Mugg & Bean — Restaurant in Gauteng

I was at Mugg and Bean at Brooklyn and we ordered a few things, which were all nice. The waiter was great and very friendly. Then we ordered a choc chip muffin, which was very nice, and therefore decided to order the tripple chocolate muffin. The muffin looked very good, very moist, but it tasted terrible, like cardboard with some artificial flavouring. Three of us shared, so we took a few more bites, in hopes that it will get better. We thought perhaps our palats just weren't clean enough to introduce new flavoirs. Anyway we called the manager (Oupa) over and he came into my space and just sat next to me. I didn't mind too much but it was unprofessional. I then with a smile politely asked if they use actual chocolate or flavouring for the muffin and he said they use two types or chocolate.

I then said the muffin doesn't taste like chocolate so maybe its just a bad batch or maybe they added too little flavouring. The objective was merely to inform him. I didn't expect not to pay. He then started getting offended, and I told him I was sorry and did not mean to offend him. He then went on about how he doesn’t know why we are complaining because it's ts a best seller and said that we have to meet him halfway and we are putting him in a difficult position. I said I just thought it be good for him to know. He then said he must now do so much and take it to his manager and tell them there is something wrong with the product and he doesnt want to do that. He then asked me how much I was willing to pay and I said nothing (after how he acted I wasn't willing to pay). He also said if it was really bad we would've said so with the first two bites.

Thing is, all three of us took a piece, so a large chunk was gone. He said he can't do anything with the muffin now and that it would've been better if we took one or two bites only. This makes so sense since he anyway wouldn't have been able to do anything with it. Its a stupid argument. then started arguing with my brother and raised his voice. While they were arguing, I said that I had to leave and asked for the bill but he kept talking over us and telling us how disrespectful we are. I then said "hey" to get his attention. He then said I must not say "hey" to him since he is older than me. That was absurd. He got up and said we must leave everything and it's on him. He reapeated it and he was clearly very aggressive and sarcastic. He then said we must pay for all of it. He for some reason kept having a monologue and going back and forth after which he said that we must pay otherwise he will call security. It's important to note that at this point we have already repeated we will pay for all of it except the muffin, and he still hasn't brought the bill after I asked so many times. My brother asked who his superior is and he said he will not tell him. This was really the worst experience I've had in my entire life. Any other time I have complaints, I politely bring tne issue up, usually paying anyway, and tje times i dont feel like I hould pay, the manager always understands. This was truly horrible. To have a manager have a yelling match, making everyone uneasy, being condescending and rude, and interrupting people. The problem wasn't really the muffin, it was how the situation escalalafed and how it was handled. Oupa, the manager, us the worst manager I have ever come across in my life and if he is put in a position to represent the brand, a lot similar complaints will be added here. We ended up paying for all of it, except the muffin, and we still left a 10% tip for our waiter. If this ever happens at Mugg and Bean again, I will not pay for anything. It ruined my day and disrupted...

numerous mistakes... money wasted, i feel like money and apology is owed to our group.

1. when we asked for a table for 10, the waiter only put out 8, apparently the manager said 8 would be fine.
2. next my wife asked for a specific menu item because it didn't have guacamole, and two of my friends order the same item because it did have guacamole. only to be told (when the food arrived) that there's no guacamole. if we were told that during the ordering process (and apologized to for the establishment's lack of stocking what's on their menu) then maybe we would have order something else.
3. skipping ahead. we ended up paying for guacamole that we didn't get
4. two other people ordered a bottomless lemonade, and were told after their first glass and request for a refill that there was no more lemonade, we were offered bottomless water as a replacement.
5. skipping ahead, when the bill came, we asked if we had to pay for a bottomless lemonade and unfathomably, the waiter said yes.
6. i ordered a specific menu item and received something else, and was called a big man. that item was for the person sitting next to me, who got the extra cheese that i ordered. my item eventually came without the requested extra cheese. i returned it to have a slab of cheese half melted on top. i enquired of the manager later if this was standard practice. the reply was if it is ordered on the "side" it is placed on top. but usually it's inside the pancake. this "standard practice" was not offered to me as a choice.
7. for my friends who ordered sweet pancakes, one of them received a really small bowl of melted ice cream, the other didn't receive any only to be told that there was no ice cream left. again if this had been communicated during the ordering process, perhaps they would have ordered something different.
8. (and last) the person sitting next to me who got my extra cheese (inside his pancake) was expected to pay for it, even though he...

I experienced the worst service. I arrived at around 9 a.m. and immediately asked the waiter to seat me by a charging spot. I requested to sit on a couch instead of a chair because I have back problems. Although there were couches available, none were near charging spots, so I opted for the chair. I asked, "Can I be moved as soon as one becomes available?" The waiter said, "Sure."

A couple near me, sitting on a couch, was just finishing. As soon as they left, I asked my waiter to move me, but he said, "No, you can't. Those seats are reserved for groups of four, and you're only one person." Ten minutes later, a lady walked in, and she was seated there. I said nothing.

I was told to leave the restaurant at 10:32 a.m., effectively being kicked out. Keep in mind, I had ordered a breakfast bagel and bottomless lemonade, meaning I had paid to be there. Apparently, people with laptops can only stay for a maximum of one hour, but no one informed me of this when I arrived, even though I made it clear I was planning to stay for a while.

Update: The restaurant has since reached out and apologised. They explained that the waiter was not properly trained and did not accurately represent the standards that Mugg and Bean Brooklyn upholds. They clarified that customers are welcome to stay and work from the restaurant for as long as they like. Since then, the staff has been very helpful, and my experience has improved significantly....