Fratelli Worthing — Restaurant in Worthing

Ate at Brio’s this evening, have been a couple of times before and always enjoyed so took a friend who had not been for a meal somewhere ‘new’ to her. We ordered drinks and pastas and I wanted garlic bread to go with the food so I asked the waiter if it would be enough to share. He immediately said try the garlic dough balls instead and would not answer my question about the bread - despite asking it several times. It was very difficult to say that we wanted the bread not the dough balls because he was very loud and kept interrupting - he then said he would order the dough balls and if we didn’t like he would change it. I didn’t want dough balls - we wanted a cheaper side order as a side - the dough balls are very filling and wouldn’t have gone with our mains. However he went ahead and ordered them and being out for a meal with a friend in a full restaurant it felt pointless trying to argue so we left it. The mains came and were delicious but the dough balls arrived 10 minutes after the main - by which time we were already fairly full. We ate half a dough ball each and left the rest - if we had been able to order what we had wanted originally this wouldn’t have been wasted. I was more than happy to pay for all the food we had but when the bill came I simply explained that the dough balls had come after the main and so it wasn’t ideal. I wasn’t asking for money off or for any discount just politely pointing out that it was a shame. The waiter who will remain nameless in this review (but who I’ve named in my follow up complaint email) became quite aggressive and accused us of being ‘typical British’ trying to get away with not paying for the food we ate. He kept shouting about how his country (Italy) they would simply ask to speak to the boss to complain not say sorry to the waiter and then complain about he food or service. He kept touching my arm and pointing at me, leaning towards the table and repeating over and over that we shouldn’t be complaining having eaten the food. I tried to say that we weren’t complaining about the quality of the food at all simple stating that in the beginning we had wanted something else as a side and being almost forced into getting his suggestion - which then arrived late. On top of this aggression he wouldn’t stop saying how the British moan and said if we didn’t like the food or service we should go somewhere else. This is a shame considering it was my friend’s first experience of Brios and up until this point we were impressed with the food and would have brought a larger number of people back for another meal. He continued for about 5 minutes about how British people always want money off bills and how they shouldn’t speak to waiters in this way - I hadn’t been rude in fact I’d been incredibly polite considering the embarrassing situation he then put us in next to other tables in the restaurant. If we had been two men or older I wonder if he would have subjected us to the same treatment. To add to the awful end to what was a pleasant evening at the start the bill had a service charge added to it - normally I would pay this at every restaurant I go to out of choice but always leave a tip - at Brios the menu stated they would charge for service if outside. We were inside so I don’t understand why this was added to the bill. He then took card payment for the bill and overcharged us by a small amount. Normally I would have spoken up but I was quite taken aback by his manner previous to this and actually quite shaken by it I just wanted the evening to end so that we could leave the restaurant. I will not be eating there again and I will be ensuring that all of my friends who regularly eat at Brios and recommended it to me do not go there again too - I wouldn’t want anyone else to be subjected to this kind of harassment by a waiter. Point to note too that I have also been a waitress and would never ever speak to a customer in the way I was spoken to that evening. We couldn’t ask to speak to the manager because I was shaken up by how I had...

What a disappointment. If the owner is reading this feedback, please remove your Manager ( I believe called Luca). The way we were treated. Appalling. We arrived just after 1700. The waiter ( tall with a beard) asked us: "are you eating?" We said yes and he told us to pick a table. What followed afterwards was really bad. I eat at Italian restaurants. I have Italian descend and like the Italian cuisine. I asked for chicken dish and it was horrible. I asked another waiter ( Nicola) to take the dish back after a bite of chicken. The taste the texture....even the waiter agreed it looked disgusting. When we asked for the bill to be adjusted the Manager cane out and accused me of lying and that I had eaten the majority of the chicken. Absolutely untrue. I asked for the waiter who took it away to be present... Then the story changed. This Manager could have just apologize and that would have been the end of the matter as there were lots of families seating. I paid £23 for my partner Neal ( pizza) and drinks that were also not good as beer is advertised as 330ml but you only get 225ml. Waiter Luca had more people skills than Manager Luca. A true bad experience. I only didn't give a "zero" feedback because it does not accept on review. I asked to be contacted by the owner but still waiting. Please ask if there are any errors in the menu before ordering as when I asked why I didn't get a 330ml beer the waiter said it was a "misprint" in the menu ..... The place is nice, and I believe the food can be really nice too. However we will not visit until the staff gets a reshuffle. I believe I'm not the only one that will be writing a review like this if that Manager continues to...

I arrived with my wife and daughter this evening. On entering, was given a hostile look by a tall bearded man that I assume was the manager. All the waiters and staff at the bar were women who did treat us fairly and softened an otherwise unpleasant experience. One of the waitresses said that we could take any of the three tables that were free in the outdoor area. As we settled down on a table, the manager came over to tell us that the table was booked. I replied that we were told there was no need to book outside seating. He then said there was a 1.5 hour wait for food and walked off. This was difficult to believe as everyone was eating and there was no queue. At the same time, one of the waitresses told my wife that the wait for food was 15 minutes. After a short wait at our table confused and wondering what was going on, I walked in and asked the ladies serving at the bar how long it would take to get food. She told me the food service was temporarily shut down with an apologetic look that said: 'I know this is ridiculous, but that is what I have been told to say', with the manager lurking in the background. I took this as a coded message to get out. We walked out and dined at Ask Italian around the corner where we were treated much better and with better food and drink. I say this as a former devoted customer of Brio who has dined there for many years. Brio is now and end of an era as far as I am concerned. I am steering clear of the place from now on. Cancel culture can...