Amazing food but unprofessional waiter who ruined the night.
I had high expectations for my dinner at Sphere Paris, especially since it was to celebrate my mom’s birthday and I travel all the way from London just for this. However, the night was overshadowed by the unprofessional behaviour of a waiter in a blue suit, who I believe might have been the manager.
Due to a metro fault, which is unfortunately common in Paris, I was delayed by 27 minutes and had to take a last-minute Uber. I kept the restaurant informed throughout the delay, and they reassured me it was fine, acknowledging that I was on my way and that I shouldn’t worry. When I arrived at 9:57pm—just before their last order time of 10 pm—I was greeted by this waiter shouting at me at the door (in front of other customer), scolding me for being late. I have already apologised for a few times and this was despite the fact that I had already communicated the delay earlier, which they had acknowledged and told me it’s okay.
This public reprimand, in front of other diners, was deeply humiliating and incredibly unprofessional. I understand that restaurants have policies regarding late arrivals and last orders, but the way this waiter handled the situation was completely inappropriate. He didn’t just mention the time politely; he loudly berated me as if I had deliberately disrespected their schedule, which wasn’t the case at all. I had done everything I could to arrive as quickly as possible and kept them updated along the way. As a result , the waiter’s attitude was very unprofessional.
Later in the night, when he attempted to greet my mom more warmly, he tried to make up for his earlier behaviour. By that point, the damage was already done, and his initial outburst had set a negative tone for what should have been a special evening.
However, on the bright side other than this unprofessional waiter. Let’s talk about the food and other waitress. It was truly exceptional! The four-course meal was beautifully crafted, with a range of flavours that I thoroughly enjoyed. Our waitress who end up serving us, who handled most of the service, was incredibly kind, polite, and attentive. She even remembered my mom’s birthday, which added a nice touch to the evening. Her professionalism was everything you would expect from a fine dining experience.
It’s unfortunate that such an unprofessional display from one staff member ruined the evening, because the food and the rest of the service were outstanding. However, being treated with such disrespect, especially on a night that was meant to be special, has left a lasting impression on me. This was unfortunately an interesting evening for me, not sure how will I describe my experience here at sphere Paris despite the incredibly good food.