Crawdaddy's Waterglen — Restaurant in Gauteng

NOT quality food OR value for money-Crawdady's Menlyn I would like to start with saying before writing this review I have made fruitless attempts to contact Crawdaddy's privately. We have been patrons of Crawdaddy’s for more than 16 years. On Sunday (18 August 2024), our choice to enjoy a well-deserved meal left us with a bad taste in our mouths and the treatment by management was sub-par.

Drinks:

We ordered a gin and tonic with our seafood platter. We did not know which gin we were getting. After our first sip, we called the waitress as the gin had a horrible “chemical” aftertaste. I asked her if the gin used was Gordon’s and she confirmed it was. I knew it was Gordon’s because unfortunately, we had the same experience with a bottle we bought earlier this year. We assume there was an issue during production or packaging. I then asked the waitress to bring me a neat shot of the gin (but I asked that the barman shake the bottle before pouring). I wanted to taste and make sure it was the gin. The manager came over to “help” us, not that he was helpful at all, I explained the situation and our previous experience, and I wanted to check if it was the gin. He informed me that I would have to pay for the shot. I asked him if he could not just ask one of his staff to taste the gin, and he refused (which is fair). I said it’s fine, I will pay for the shot. We (my husband and myself) tasted the smallest sip and confirmed the horrible aftertaste. I told the manager that he should contact the supplier and have the bottle replaced and that he should not serve any more of the gin. He apologised (with some derision) and offered us ice cream, which we declined. We sent the shot and the g&t’s back and ordered Savanna's.

Food:

As mentioned we ordered the seafood platter for our starch we asked for half/half chips and rice which we were told could be done. We received the platter with only rice, and when we asked about the chips the waitress informed us we’d get the chips when she brings us our plates and lemon butter. The prawns were undercooked, and the mussels tasted old, only being saved by the delicious sauce it was served in.

Waitress:

Although she was young and inexperienced, she was polite, friendly and courteous. With a bit more experience I am sure she will be one of your top waitresses.

Manager:

I do not know what his convictions are, but it felt as though he had an issue with us bringing the bad gin to his attention. I am also not sure how you connect the dots from a bad gin and tonic to ice cream.

We remained calm and patient during the incident. Both my husband and I have worked in the service industry (I waitressed at Crawdaddy’s as a student) so we understand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of disgruntled patrons.

The Bill:

The gin was still on the bill AND we were charged for extra rice. I am not unreasonable. I am however very disappointed.

Public Health and Safety:

I do not know what the cause of the chemical taste was, but I am quite sure it is not suitable for consumption and Gordon’s should be informed of the issue, so they investigate and recall if needed.

Since our experience of the “bad gin” we have had Gordon’s again, and it did not have the aftertaste, so it is not that we just don’t like to taste of Gordon’s.

It is sad to see the decline of one of our favourite places to celebrate and enjoy a good meal. I hope that by bringing this to your attention something can be done to remedy...

(Written the same day as the service) For people scrolling reviews to see if its good: I wouldn't say you should stay away. But you would be missing out on "what used to be". Your better off going to like Parrots Menlyn. At least the service and food and atmosphere would be better. We had to stand up and look for our small drinks order because it was taking so long. Food also took long and the table was cluttered with extra glasses and nonsense. The manager was nowhere to be seen and not noticeable which is a sign of weakness in management. (Im not a "Karen", I just want to see a manager that's active and looking after guests)

For management: Been going to Crawdaddys Waterglen for a very long time, since I was a small boy. It was always special, the atmosphere, the people, the service and the food wasn't something you would find anywhere else.

But now its lost its magic. Feels like the place has lost its values and standards. Inside it feels like an action bar where the food is bland and boring, the most exciting item on the menu is a Brandy special. Outside it feels like Padstal, loud and obnoxious, patrons have to scream on top of each other and the lighting is poor. Im not saying they should install 500W spotlights, Im saying the lights should create atmosphere and I should still see what Im doing.

It doesn't feel like a family restaurant. I remember when it would be packed at night and the service would be amazing, the food was special and we can still speak as a family and not have to shout over other patrons. I used to feel apart from the outside world, while this time the worlds problems came inside and ruined the whole thing for multiple tables.

I think you should remember who and what you are. Your not an action bar, not a pub, not a club, not a "woke" coffee shop. You are a family restaurant that offers outstanding service, food and atmosphere. A family restaurant doesn't sell Brandy specials. A family restaurant doesn't allow people to smoke weed outside for everyone to smell. A family restaurant doesn't...

I don't think I'd go back to this specific restaurant. When we got there, we were greeted at the door and seated by a white gentleman at the furthest corner one could find in the restaurant (not sure why) I requested a change in seating, a table closer to the light (entrance) we were told we can not sit on certain tables (forgot to ask why as i was in shock of why we would be seated in a corner)..The waiter went to ask if we could change seats 🤔 when he came back he moved us to a table closer , not the one requested for but it was closer to the entrance too. (Thank you for that) I was so stunned by this, I almost threw a tantrum😔 (call me dramatic).. did you see how empty that place was? Check the picture.. But instead we were seated at the back of the restaurant 🙄 like really? After being seated we requested 2 minutes to decide on our drinks the white gentleman adhered, instead of him returning, a black gentleman by the name of Talent returned instead and was at our service for the rest of our time there, we left him a good tip.. He was friendly and really knew what he was doing. Food didn't take long at all (since the place was almost empty I believe all hands were on deck). The food was great too. My 2 cents feedback to the restaurant: Always remember first impressions lasts. I hope this is not the treatment our people of color get when visiting your restaurant 🙄. Im very...