I bought this Virgin Experience around a year ago as a treat for myself and my three friends, three of us from Oxford and one from Brighton, we paid approximately £100 in Travel expenses to get to Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse in Middlesex Street for 7.15 for our booking at 7.45 pm.
My Brighton friend would need to be done by 10 pm to have time to get to London bridge Station to get back to Brighton.
As the restaurant made it clear we would only have a 2 hour window till 9.45 pm All would be fine,............... So I thought !
As we approached the Restaurant in Middlesex Street it was freezing cold and we couldn't wait to get in to the warm with a welcoming hello from The Maitre'd ! WRONG!!!!!!!
We essentially walked into what felt like a Cattle Truck, rammed with red faced customers crammed into the cloakroom and toilet entrance,Most had been waiting for at least 45 mins to an hour beyond there table booking time, and Most if not all were Virgin Experience Customer's ! So now I'm thinking Has Marco Pierre White been anywhere near This Place EVER !!!!!!!!!
Because if he has he should be Ashamed to put his name to such a shambolic establishment !
The staff were clearly under enormous pressure, and were running around like headless chicken's and doing Nothing!
Including the Pale broken Assistant Manager Ivan,who despite being under immense pressure also seemed completely indifferent to me.
Eventually a girl behind the cloakroom counter took My name and confirmed my booking and said our table would be some time and to wait in the crush with the other Virgin Experience Customer's,as there was nowhere else to wait due to the over overcrowding of the tables for diners ,
By 8.10 pm We were finally Seated, but No order was taken for our drinks or even offered Tap Water! As we all have conditions due to Cancer treatments, One of my friends has constant dry mouth,due to immuno therapy some time ago, this can be very unpleasant for him!
We sat and waited for 30 mins chatting and looking around ,the atmosphere seemed Sad, Untrained Staff unable to deal with the pressure of a full restaurant with no backup From Management, with miserable and angry Customers all around Us., I was getting worried this was my special treat for my dearest friends who all have had a miserable year,to cheer them up and Make them feel Special.
By 9 pm we managed to get the attention of the Assistant Manager,to get water for my friend with dry mouth,as it was right beside him, he promptly walked off sending a waiter to give it to us rudely pretending not to understand me !
Eventually the waiter told us that he wasn't sure how long we would have to wait to be served, and that we would have to sit and wait!
By 9.30 pm It was becoming obvious that we were not going to be served and as one of my guests retired ,from Management and training in Elite Dining His Entire 40 year Career Starting in the Kitchen with Raymond Blanc!
He knew the possible outcome!
So by this point I decided that the only option was to call it a complete Disaster, I felt extremly let down by Virgin Experience,As a long time Neighbour and local friend of Sir Richard Branson in Oxford, I would never mention this personally, because I would hate to embarrass him The way we have been By The Restaurant and Virgin Experience!
I spoke with The Assistant Manager Ivan that this was unacceptable and that we were leaving as we no longer had time to wait, he did not apologise but Rudely put His Christian name on a ragged bit of till roll in Scribble,as proof that the Restaurant had not fulfilled it's obligation! I then asked what I do with it and was told ring the reservations dept to arrange another Day, I then insisted he write his Surname on it to, which he did grudgingly.
We then left, All we had all Day in the freezing cold was coffee earlier and Tap water At Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse.
As we left ,A disabled Woman and her husband were waiting for staff to help her down the steps in her wheelchair, this had been pre arranged, I stayed with her whilst her husband went to see why they had been left waiting in the freezing cold, I stayed with her for 15 mins , Her husband came out and still no help, this was a special wedding anniversary for the two of them, and the poor woman with cerebral palsy was left stranded outside!
As we had to wave our friend off to Brighton,The remaining three of us were starving we found a McDonald's in Liverpool Street Station 10pm and ordered our food which after a 15 min wait arrived piping hot with a very friendly staff doing an amazing job, Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse should Beg McDonald's to train their Staff to their High Standard 5* Service and Quality of Food, Sadly no seating ate on freezing Platform!!!
Virgin Experience !
Virgin Catastrophe/Humiliation !.
I will Now wait to hear From Virgin Experience.!
Simon Sumner.