Criniti's Brighton-Le-Sands — Restaurant in Sydney

Booked for today (Wednesday) dinner for my Mum’s birthday, told them it was a special occasion. Instead of hospitality, I was informed we’d have 60 minutes to eat — as if this was some fast-food drive-thru. Do they seriously expect guests to rush through menus, appetisers, drinks, mains and dessert like a timed contest? This is supposed to be a dining experience, not a stopwatch challenge. I asked them as much on the phone, they said that's what they do and if we still ordered more toward the end of our sitting, they'd let us stay longer. The arrogance of telling customers to “enjoy their rushed dinner” is laughable. Even if the food is meant to be great, why would I pay to feel unwelcome before I even walk in the door? On a Wednesday, at 4:30pm no less. The audacity. This is not Italian hospitality — it’s corporate nonsense. Get a grip. You lost a customer who lives innyour suburb. It'sa mayter of principle. Keep your food and great location and I hope you keep passing off people like me with your stupid practices until you wake up to yourself and make a meaningful change and improve in your ridiculous practices and training of your stand. Hearing that crap from your first point of contact... how is this a chain?

Reply to the response I got from the business:

Thanks for the reply, but you’ve kind of proven my point. You keep talking about “peak periods” when I literally said my booking was Wednesday at 4:30pm. Not Friday night, not Saturday dinner rush. Midweek, early evening. Who on earth do you think you’re kidding by calling that a peak time? Anyone can pull up your Google busy-times graph and see it’s basically empty at that hour.

And let’s not pretend this is “industry practice.” Most Sydney restaurants (actual proper restaurants, not fast-food chains) give people 90 minutes minimum, usually two hours. A flat 60 minutes for dinner is not normal anywhere outside of a food court. Calling it “standard” doesn’t suddenly make it true.

Also, don’t put words in my mouth. I never said your staff were rude or unprofessional. I was very clear I was talking about the policy itself. I repeated back exactly what was explained to me and how it was received, nothing more. If the policy sounds ridiculous when it’s spelled out plainly, maybe that’s not the customer, maybe it’s the policy itself that’s ridiculous. Translates to common sense.

And please, the whole “we don’t tell people to rush” line is insulting. A 60-minute cap does the rushing for you. You don’t need to say the words out loud when the stopwatch is already ticking.

The bigger issue here is your response. Instead of saying “hey, maybe we stuffed this one up, especially at a quiet time like that,” you doubled down and tried to make it sound like I was the one being unreasonable. That’s not hospitality, that’s just nonsense. Is this your first hospitality job?

For what it’s worth, here’s how restaurants with some class and pedigree usually handle this stuff: you acknowledge the feedback, you apologise for how it came across, you clarify the policy with some nuance, and then you invite the customer back so you can show them that you actually care about their experience. Something like: “You’re right, 4:30pm on a Wednesday is not peak time and we should have been more flexible. We’ll review how this policy applies off-peak. We’d love to make it up to you and show you that our food and hospitality really are second to none.”

See how much better that sounds? Instead of making excuses and hiding behind “industry practice,” you’d come across like you actually give a damn. Right now it just reads as petty and defensive, and way off the mark. And you lost what is seen as an opportunity to turn a negative to a raving positive.

At the end of the day, you obviously don't care about losing a local customer over something you could have easily fixed with common sense and a little humility. And until you figure that out, you’ll keep driving people away with your stopwatch dinners and...

The Ultimate Italian Dining Experience in Brighton

When you think of the perfect Italian dining experience, this restaurant in Brighton immediately comes to mind. From the moment you step onto its luxurious veranda, you are immersed in the atmosphere of Italy. The spacious terraces with stunning views are just the beginning of your amazing evening. This place is a must-visit, not just for its outstanding food, but for the feeling that you have become part of an Italian family.

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If you’re looking for a place where you can not only eat but also enjoy an authentic Italian atmosphere, this restaurant in Brighton is the perfect destination. You’ll love not only the food but every moment you spend here. The establishment radiates not just warmth and coziness but passion, like someone who is both excited and proud of Italy’s iconic cars that embody speed, style, and tradition. You will be amazed by how everything is done—from the quality of the food to the stunning table settings. This place is the leader in the city’s variety of dishes, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the careful attention given to every detail, from the welcome to the last bite of your meal.

Make no mistake, this place is a real gem that will leave you excited and looking forward to...

Our experience at Crinitis in Brighton-Le-Sands was nothing short of disappointing. We had booked our table two weeks in advance via Google, yet upon arrival, the staff struggled to find our reservation.

We were initially seated in a cramped laneway with heavy server traffic, making it an uncomfortable dining experience. Given that half the restaurant's tables were empty, we requested a different table, only to be told they were all “reserved.” stating specific tables were reserved. I dont understand how a specific table can be reserved. This seemed highly unlikely, as I observed those tables remained unoccupied throughout the night. Surely you can even swap 2 reserved tables? After pressing the issue, we were moved—only to another cramped corner, just as bad as the first, but at least it was out of the foot traffic....

The restaurant itself felt overly packed with tables and chairs, clearly designed to maximize patrons rather than comfort. A table meant for four was set for six, making it impossible to enjoy the meal. The person in the middle would have their plate on a 30 degree angle caught between two unequally heighted tables... ridiculous....

Other diners, i heard, complained about the lack of space, noting how difficult it was to move to the bathroom without bumping into other seated people. I even witnessed a small conflict breaking out over someone standing too close to a seated person.

Service was painfully slow. Half of our food arrived first, while the rest came 20 minutes later. This completely defeated the purpose of dining out together, as some of us had to either eat cold food or wait while others finished. When I requested that my now-cold meal be remade. The server first said ok and then just reheated the same food....then when i called it out, for the to be remade, he refused, claiming the manager had declined. However, when I later asked the manager directly, he had no idea about the request. Not sure which staff member was being dishonest here...

Anyways, What frustrated us most was the realization that the so-called “reserved” tables were never actually used. Instead, diners were crammed into the worst spots, making for an unpleasant experience that felt more like a packed Sydney CityRail train at peak hour than a restaurant.

This was meant to be a special night for a small, intimate birthday occasion, but instead, it was completely ruined. The food was overpriced, half of it went bad due to waiting, and the service was as poor as the seating arrangements. We won’t be returning, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who values comfort, service, or basic dining etiquette.

P.s. I suspect the positive reviews are fake. They seem to follow a suspicious pattern with strange names...