Bootlegger Irene Link — Restaurant in Gauteng

Me and my husband went to the Bootlegger in Irene link this morning for breakfast.

We are always very happy with the service and quality of the food, and this is our favourite spot for eggs benedict breakfast. We were quite disappointed today however, with both the quality and the service.

We got there just after 11am, and when we ordered our coffee (2 large black americanos) we waited almost 25 minutes for it.

We also ordered one DIY breakfast and one Bacon, Potato Rösti.

We waited almost 40 minutes for the food (and the morning rush was already finished).

For the diy breakfast, my husband made his own eggs benedict and asked for the eggs soft, as well as ordering a side of hollandaise and wanting rosemary fried baby tomatoes. First, there was no baby tomatoes, but no suggestion was made as to what might work well in its place, which in itself is not a problem, but along with all the other problems it added up.When they brought the food, they never added the hollandaise and we had to struggle to get the waiters attention so we could get it. The eggs were also medium, but we decided to leave it like that.

For the bacon, potato rösti, I asked for my poached egg to be soft, and when it got there it was completely hard. I called the waiter back and said I asked for my egg soft, he brought a small plate and took the egg back to the kitchen. I had to wait close to 10 minutes for the egg replacement, and when it got there it was only slightly less hard, being medium to hard. I also could not taste any truffle oil or grana padano, which is mentioned in the description of the mushroom sauce.

When asking for the bill, I mentioned to the waiter the second egg also being more well done than asked for, and that I could not taste the truffle or the grand padano, and that he should let the kitchen know. His response is what made it even worse as he just said "okay" and left. No sorry, and it just seemed like he didnt care.

When we paid, I didn't want to leave a tip because of the service and food being a disappointment, and then the waiter was waiting as if he didnt want us to pay with no tip.

I've never had any issues here and we always go to this specific branch. I'm notnsure if it was just an offer day or if the quality of the place has gone down,but next time I would be less than keen just because of this...

First experience at this branch, the coffee was good (if slow), food decent, and croissants amazing. However, the two managers on duty are the most embarrassing service industry workers I've ever encountered (worked in the industry for a long time so I've seen all types).

Both managers just stand around while the waiters run around trying to get to everyone. We spent about an hour there and neither manager did a single thing other than stand there looking around, occasionally sauntering over to the GAAP system and trying to look busy but actually just getting in the way of the waiters. One manager seated us when we entered and then went back to standing around doing nothing, so ten minutes later no one had come to take our drinks order yet. I was astounded at the attitude of literally just looking at empty plates on a table that isn't even a meter away and just looking away again. Clearly they think they're better than waiting staff and don't need to assist in the most basic duties of the restaurant, which makes for a much worse customer experience. I'm amazed that they are paid to be present without doing any work, it's an embarrassment and I could see the frustration on the waiters' faces as they stood by not helping with literally anything. I hope they recognise what a privilege it is for a restaurant to be busy while others close due to lack of business and wake up to their role as ambassadors of the customer experience, not just there for when things go wrong but actively part of a high...

Absolutely SHOCKING!! Never in my life have I ever experienced what happened to my friend yesterday when we had lunch at Bootleggers. I ordered the ham & cheese Toastie. Dry, under-toasted bread with 2 slices of COLD ham and mozzarella. I sent it back for re-toasting but it came back a little bit "reheated". No garnish or side, just 2 slices of bread, 2 slices of ham and minimal (almost stingy) mozzarella. For R85, totally overpriced! That was nothing... My friend ordered a double burger 🍔 it came with a side of chips, very minimal with (again) no garnish. My friend took the top piece of the bun off and cut into the burger. Under the patty was a piece of plastic. Not small, but a big piece of plastic, the lid of an atchar plastic. The waiter was called and he removed the plate from the table. When he returned with a new one he said that the manager apologises for the mishap. No personal apology from the manager. We received the bill and yip, as you guessed, were charged for the burger! Then, after the payment (which was rushed along as the waiter's shift was about to end) the head chef came out and apologised, laughing and saying that it was deliberate and that he had reported it to head office and heads were going to roll. But no offer of a complimentary coffee, nothing... Food=overpriced and unpalatable. Service=tolerable. Restaurant=overrated. My chances of ever supporting them...