Black Betty BBQ — Restaurant in North Island

Booked 1 month in advance for our usual monthly group. Arrived before booking time and waited at table for service. Ended up having to go up to bar to get drinks. 30 mins after arrival finally got table service, told couldn’t take our food order because kitchen too busy, already an hour wait. Order taken 15 mins later after saying it wasn’t good enough. 30 mins later, told food wasn’t ‘far away’ - well it was. 45 minutes later it arrived. Just to put this in perspective, this is a BBQ restaurant serving mostly burgers. It took 2 hours from when we arrived to be fed. Food was really, really good when it did arrive to be fair. My main gripes; We booked in advance and arrived on time. It’s managements job to spread bookings. Unsure why we had to wait. Recommendation - if you’re going to expand your seating and do takeaway, you need to have a bigger kitchen. Not rocket science. Hospitality is about looking after people and making them feel good even when the wheels get a little wobbly. We weren’t even offered a bowl of fries/beer/soft-drink/water during the delay. It was hard enough to order a drink so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. We went to pay and the two youngest staff members had been left on the bar/till. Owner/manager/senior staff had all done a vanishing act. Not good enough. You get paid to deal with difficult situations and hear feedback. You knew we were coming up to pay, I had to pass my constructive feedback via a staff member whom should have not been left in that position. Incredibly disappointing experience. Don’t mind a wait, but this experience was unacceptable. What makes it really bite is that we like going here and the food is good. Our group will not be back and will take our $600 and spend it elsewhere. Ownership/leadership - you fit neither of these descriptions. Get a professional in to consult/advise/manage your dining area. You are...

We just moved to New Zealand and we decided to come here for my birthday because we were told it was the closest we could get to American style BBQ in the area. If by "close" they mean, "absolutely authentic," then yes! This tastes like what you will get in a BBQ restaurant in the states if that is what you are looking for - hell, it was better than a lot of places I'd gone to. The half rack of ribs was more than enough for one person, and the amount of meat on the bone was perfection! You can tell whomever is manning the pit is an actual pit-master, not some poser. My husband had the Betty Roll, and they also know their way around a burger! They also carry curly fries like Arbys and the classic A&W Root beer that you still get in the states at the drive-in restaurants. I'm only sorry I don't have a larger stomach so I could try more, but we'll be back, for sure! The servers were absolute sweethearts, the atmosphere was cozy, but not overly crowded in terms of how the seating was set up, and they've effectively made their own tribute to the American bbq joint that is very similar to what you'll get in the states. If you've been seeing those videos of the British boys on tiktok going to a Texas bbq and being just delighted by the food - congrats! You have a local place that can give you that experience! Also, the prices here are comparable or even less compared to what I would pay in Texas, so yeah, another bonus! Ex-American approved: all the good food and none of the...

I have always enjoyed dining at your establishment – the quality of the food and the evident skill and effort that goes into its preparation are deeply appreciated. On the night in question, I thoroughly enjoyed both the meal and the service, and my willingness to spend reflected that satisfaction.

However, I was disappointed to receive a phone call later that same night – quite late – advising that I had been undercharged and needed to pay an additional amount. Out of respect, I did not raise a complaint at the time and arranged for one of my staff to return and settle the difference, despite having already paid in good faith at check-out and not requesting a receipt. (A mistake I will not make again)

This situation was frustrating and unfortunately took the shine off an otherwise excellent evening. I understand errors can occur, but retrospective charges after a guest has left the premises are not a practice I find acceptable. Were this not one of my favourite restaurants, I may have disputed the claim entirely.

I share this feedback constructively and with respect, as I believe it’s important for loyal customers to be able to voice concerns in the hope of strengthening relationships and service standards.

Ngā...