Whistling Kite — Restaurant in Western Australia

On there web page they describe their hospitality & service as "timeless." As a regular customer who frequents their establishment at least twice a week, I didn't experience this timeless hospitality yesterday (late afternoon).

Myself and two friends had decided on some cheeky late afternoon drinks & The Kite with its cosy fires, seemed the perfect venue on a cold Autumn afternoon. However places to sit in the bar are limited & any spare seats were taken. The second bar area was closed off for a function, so that was a no go as well.

Two choices remained. Choice 1: sit outside in the beer gardens, which resembled a ghost town due to the chilly weather. Choice 2: sit on one of the large tables on which bordered the outskirts of the restaurant & bar area, stay warm & jump a table in the bar when one became free..... Since the restaurant was almost empty, we didn't think this would be a problem....

But it was.

Our bottoms had barely touched the seats of the table infront of the cosy fire when we were swooped on by the waitress & told that the table had "just that minute been reserved" & we couldn't sit there." This was 4.30 in the afternoon, a bit early for dinner?

Had no choice, but to take our drinks into the wind swept beer garden and press our noses up against the glass to watch those warm inside. Their timeless hospitality didn't extend to lighting a gas heater either, which we had been assured would happen before we were moved on from the restaurant.

We did manage to upgrade back into the bar area when a table finally became free & would have been quite happy to do this if we'd been allowed to sit in their restaurant. On Tuesday nights, their "timeless hospitality" allows tribes of painted munchins run through their "elegant restaurant" when they host Children's Night," so not sure why three middle aged people can't sit there quietly & have drinks & quiet conversation.

We stayed drinking @ The Kite & spent just over $100, during that time, the restaurant remained empty & the only people who came to sit out the table in the restaurant were the merry go round of staff who were having tea breaks.

My point, offer a bit more timeless hospitality to loyal customers who have come to your bar to spend money. And if you can't offer a bit of flexibility & let people be warm & comfortable inside your establishment, offer a bit more timeless hospitality & light the bloody...

We've been going to the kite for years and have always held it in high regard. The last two visits unfortunately have not been so great. Last night in particular, we attended in a group of 8 including 2 kids. Our orders were taken promptly and our first round of drinks brought to the table. From then on we waited for nearly an hour to get our food which were mains only. The table of 8 behind us came 15 minutes later than us and got their food before us. In that hour we were not asked if we wanted another round of drinks (we did) or if we were ok or apologies for the wait or anything. When the food arrived, it was terrible. Undercooked, rushed and almost like the kitchen had messed up the orders and rushed them out. Our waitress was lovely and tried her best but leaving us without beers for so long wasn't great. They seemed over booked and understaffed and it showed. For the prices they charge, i'd expect more to be honest. The kids entertainment was great last night which was our saving grace as the kids would not have lasted that long otherwise. I will also add that the last time we went for kids Tuesday, a young lad who was entertaining the kids yelled at my 4 year old daughter so loudly that the nearby diners turned to see what had happened. She was jumping on a lounge chair and did need to be told not to but yelling at her so loudly that she ran back to the table scared was over the top. He was lucky I put it down to youthful frustration trying to deal with a bunch of kids and I let it go. We have always loved having such a nice venue so close to home but after the last 2 visits, I dont think we will return in a hurry. Our friends visiting from Melbourne who were with us will no doubt be going home to tell people it was rubbish too...

My wife and I are writing to share feedback on a recent visit to your restaurant, with the aim of helping to improve the guest experience for loyal patrons like us. We’ve always enjoyed the food here and consider it our favourite place to eat. On arrival for our reservation, staff were unable to locate our booking in the system. Numerous team members asked whether the reservation might be under a different name, which it was not since its always booked under my name. The situation was further strained by a facial expression from the waiting staff that suggested disbelief, which felt dismissive given that we are frequent diners and have had positive experiences in the past. This left us quite uncomfortable and disappointed. To make matters worse, the only seating option offered was impractical (a table near the restroom). We declined this setup and chose to dine elsewhere. The following day I received an email asking how I would rate my meal, which felt incongruous given the preceding evening’s issues. Additionally, I noticed my name had been spelled incorrectly in your records, which likely contributed to the difficulty locating our reservation. As frequent guests and loyal customers who still value your restaurant, we hope to continue enjoying the food and experience here...