Meat Co. - Souq Al Bahar - (Very Poor)

Meat Co. has a few branches throughout the UAE. The location I visited a few weeks ago is located at the Souq Al Bahar in Downtown Burj Dubai. Upon arrival at the restaurant I was not greeted. After the maître d' stared at me for a while he asked if I had a reservation to which I answered 'no'. He informed me that they were fully booked on a Monday night at 7:30pm even though the restaurant appeared to be empty. I informed him that I only wanted to have a quick 30 minute dessert but he insisted that he could not seat me if I did not plan on ordering a full meal. At this point I was very displeased with the cold manner in which I was treated and decided to leave. After a five 5 minute breather I decided to call Meat Co. and try and see if I could book a table. The reservation desk took my reservation for 7:45pm and I returned to the maître d' table. At this time the maître d' refused to acknowledge the fact that I had made a reservation which was additionally irritating. Finally after another employee pointed out my reservation, the maître d' repeated his previous statements “we are not allowed to seat customers who are not intending on ordering a full meal”. At this point I asked to speak to a manager. I was promptly informed that a manager was not available but that I was more than welcome to call him on his cell phone. In the end I called the manager of this Meat Co. for several days; on the fifth day he answered and I proceeded to ask him why his maître d' was offering such poor service? Why his restaurant only served people who wanted to order a full three course meal? And why I was never even so much as offered a seat at the bar? The manager could not give me a decent answer to any of these questions. I asked him to kindly revise his customer training methods. He apologized profusely and offered me a free dessert next time I dined at the Meat Co. I politely declined his offer. I cannot comment on the waitstaff at Meat Co. or the quality of their food therefore, I cannot not recommend the restaurant. My overall experience, however at this restaurant was very poor and I do not intend to return any time soon.

Reality of the credit crunch

In the past decade there has been an exponential growth in service oriented businesses all over the UAE. The service industry, however, has been severly unprepared to deal with the influx of clientele and as a result, has become lethargic.
It seems to me that business owners and service providers need to understand that better customer relationships lead to a better bottom line. This is especially true when economic times are as uncertain as they are today. The global "credit crunch" should inspire corporations to improve their customer relations in order to build a loyal clientele base.

Introduction

Customer service in the UAE has been a topic of conversation almost every day since I moved to Dubai two years ago. On the whole, service in restaurants, boutiques, hotels and cafes has been, for lack of a better word, terrible. On the chance occasion where I encounter good service I am pleasantly surprised and make a mental note to return. My frustration with the lack of good service has lead me to start this weekly editorial. The overall goal of this blog is to create a forum where the service industry can be held accountable. It is my hope to eventually help encourage and create first rate customer service in the UAE. My plan is to describe two service experiences each week. I also invite people to comment on any good or bad service they have had in the UAE.