SMOKEY'S ITALIAN — Restaurant in Johor

My company booked this restaurant so there was a large group of us. The lady owner was a very warm and friendly hostess which is what you want to see. I learnt after we left that the restaurant had recently opened which may explain why they failed in a few areas. I ordered a section of starters for the whole table, they weren't served at the same time, but not a big deal. The main causes however also were delivered in drips and drabs. My spaghetti was one of the first meals to be delivered and being polite I was waiting for everyone to be served their food. In the end myself and other gave up waiting and started to eat our now cold food. The kitchen needs to plan the food preparation better and hold the dishes in a warmer or something. On the positive side my food was very tasty but a very small portion! This was a general remark by some of the other guests in our party. Thankfully we had starts. The staff were very welcoming and the food was good, just the execution let them down a bit. Dealing with a large group is a challenge and I hope they figure it out. I don't recall any music playing in the background and we were the first customers to be seated. There were other customers later on, adding a bit of atmosphere. I...

While the atmosphere was pleasant, the highlight of our experience, however, was unfortunately marred by the unfriendliness of one server, who failed to apologize after serving us the wrong food and when asked she just took it away without even apologizing , she didn't even make eye contact. She remained consistently rude throughout our visit. It was evident that she wasn't content with her role. The a simple request for warm water resulted in the delivery of regular water without any apology upon correction. We did convey our concerns to the owner, who was seated in the corner. To our disappointment, his only response was that the server in question was an intern, with no accompanying apology or effort to rectify the situation. As the owner, one might expect a more hands-on approach to ensuring the restaurant's smooth operation. The food, in general, was mediocre, with a sauce that lacked flavor. Despite the beautiful ambiance, our experience was overshadowed by the unfriendly...

A few problems with this place

First, the food will TAKE TIME, And when a friend of mine got upset and asked where is his food the young waiter actually spoke in an INCREASED VOLUME I am myself a restaurant owner and I will never tolerate my staff speaking in such manner to a customer

Two, the serving is SMALL. So if you expect to have a hearty meal u won't. It's almost fine dining level

Third, the food lacks seasoning and finesse. I had a grilled chicken chop that was flat and bland. Something Gordon Ramsey would curse at. And the mashed potato we'll go to KFC it tastes better

So there you go. My two stars is becoz of the ambience. Nothing else.

If the management reads this I would suggest taking this comment seriously coz it will hurt your business in the long run. F&B is a very competitive business to stay relevant in for...