owner’s response to her was rude and dismissive, mocking our group instead of addressing the concerns. He even claimed he had “accommodated” us, but you can hardly call it an accommodation when most of the tables were empty. Accommodating customers in a nearly empty café should not be treated as a problem. It is literally the service industry.

For contrast, Oodies Café was full the same morning, yet they were still prepared to accommodate our group. The only reason we couldn't stay was because the wait would have been too long and we had to get on the road. This place was open and seemingly empty, but now I see why. Looking at this owner’s replies to other negative reviews confirms what we saw first-hand. There is no care for the customer’s experience, only defensiveness and blame-shifting.

if you are from out of town, or have more than say, 6 people I'd suggest to go elsewhere and skip this place. The food here is fine but without the service the experience is not worth it. We...

I rarely give reviews however I cannot let what happened to me today go without comment. The Oasis owner was rude, aggressive and made outlandish accusations when I visited the cafe today. I know he will respond and deny this. However I make these comments knowing without doubt I did nothing to warrant his behaviour. He accused me of 'dropping money on the counter'. I am wondering how I could have paid cash for my milkshake any other way. I was not unhappy with the service or any other aspect of the interaction until he made outlandish accusations as we left. As stated in the owners' response, we were advised the shop would close in 10mins time when we made our purchase. We sat at the table knowing we could easily finish our milkshake within this time frame which we did. We were tired and wanted to sit down for a few minutes. At no point did I feel any 'attitude' towards staff. Upon leaving I was accused of 'dropping money on the counter' and displaying 'attitude'. This man also stated that after many years working in this industry that he could 'pick personality types' and had branded me based on his perception. I suggest his perception is distorted and I also suggest he get some help. I don't imagine there would me much joy in life living with this mindset. After being insulted I acknowledge making the suggestion that he 'take a valium'. This was my only response following his accusations. This response came after being verbally attacked for no reason - I was shocked and upset. The truth is that I was upset and cried when I returned to work after this encounter...it was extraordinary - something I haven't experienced before. I am hoping that others with similar experiences support these comments. I also hope that my post leads potential customers to avoid this...

If I could give 0 stars for customer service I would. But I will give 1 star because the food was nice.

You honestly shouldn't work in customer service related jobs, if you have no customer service skills. The girls behind the counter are so unhappy and can't even greet customers, or smile. How hard is it to say "hey, how you going, we won't be long", especially when busy, customers generally understand, if not they can decide if they want to walk out or not. We sat and ate breakfast and watched these girls work, not once did they greet a customer they handed food over very aggressively, heard a guy say hello, how are you to them, they didn't even answer and he walked out. Busy or not, greet your customers. Rude, rude, rude. Definitely won't be back!!

EDIT*

I work in hospitality and have done for over 20 years, it's not hard to acknowledge your customers with a brief smile or a simple hello. You don't need to have a full on conversation, just a quick hey, won't be long, will be with you in a sec. It literally takes staff no effort to say this, whilst still working.

Remember those customers are paying your wage and for your service, without them, you will have nothing and have to close down. Not hard to be nice. Busy or...