Albanach — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I booked a 2022 Christmas lunch here for my wife and I based on what was offered on Albanach website. We were travelling through Edinburgh while holidaying, and were happy to book this venue based on the traditional Christmas food offered on the website menu. Following the process on the website we reserved a table and booked our preference for each course, paying our deposit as required. Booking was confirmed on 6 December 2022. I was then notified by the venue on 15 December that menu had been changed, and that Christmas lunch offered and booked was no longer available. This was blamed on a mistake by ‘marketing’ with no actual explanation provided of how this change occurred, or why the original booking could not be honoured. We were offered standard pub menu food as alternative, or to cancel. Unfortunately cancellation was not an option, given that notice of the change was provided only 10 days before Christmas Day and we were unable to find an alternative that was available. When we attended venue on Christmas Day, service was very slow, even though we arrived and were seated at 12pm, with most other tables not filling until after 12.30pm. Further confusion about the menu ensued when we looked at the menu on the table, with my ‘Christmas menu’ differing from the one at my wife’s seat. Food was adequate pub offerings, and wait staff were courteous throughout, which were the only real positives of the visit. Overall it took approx. 3 hours for us to be served 3 courses and 2 drinks each. We were not offered a second drink in the hour between our initial order and the arrival of our main course, and believe it unlikely we would have if we had not asked the person who provided our meals if we could have another when our meals arrived. The duration we were at the venue would have likely been longer, if we had not finally flagged down a passing waiter and asked about our dessert. We were then told that the kitchen had forgotten about our order and asked to repeat it to the same waiter we had originally given our order to, some 45 minutes beforehand. Our glasses again remained empty on our table throughout this time. Upon our departure, it was clear that the front of the venue was extremely busy with ‘walk-in’ customers, who were being served in lieu of pre-booked customers such as us. While we appreciate the staffing strains that must have existed on the day, this does not excuse being constantly ignored by wait staff as we sat with empty glasses and table throughout the 3 hour experience. Credit to the wait staff for doing their best on the day, however the overall management of the Christmas bookings, subsequent changes without explanation, and management of the venue on the day was very average. Recommend avoiding if you...

My mom and I stopped in here for a quick drink and I wanted to get some fries. I preface this that I currently work in the restaurant industry as a bartender back in the states so I understand when things get busy or sometimes service takes longer. However, I could tell the bartenders were over their heads for how many people they were serving. There was a sign that said order at the bar so I waited. We kept getting passed over so I waited on one end and my mom waited on the other. Both bartenders kept passing us up even though we had been waiting longer than anyone else. Finally my mom finally said something to one of the bartenders and she helped us. I tried to be as concise as possible . We ordered an IPA and a single money 47 gin with lemonade. The bartender that helped us was trying but she obviously wasn’t prepared or properly trained. She then told us it was her first week. It was a Saturday and she was one out of two people behind the bar. The other bartender acted like she couldn’t be bothered and was working very slow. The new bartender put the pint under the pour spout and just started pouring it making the beer 100% foam. She ended up fixing it. I want to stress this isn’t her fault but it is on the people managing the bar and coming up with the schedule. She needed to be properly trained and the more seasoned bartender needed to have a little more pep in her step. For example she had a bar full of guests and would pour a beer not asking what the next guest wanted to cut down on time waiting. No multitasking skills. I’m very disappointed in the service. I also ordered fries and the new girl didn’t know to ask if I wanted any sauce. Well when someone brought our fries out she quickly placed them on that table and turned away moving through the restaurant quickly. I patiently waited at the end of the bar till I saw her again to ask for some ketchup. I understand when places are busy it can be hard to maintain proper level of service but don’t put someone who has probably spent no time behind the bar on a busy Saturday. Would probably not recommend or come back due to...

Was just sent here from the Malt Shovel Inn down the road. Both the Greene King and Bellhaven websites list both sites as family friendly. We were turned away from here, after being turned away from the other pub, as they can't allow under 5's because they don't have a changing facilities. Brilliant way to market your brand.

Response:

I understand licencing restrictions, thanks.

I never said my child was not going to eat, you jumped to the conclusion that he was not. The issue was not that you couldn't take kids as per your licence, it was the fact that, and as I explained to your member of staff over the phone, I came to you because another pub had sent us to you for being family friendly. I asked a question, your colleague didn't listen and asked me to repeat. I repeated my question, your colleague still didn't hear me. So I said I was fine, thank you, and I hung up, as both of our times were being wasted at this point. My issue is with your pub advertising yourselves as family friendly when you are not. My question to your member of staff who failed to listen to the conversation after she recommended another pub down the road was am I going to be fooled twice here? I went to a pub that was advertised as accepting us, got rejected, got a recommendation for the next pub that would accept is, got rejected, got a recommendation for the next pub that would accept us, do you see the circle of events I want to break?

Again, my issue isn't that we were turned away. It is that we were specifically told by another Greene King/Bellhaven pub that we would be accepted in your pub, and your excuse was my child must eat and you have no baby changing facilities so you can't accept us. I didn't say my child wasn't going to eat, I didn't say I needed baby changing facilities, yet those were your excuses at the point of rejection, not the fact that your licence has any restrictions that we cannot comply with.

Update the marketing information you put out, be more clear with how you explain things in the future, and be willing to actually listen to your customer, and this can all be avoided...