SIMPLE 169 — Restaurant in Hallstatt

Unfortunately I had a bad experience in here. I went with my mother this winter and we ordered some coffee and a cake for takeaway. At the beginning everything was going pretty well, the person on the counter was nice (at first), she gave us our coffees and our piece of cake without any trouble. Before leaving my mom started having some pain in her knee so we sat down for the pain to go away. The view outside was beautiful so my mother wanted to take some quick pictures of me and the view (this is irrelevant but I’m just writing it in case the owner writes something about this). We weren’t planning on staying there for a long time, the place was completely empty, we were the only ones inside so we didn’t think there was going to be a problem with us being inside for a few minutes. Out of nowhere the person on the counter told us (almost shouted) in a really rude way “When you say it is to go, it literally means TO GO, you cannot stay in here because we can’t have trash in here…” (or something like that). We were not drinking or eating our order because we were planning on doing that on our way to the train, therefore we were not leaving any trash. I think it was really inconsiderate how she treated us, like I said there was no one, we were not taking space for other costumers (cause there were no customers), it was freezing outside and we were just waiting for a few minutes inside for my mother’s pain to go away. She could have said things differently and when we left they they told us in a really sarcastic way “bye, have a nice day”. I’m pretty sure that they would not like to be treated like that, so why treat customers in an awful way. It’s a shame that such a beautiful place and we tourists have to deal with this unpleasant experiences. The coffee was not the worst, nor the greatest a 7/10 and the cake a 6/10, both were cold. Not worth the money for the bad experience.

I’m happy to see that not everyone had an awful visit to this restaurant but I did see other reviews like mine so be warned that you might have a bad experience there.

In response to the restaurant’s response:

I have perfect understanding about the definition of “take away”, like I previously mentioned, we were not drinking or eating what we ordered. It’s true we didn’t told you that her knee was in pain because we didn’t see any problem with seating for a few minutes since you were nice at first and the restaurant was empty, I guess it’s our fault for thinking everyone is considerate or just have a little education. We didn’t communicate everything like you wanted, but even still you could have been less rude when telling us to leave. As for my personal opinion about coffee and cake, I guess it’s different for everyone. Clearly I’m not the only one who has complains regarding your attitude, people can just scroll down through the comments...

Where do I start, visited earlier this week and the food is ok but service can be very poor. I think some of the staff don’t realise it but they can come across as very condescending when dealing with English speaking customers. Having worked in the hospitality industry for over 35 years I was very disappointed to see the way they treat customers in their reviews as well. The owner seems unwilling to take any criticism and becomes aggressive when someone has an issue with the place.

It’s well known among hoteliers that the customer is always right, the owner would do well to follow that rule and not insult people who try to give feedback as their attitude currently does not reflect well on their character. I would suggest they take a look at how other businesses respond to negative reviews, here’s a template I used in my own restaurant business back home, I give it to you free of charge.

“We’re sorry to hear that the service was not what you expected, all of us at [business name] try our best to create a welcoming atmosphere for all our customers. We’d be interested hearing more about your concerns to see where there is room for improvement, please reach out with details at [business email] Wish you all the best from [business name]”

I would advise that you start showing some emotional intelligence and either use this template or try not responding if it hurts so much to be nice. Of course you don’t have to do this. There are plenty of new tourists passing through every day, so in your business model it may not matter if you insult some of them in person and online in their reviews. If it works for you and makes money then absolutely go for it, I wish you well! Running my restaurant that way wouldn’t make me happy but each to their own.

It’s really quite entertaining reading the owner’s replies to people. They claim nobody cares about reviews but they spend a lot of time arguing with people here. I wonder what they’ll say to me! If they’re smart and have learnt something they’ll either say nothing or use the template I’ve given them!

—————————————— Looks like there is no change here! The response to me was bad borderline ok but to other recent reviews still terrible. Always a good...

We arrived in Hallstatt on a cold, snowy, rainy day and were eager to find a place to have lunch. We stumbled upon this delightful restaurant and were greeted warmly by the lady at the door, who kindly reserved a seat for us. She informed us that the kitchen would not be ready to take orders until 12 PM, so we would have to wait for about 30 minutes.

As luck would have it, just a few minutes later, the restaurant filled up with guests. We decided to pass the time with hot drinks and some cakes. The apricot cake was absolutely lovely and comforting, and the apple tart, paired with a cup of hot chocolate, was equally enjoyable.

When it came time to order our main dishes, I opted for a carrot-ginger soup and tagliatelle Bolognese. The friendly gentleman at the counter kindly informed us that the tagliatelle would take a little longer, and the soup would be served first.

When the soup arrived, I was blown away by how amazing it was, especially given the cold weather outside. It had one of the strongest flavors I’ve experienced in Europe. The soup alone deserves a five-star rating! The tagliatelle was equally delicious and did not disappoint, and it didn't take that long too!

Curious about their reviews, we checked the ratings on Google and was surprised to see that they deserved much higher recognition. The restaurant is clearly managed with care and attention to detail. They follows certain clear and transparent rules (such as informing us about waiting times and managing seating, or informing new guests whether there are available seats, or informing guests who order to-go that they couldn't ha e it at the table), which helps them handle the high traffic efficiently while ensuring the comfort of all guests.

The restroom was also spotless and well-maintained, further reflecting the attention they put into every aspect of the restaurant.

Above all, the warmth, friendliness, and the light conversation created by them made this dining experience truly special. It’s clear that this restaurant is built and managed with genuine passion and heart.

Thank you for such a memorable...