Le Bureau de Poste — Restaurant in Quebec

Food was great, portions were generous and very well priced. Drinks were absolutely delicious and I feel fairly priced as well considering the low cost of the food. Atmosphere was a little rambunctious which was understandable on a Thursday night. I did find the music a tad bit too loud. It made it difficult to carry a conversation with my table-mates. That of course is just my personal preference.

I’m taking off two stars for the service that was extremely inattentive. Had the service been up to par, I would’ve gladly given five stars.

No one ever refilled our water glasses the whole time we were there, we had to hail another server (not assigned to our table) to get silverware after the food had been brought. Both my table-mates and I ordered additional drinks after we’d finished our food: they received theirs, I never had mine. I would have gladly reminded the waitress had she bothered to come check on the table, but she never did.

Now, I understand that the place is hectic, that it was a busy night, that people can be forgetful and I’m a very patient and understanding person. I have worked in customer service 14+ years and know what its like to deal with a plethora of demanding clients. That said, here is where I felt like the service went completely south:

We had to wait 15 minutes to get the check after we’d requested it, watching our waitress drink shots, sitting down at a table with other patrons. I understand that I’m not at a five star restaurant, and I have no problem whatsoever with the waitstaff bonding with the clients, sharing drinks, etc as long as they are done in a timely manner that doesn’t impede the quality of the service. My table-mates and I found it extremely rude and unprofessional to see her sitting down, drinking and chatting away when we had already been waiting for the check 10+ minutes in our jackets. My friend had to stand for five minutes to get her attention and even after that it took another five to get the check. I feel it’s unacceptable to make a table wait like that, and not very business savvy if the goal is to turn as many tables as possible in a night. Upon finally receiving the check, I inquired if the second drink had been charged (considering I’d never received it...) It had not been, which was great, however the waitress didn’t apologize for her forgetfulness and said that she hadn’t brought it over “because...intelligible mumbles”...not the most satisfactory answer.

As a first experience, not very impressed. Once again, food and drinks were absolutely lovely and I would recommend it in a heartbeat to friends looking for a tasty late night bite, if one does not care about sub-par service,...

Unpleasant Experience: Today, I had a rather unpleasant experience at this establishment. When it was time to pay, I chose not to leave a tip, and the waitress returned to me after two minutes, insisting that I had to tip and explained something quite unbelievable – that she had to pay for me if I didn't leave at least a 15% tip. I didn't react at that moment and she handed me the device again, asking me pay a 15% TIP to the total bill amount I had already paid. The fact is that I PAYED THE 15% TIP but under pressured.

I'm not sure if she had any grounds for her claim, but I genuinely fail to comprehend why tipping should be mandatory. I chose NOT to leave a tip for several reasons:

When I entered the establishment, there were no available tables on the terrace, so they made me wait. The bar area was empty, and I asked if I could have a drink at the bar while waiting, but they refused, telling me to wait for a table outside. I didn't understand this policy, as it meant they were losing the opportunity to serve me while I waited and I couldn't fathom why I couldn't enjoy a drink at the bar until a table became available. Nevertheless, I patiently waited for a table.

Finally, when we got our table, it was dirty, and I had to clean it myself.

While placing our order, we ordered several dishes and drinks. However, after 5 minutes, the waitress returned because she couldn't recall the exact dish I had ordered. I reminded her and even pointed it out on the menu. Despite that, when the food arrived, my plate was not what I had ordered; they served me something else similar but not the plate I ordered.

One of the dishes they brought, the chicken sticks, was terrible – overcooked, heavily breaded, and dry. It was genuinely the worst chicken stick I've ever had in my life.

Lastly, the restaurant's bathroom was also unclean.

And THAT is why I CHOSE NOT to leave a tip.

In the end, feeling pressured, I caved in and left a 15% tip, but that was only because I didn't react in time. I should have outright refused such an extortionate and manipulative request.

I mention all of this because I believe it's crucial for this to be taken into account: TIPPING IS NOT MANDATORY. It should be optional, and you should leave a tip only if you genuinely enjoyed the experience, were impressed, received exceptional service, or for any other reason you see fit. Otherwise, it should be included in the menu prices or explicitly stated as mandatory! Especially when the establishment did not meet your expectations.

I hope this review is helpful and serves as constructive feedback for...

I went there with my boyfriend on a Sunday evening and as we expected there was a line up. It was quite cold but we were okay with sitting outside and the host told us we could move inside if anything opens up. So we got a Seat within 15 minutes. We got two beers (house beer for $4,95, which wasn’t the best but okay and goose island for $6,50). So prices for beer are okay but I found the drinks in general quite expensive. After asking again, we moved inside within 5 minutes, which was great. Our server outside was really friendly and helpful. We ordered a lot, but the food took really long (45-60 minutes). We ordered mac and cheese - good, beet and goat cheese salad - really good, maple glazed onion rings - really good, grilled cheese sandwich - okay, perodgies -really good and vegetarian tortillas... well they weren’t really tasty and I didn’t get the guacamole our server offered me but the waitress was too busy to ask... after I took another bite of my second tortilla I bit on something hard - I guess it was a bone... I mean it can happen but still, I’m vegetarian, so it was extra gross! I told the waitress and she said she doesn’t know what it was and took my half finished plate. No sorry or anything. We ordered fried apple pie for desert which was delicious and we kind of expected to get it complementary. It took her 30 minutes to get our check because she thought we didn’t get our desert yet... she charged us for everything, even the guacamole I didn’t get but my boyfriend already paid and we didn’t get hold of her again. I’m a waitress myself so I’m not too hard on servers but she was very unprofessional! The portions were okay, except for the Mac and cheese which was huge! And our neighbors burgers looked quite big as well! Overall it was okay but I wouldn’t go again and I don’t understand the...