Natashy S

Bad Service

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. On Saturday evening, my best friend, her partner, my partner, and her little sister decided to go to Kota Joe after watching the Pirates soccer game. We were genuinely excited to end our Saturday there and experience the restaurant. We arrived at 8:30pm and were warmly seated by a friendly waiter. We asked whether we would be rushed out if we were still eating at 10:00pm, and he assured us we wouldn’t be. However, shortly after seating us, he disappeared. About five minutes later, a group of white customers arrived, and suddenly four or five waiters were attending to their table. Meanwhile, we waited over 15 minutes before anyone came to assist us. When a waitress eventually came to take our drink order (around 8:45pm), she immediately emphasized that because the restaurant closes at 10:00pm, any food arriving after 9:00pm would be packaged as takeaway. Our drinks only arrived at 9:35pm — nearly 50 minutes later. During that entire time, no one checked on us or asked if we were okay. We placed our food order about 10 minutes after ordering drinks, yet we waited over an hour for it to arrive. The food only came after 10:00pm. The constant reminders that the restaurant was closing made us feel extremely unwelcome. While waiting, my best friend and I went to the bathroom, only to find it dirty and without toilet paper. We wondered whether cleaning simply stops because closing time is approaching. For a family restaurant, the bathroom location also felt unsafe. As a woman, I did not feel comfortable there. On our way back to the table, a waiter rudely asked if we wanted the bill — before our food had even arrived. When my friend asked whether the food was ready, she was ignored. When we got back to our table, there was still no food. Although we ordered before the other table, their food arrived well before ours. When our food finally came, we asked for the bill, which again took a very long time. The person who brought it was not our server and had a clear attitude. After paying, we were left standing without assistance, and as we exited, we were questioned in an accusatory tone about whether we had actually paid. We decided to take the food home — and unfortunately, it tasted terrible. Most of it was bland and had no flavour at all. If your service is going to be rushed and unwelcoming from 8:30pm onwards, then perhaps your trading hours should be adjusted. The overall experience was disappointing, uncomfortable, and far below standard. Very poor service.