DaBrunch — Restaurant in Sandwell

After a pleasing first visit I was more than happy to return. As I had three friends in town I decided to take them to this restaurant as my original visit was faultless. Unfortunately, my second trip didn’t reflect that of my recommendation as the service was unprofessional. I had called two weeks ahead of my friend’s visit, this was to book a table ( which was successful over the phone ) I requested a confirmation email to which I was assured they do not offer any virtual confirmation but the booking is secured. On the day of arrival despite our confirmed reservation, upon entry we were told our table had been given away (to a party that had walked in a few minutes before us). Though this party had not yet ordered food or drinks at this point, the staff had proposed that we ‘go and return in 20-30 minutes ‘ as this would give the chefs chance to serve the unserved guests. This review doesn’t disqualify the quality of the food as the food is good however, from a standpoint of professionalism, 1) It’s poor customer service to create a booking service that isn’t adhered to by staff, 2) It’s unprofessional to give away reservations to unreserved customers and expect the reserved party to wait and 3) Not rectify the error or the inconvenience caused.

When we expressed being unable to wait around, we were told there’s nothing more that could be done which resulted in us leaving to go elsewhere. As prior mentioned, upon such a positive initial visit and a recommendation that resulted in me returning with three friends, my second visit was a...

Second time I had visited DaBrunch after the first I had a lovely experience a few months ago and I was extremely disappointed on this occasion.

On entry, there was a large group being served and dishes were left on all other tables unaccompanied. I understood this may be due to serving the group and possibly not had the chance to clear it, however aside from the dishes cleared from our table, the rest of the dishes were left for our whole visit.

It felt as if, as there was a large group, all service went to that group and all other customers were ignored.

On my first visit, I had table service & the lady had checked how we were. This time when I called the young man to order, he ushered for us to leave the table to order. I would’ve rather he told us on entry it was order at the desk (it’s the small details)

Other things I was dissatisfied with were: 50 min wait for food when we were advised 30 mins, 20 mins for a drink once I’d made them aware we still had no drink that was ordered at time of food, couldn’t find saltfish in saltfish dishes (moreso for ackee&saltfish), no communication or acknowledgement of the food delay and FINALLY a table next to us complained also about lack of saltfish & they gave the customer what I thought was sauce but a tablespoon amount of saltfish in a sauce pot.

It’s a shame because I actually enjoyed my food and finished it (would’ve liked spicier beans) & I just think after this visit, service needs to be improved. I sadly won’t be...

First Impressions: It’s a cute, small space with a nice vibe at first glance, but it was disappointing to see plates left everywhere. The host did clear the ones from our table and gave it a quick wipe, but the others on the side table were left there the entire time I was dining.

Service & Wait Time: When we ordered, we were told the food would take about 30 minutes due to a large table being served before us. However, it took 20 minutes just to get the sky juices poured, and our food didn’t arrive until nearly 50 minutes later.

Food Quality: When the food finally arrived, I noticed my plate had mostly ackee, even though I ordered ackee and saltfish. The plantain was rubbery, like it had been sitting for a while. I was going to mention the lack of saltfish, but the person next to me had the same issue. When they asked for more saltfish, the staff literally brought out a tablespoon of it in a tiny sauce pot - which honestly felt insulting. Both of us were shocked that they thought that was acceptable.

Overall Experience: There was no apology, no acknowledgment of the delay, and no effort to make things right. The customer service and table service were both very poor.

If they were short-staffed, they should’ve just been honest about it - customers can understand delays, but not poor communication and...