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Top London restaurants slammed for poor service
Some of London's top restaurants have come under fire for unacceptable levels of customer service.
While London has some of the best restaurants in the world, its eateries are still in the Dark Ages when it comes to looking after diners, according to The Time Out Eating and Drinking Guide 2002.
The celebrity favourite Nobu, was found to have disappointing which was compounded by a standard service charge of 15 per cent, while the popular Ivy was slammed for its two tier booking system. The guide says: Arrive, say, with either AA Gill or Jerry Hall and a table is almost guaranteed to be secured no matter how little notice is given. Call up, as one of the masses, and face an interminable automated phone system, only to be placed promptly at the back of the queue - currently three months long.
The River Café was also criticised for its dismal phone service. Our reviewers were put on hold for up to eight minutes and given conflicting information, depending on when they called and who they spoke to, says the guide.
Other complaints include the use of open credit card slips for customers to add gratuity even when a service charge has already been added to the bill, and the increasing number of restaurants giving diners a two hour slot in order to increase turnover and stop lingerers.
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