Le Pic Brasserie — Restaurant in Vienna

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to complain about a recent experience I had in Le Pic. Tonight, the 5th January 2022 at around 20:00 I came to Le Pic with my boyfriend to have a nice meal on our last night in Vienna (we are visitors in the city for a few days and we come from Greece). I have to admit the food was very tasty and we were very pleased with it. However, our night was ruined when the waitor (male) came to ask us for the bill. We were paying by card so he asked us if we would like to add a tip.We kindly and quite awkwardly said no. At this point I would like to clarify my boyfriend and I are university students in Greece and struggle with money as all students do. The waitor replied with a big sigh and a very ironic "Well that is very generous thank you". We were shocked and felt appalled by this behaviour. The bill was already high for our pockets (47 euros) but since the quality of the food was so nice we were happy to pay it. However our financial circumstances did not allow us to add a tip. I think that this is very understandable since we are students and we look very young (21 years old). There was no reason for such a treatment. We visited your restaurant even though the meal was quite expensive for us and we should be thanked not insulted. We were very kind as customers and did not for any reason deserve this appalling and ironic comment. This has of course made our experience in Le Pic negative and it is a pity because up until that moment we were truly pleased with everything. Needless to say this has left us with a bad impression of Vienna and Austria as a whole, which even though we understand is not fair, it is nevertheless what we have been made to feel. I hope someone from management takes care of this and lets than man know how to treat the customers of Le Pic with respect, otherwise the restaurant's reputation will be negatively affected sooner than later.

Thank you for you attention.

P.S. Lastly, let me make one thing clear. I know the tipping culture is strong here in Austria and that everyone is expected to leave a tip for waitors. It is the same in Greece, where we come from as well, even though it is a much poorer country. However, the fact that there is a tipping culture does not justify an insulting behaviour to those who are not leaving a tip for their own reasons. In Greece it is understandable when young people and students do not leave a tip, in fact it is expected. And even though a waitor could feel disappointed when a customer leaves no tip, he would never be so rude and arrogant as to make such an ironic and insulting comment to the customer. This is bad hospitality guys,...

I was a victim of prejudicial treatment here.

Service: The waiter or manager who served our food made me gravely uncomfortable. Whether it was due to a prejudice of my nationality (American) or race (Black), has not been firmly established, but was, nonetheless, deeply felt.

As I approached the near empty bistrot with my husband to have breakfast, we asked said waiter about possible seating. He responded with a roll of his eye and proceeded with disdain to ask if we had reservations. Looking around at the empty restaurant we were perplexed. We responded no, and then he reluctantly motioned for us to be seated outside.

While ordering, he was extremely unkind and impatient when explaining the menu. I thought perhaps he had a bad day, but as I gauged his interactions with the surrounding customers, it became clear his curt behavior was only reserved for myself. Additionally, when I asked if there any spirits available after prior receiving a 10 page drinks menu at this self-entitled BRASSERIE (brewery) he decided to condescendingly explain to me the practices of a French bistrot and how my question was absurd. Never mind the fact that I am well versed in French culture after studying it up towards a collegiate level for several years.

When it came time for the bill, he proceeded to ask us for tip. I mentioned that in Italy where I live that is not customary knowing full well that this is not a European custom. I considered that he was possibly taking advantage of my American nationality. I showed surprised in his bluntness and explained that this shouldn’t be expected as the history of tipping is a racist one with roots in America. I make this assertion as one who has taught social education professional development course with a dual Masters in Education and Humanities. He then proceeded to have the audacity to tell me that I’m wrong and rattled off his public school education from when he was a boy in the Austrian school system.

I have never experienced such barbaric behavior dining out, and I surely would NOT recommend this place to anyone of progressive thought.

Food: The food is okay. It is certainly not to the standards of true French quality, and it was not dynamic enough in its own right to justify the essence of self-importance that this bistrot gives itself. The quiche was bland and lacked dimension, the french toast was extremely soggy, the cafe had too much foam, and the croissant...

Updating review as we came back for dinner and it was as good as breakfast!

A fantastic french restaurant with fabulous breakfast and dinner. Very welcoming ambience, good for dates and small family and friends gatherings

Service is friendly (more than neighbors) and efficient. Greeter and waiters all did a good job of recommending dishes and getting our food fast while staying away to let us enjoy our time.

We had a great breakfast. My Benedict were prepared perfectly. Bread is soft and delicious. Bed of spinach and salmon. Hollandaise creme was delicious, not heavy and very well incorporated. Omellete w cheese and truffle was light, thin, single layer and really well done. Quiche was delicious and I will have it next time all for me :) Lastly, the goat cheese sandwich was amazing, excellent combination of tasty cheese w fresh fruit.

Coffee and juice were also perfect. Cappuccino on the lighter side, so will do Dopio Espresso next time.

Dinner was also well prepared! We shared Camembert fondue, great for a good start for 4 of us, we had it w baguette and potatoes. My grilled octopus salad was delicious. The octopus was tasty, meaty and very well seasoned. They serve on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and kale. The roasted chicken was also very tasty. For dessert, we had creme Brule, sweet and not too heavy. All in all, excellent experience.

What...