So many choices....

August 14th 2012

Hey Lucy!
295 King St west

So most of us who have spend anytime downtown, have been to this block on King west, between John and Peter.  It's there you will find this wonderful little collection of great restaurants, and usually have a hard time deciding which one to go into.

Fred's not here,  Red Tomato,  Kit Kat, Nawlins and Verona, just to name a few.  Hey Lucy is among this little strip and had never been in till this day.

Stephanie was my dinner companion this eve, and we actually walked the strip very slowly looking at each of the menu's very carefully.  They actually have people out at their gates, welcoming people in, because competition is fierce down here.  That night we walked to the end and back and decided on Hey Lucy!

It was a cute place and as most of these restaurants are on this little strip it was small.  Nothing wrong with that.  Small is good!   It was a Tuesday night and it was a little later in the evening, so it wasn't a surprise, it wasn't that busy in the place, or should it have been?

There were a few tables on the patio and 1 in the front of the restaurant, but no one in the booths at the back.  We choose to sit in a booth in the back.  Our server  seemed to be very attentive at the beginning. 
Wine list was good, and I ordered.

Food was really great and as the meal proceeded, we saw the waitress less and less.  I was sitting so that I was facing the street, and I could see that the place wasn't filling up, it was actually getting emptier.

At one point Steph and I were the only customer's in the place, with just 2 persons sitting at a table on the patio.

I began to notice the waitress sitting and talking to another staff member at the bar.  Searching for Cd's to play, and checking her phone.  I had actually motioned  to her several times and she did not see us.  There I said it.

THE WAITRESS FORGOT ABOUT US!!!!!

I finally got the waitress's attention and I asked her for a dessert menu.  She replied in a nonchalant manner "oh the kitchen is closed"

EXCUSE ME??????

she continued...."Oh, I can get you some ice cream"

I didn't ask for ice cream.  I asked for a dessert menu.  That's when I launched into my rant!  I was pissed.  Steph quietly sat there and sipped her water.

I let the waitress have it....
"I motioned to you several times, but you chose to ignore me, there are only 2 tables in this place, so you certainly can't be run off your feet with customers! You sat and talked at the bar with the bartender.  You were on your phone for a bit, and then you guys were laughing over which music to choose.   Now you come and tell me the kitchen is closed, you didn't even bother to come and ask if before the kitchen closed did we want dessert?????
She started stuttering that she was really sorry and I replied
"Quite frankly" I said "I don't believe you!"
The food was really, really good!! I, we have not problem with that.  Its the service, your service or lack there of."

I proceeded to tell her about my 50 restaurants, and I told her up until now I as doing quite well.  Food has been great and the service as good.  I told her this was for an article I was writing for the Toronto Star.  (which is true, as you read this, I have submitted a sample of my blog to the Toronto star, as a hopeful future column.)  That's when her eyes lit up!!!

She ran over to tell her manager all what had happened.

That's when the manager came over, and I rehashed what I had said to the waitress.  She offered us a discount on the food.  I told her I don't want a discount, we came with money to pay for food.  I told her how we walked up and down this little block and then finally settled on Hey Lucy!!
Not impressed at all! I wish we had gone somewhere else!

She did give us a discount on our food, and we left.  Steph said she had to keep sipping water or she would have burst out laughing while I was telling off the waitress!
Was I wrong what I did?
Nope she replied.
Did I say anything that wasn't true?
Nope she agreed with everything that I had said.
She said she couldn't believe that I told the waitress off like that.  I said to steph, "come on, this is the business that she is in?, she forgot about us for god's sake!"
Yes steph!  I am a wild woman!!!

I will not be coming back to Hey Lucy for a long time, it's just not worth the chance of getting shitty service.  Our odds that night were 50-50 and we got the "bad" 50!!!

no smiley faces today

number 21 of 50
*we left here and went to another place for dessert and got entertained by the people of the street!!