ASK - Wetherby

Alan S (15 April 2007)

Having read various reviews and heard several people's bad experiences of the Ask chain, we thought we would give them a chance and see for ourselves what the restaurant was like. We booked a table for 8.00pm on Saturday 14th April for four adults. We ordered garlic bread to start, and two beers (we asked what beers they had and were advised Peroni or Peroni, which was the first surprise in such a big restaurant), one dry white wine and one still water.

The drinks appeared after a short delay, but the beers were warm. When we asked to order another couple of beers, we asked them to bring ice or to chill a few bottles in the freezer before serving them, as it was a very warm day and warm beer is not acceptable. The waitress returned to advise that they had run out of Peroni, their only beer, and this was at 8.15pm on a Saturday night!!! Apparently a group sitting next to us had drunk it all and they were out of stock. We found this unbelievable, however, everyone makes mistakes, so we asked them what they intended to do about it?

We suggested that they visit one of the off licences in Wetherby and purchase new stock. The closest off licence is less than 100 yards away and there are several within easy walking distance in the town centre. There were also several staff doing nothing that clearly had time to make this trip. The waitress said that she would speak to the manager and see what they could do. The manageress appeared and said that she was sorry, but she was unable to buy beer from a local off licence and that they would have to wait until they received their next delivery at the start of the new week. Once again, we found this unbelievable.

We said if she wasn't able to make such a decision then we wanted to speak with someone who could and so she gave us the number for their head office and said we could speak to someone there on Monday.....so we walked out, without having had our main courses and extremely disappointed with the service and inability to provide the most basic of drinks on a Saturday night.

We eat out every week and this is not the first time that we have been in a bar or restaurant where they have run out of alcohol in some shape or form, but its the first time in twenty years that I have encountered staff who were completely unwilling to put the customer first and try to remedy the situation. I intend to write to their head office asking for an explanation and also write the local press so that as many local people as possible can hear about this and make their own mind up about where best to eat and drink. I will never go back to this Ask or any other restaurant in there chain as there are too many good alternatives in Wetherby and other towns and villages where staff put the customers first.