Gretchens | Bio-Restaurant + Café — Restaurant in Weimar

We ate dinner here with our extended family last weekend (24.09.22). The building is very nicely renovated but the service we experienced was incredibly poor. We waited a very long time for my father-in-law’s meal to arrive and after waiting 10 mins from the time the rest of the plates had been served we alerted a waiter to the missing dish. The waiter disappeared without returning and 5 minutes later we then asked another waiter to investigate what was going on. After some minutes he returned saying the kitchen was very busy the cooks were stressed as the restaurant was full and they only had 6 burners to cook on. The second waiter then tried to appease the situation by apologising and offering other cold alternatives, at which point the first waiter returned with a replacement meal which had been hastily prepared. On inspection my father-in-law found that the liver dish he had ordered was completely raw, the second waiter then examined the plate and agreed it was unacceptable and returned it to the kitchen. As an alternative the waiter then offered my father-in-law a plate of cheese and ham and some bread (which we were subsequently charged 27 Euros for). By the time this cold plate was served half an hour had gone by and the rest of us had already finished our meals. The dishes we ate were all fine, but not particularly special, but you can imagine our collective disappointment at not being able to eat together, as this was meant to be a special occasion.

Of course, mistakes happen but Gretchen’s restaurant is pitched as a high-quality venue not Burger King (and in fairness to Burger King I expect they might have handled the situation better). We won't be going back again because we don’t think the restaurant handled the situation professionally. Here's a few suggestions to avoid losing more customers should this happen again:

Check all the plates are served and the customers are content with what they ordered within a few minutes of the service being 'complete' (this didn't happen) When a waiter is alerted to a problem, they should report back to the customer immediately (this didn't happen) When the problem is identified, don’t blame your colleagues or the equipment (this did happen) When you try to catch up and get the missing plate out do make sure it is properly cooked (this didn't happen) When you are still flailing around after 30 minutes don't make any further excuses, get the customer anything they want within reason and tell them its on the house (this didn't happen) When you prepare the final bill, try to be generous - even a small reduction or a free glass of wine or two (on a bill of several hundred Euros) would go a long way as an apology (this didn't happen). This is an 'incident' where the manager or front-of-house should have made a formal apology - not just the waiter. (this didn’t happen)

Mistakes happen, but it is how you deal with them that counts. Restaurants are not just selling food; they are selling an experience. This was an experience that could have been avoided, at every one of the steps listed above, and is one we would be very happy...

We’ve been to this place twice already, and it’s absolutely wonderful! 🌟 The omelet with sriracha mayo is a must-try, especially when paired with their sourdough bread — just marvelous, melting in your mouth and unbelievably soft. For desert- basque cheesecake only! Tripple recommended!

The coffee is also really good, perfectly rounding out the meal. We loved the sourdough bread so much that we even bought it from the nearby bakery as a little souvenir to enjoy at home for a few more days.

Highly recommend this spot — we’ll definitely be...

Wir waren an einem Sonntag 9:30 Uhr zur viert plus Baby im Gretchen zum Frühstücken. Der Weg in den Gastraum führt direkt am Buffet vorbei, welche lieblos zusammengestellt ist. Die Bedienung hatte keinerlei Interesse an uns, den Kinderstuhl haben wir uns dann selbst gesucht - dieser verfügte nicht über eine Durchrutschsicherung! Auch als wir dann am Tisch saßen, wurden wir lieber ignoriet, als uns Kaffee anzubieten. Für 13,80 € pro Person erwarte ich sehr gutes Essen. Vorgefunden haben wir Aufbackbrötchen, wenig Auswahl an Aufschnitt, Obst und Müsli. Ich weiß nicht wie man zu diesem absurden Preis kommt, dass grenzt schon an Wucher. Die Croissant (auch nicht frisch) waren schnell vergriffen, auf die Frage ob es noch welche gibt, bekamen wir die Antwort: "Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm, hier haste nen Kastenbrot" gleiches mit dem Obst. Das Frühstück geht bis 11 Uhr, aber ab zehn ist das halt alle "Es ist halt Sonntag". Generell war der Herr hinter der Theke lieber an seinem eigenen Essen interessiert, packte sich seinen Teller voll und griff ohne zu fragen auf unseren Tisch, um den Pfefferstreuer zu nehmen. Wenn das der hippe Service ist, dann weiß ich auch nicht, man muss doch den zahlenden Kunden etwas bieten.

Kurz zusammengefasst: Schlechtester Service, kein gutes Essen und das alles zu einem absolut überzogenen Preis, der das gebotene keineswegs rechtfertigt. Absolut keine Empfehlung! War eine große...