Jess - Burnedale Bistro

We went to the Burnedale Bistro for lunch on Sunday and it was rather busy. We waited a while for a waiter to call at the table and eventually had to approach one who took our order. The wine came quickly enough and we were told that the food would take a little longer as the kitchen was busy. After 45 min, one of my guests called the waiter to query the delay and he said he would check with the kitchen. He returned some time later to say our order was next on the list and the guest commented that we were now waiting for over an hour. We were then approached by a lady named Jess who introduced herself as the manager and enquired if we were waiting for our food. After being told that it was delayed she undertook to check on it and let us know. A short while later she returned and informed us that she had prioritised our order and apologised for the delay, acknowledging that waiting over an hour and a half for food was simply not acceptable when they targeted 20-30 min as a standard even when busy. Without being asked for any concession on the cost, she informed us that all the meal costs would be reversed and we only had to pay for the wine. All she asked for was that we visit again and give them a chance to serve us as we were entitled to. As we chatted, Jess explained her role as manager - she goes around assessing the situation and watches the body language of people for signs of unhappiness, stepping in where she sees a potential issue and resolving it so that clients are satisified with the outcome. There was clearly a problem in the kitchen with our order since other tables were not complaining, but hats off to Jess for stepping in and placing her clients front and centre. We will certainly be going back to the bistro.