Sir, -My wife and I have just returned from a short holiday in Malahide, Co. Dublin, which we have now visited seven times in the past three summers. The holiday conformed to a familiar pattern. The accommodation was excellent, the weather was kind, the pubs were friendly and welcoming. What a pity, therefore, about the restaurants and restaurateurs. There are three issues which need urgent attention.
Firstly, it seems that only local people are worthy of prompt, courteous and efficient service. Visitors are frequently left waiting either to order a meal, or for some part of the meal, while local parties which have arrived later are given preferential treatment. The visitor's queries are dismissed with vague and patronising excuses.
Secondly, I have come to the conclusion that booking a table in advance is a waste of time. Frequently, I have arrived at a restaurant to find no table reserved, and no semblance of adherence to any booking arrangement, even when it was written down. In these circumstances I have been given any table, usually inferior, while others who arrived without booking occupy the choice places. Again, any protest at this state of affairs has been met with irritation and annoyance, and a clear take it or leave it stance.
The third and most worrying issue is the attitude of these restaurateurs when handling customer complaints. Ten days ago, when I made a complaint about slow and inefficient service, an owner shrugged his shoulders and fixed me with a look which said that as he was unlikely to see me again why should he bother even discussing the matter.
Is this problem peculiar to Malahide? Why is the attitude of restaurateurs so different from those who provide hotel and guesthouse accommodation for visitors? I suggest that this is an unsightly scar on the body of the Celtic Tiger, needing urgent attention by those who have an interest in maintaining Ireland's legendary reputation for hospitality. - Yours, etc.,
Eric A.N. Culbert, Tudor Park, Mallusk, Co Antrim.