A restaurant general manager hit back at a negative TripAdvisor review about his "expensive" £7 glasses of Prosecco and hour-long wait with a savage reply. The diner, named Sue by the boss at The Terrace in Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight, left a two-star review for the harbourside eatery.
She complained "stunning location but very limited menu if you don’t book" - and wasn't pleased at only being able to order from a limited menu. She added: "We thought we were lucky to get a table outside with a view of the marina on a glorious day.
"However, they failed to tell us that walk-ins get a very limited menu and those that book get the full menu, which sounds amazing. We sat for an hour until we could even order from the limited menu."
The holidaymaker said she wasn't allowed to order olives while she waited "an hour for a salad and a terrine". "They are quids in with the beer and wine," she wrote.
Not content to take the criticism, general manager Tom Fahey hit back with a long reply.
He said: "I know you feel aghast at not getting what you wanted in walking into a fully booked restaurant on an incredibly busy day in high summer, but I'm going to humour you and respond by explaining a bit about wine pricing, the cost of land and how restaurants work. As someone who appears to own a boat that requires mooring, you will no doubt appreciate the cost of buying or leasing waterside real estate."
Ending his response, the restaurant general manager said: "I end with a tip for you, Sue, that I feel any of us can equally benefit from. If you moor up in a busy seaside town in August and want to eat food that 'sounds amazing', my advice is to book a table. Or, at the very least, ask Mr Google to tell you which menus are available where."
He later wrote on Twitter to say he had deleted his response and said while he stood by the "substance" the tone wasn't right.
He added: "The story should be the heroic efforts of our team to delight 300+ guests a day, not mine in snarkily dressing one down."
He edited his review on TripAdvisor and replaced it with one which said: "I think readers will agree, £7 Prosecco is actually pretty good these days, especially with a nice view of the sea. The castle terrace menu referenced here is not limited - a full 20 plates are available."
