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Review content:
Dear Owner's of Casa Mono, First, may I say, that I love your restaurant The food is always incredible and the wait staff very professional. However, there does seem to be a hostess and seating issue. Are you aware of this? I've been to your establishment many times and had to deal with a rather inflexible hostess more than once. I can only site one time, this past Valentine's Day 2012, where the hostess on duty that evening could not have been more helpful to us. A very, very sweet girl who, from the inception, made us feel welcomed at your establishment. Unfortunately yesterday we had no such experience and had to deal with a hostess, on at four o'clock in the afternoon of May 6th 2012, who was not very helpful at all. We were a party of four and we arrived a bit after 4 o'clock, our reserved time. On her screen she had us down for 3:45 which meant, to her, that we were 15 minutes late to which I replied that we were scheduled for 4 o'clock. She said she had taken the reservation, she had not. We had spoken with a gentleman the day before who gave us the 4 o'clock time. That said and done we asked to be seated. She informed us that she could not seat us until we were all present. I told her one of our party was on the phone, right outside the restaurant, to his family in Spain about a very significant matter. He had to make an emergency call and, considering the time change, he needed to do it promptly. I told the hostess that he would be right in but she said she could not seat us until he was in the restaurant. Really? Is that your policy? I can understand, in a crowded space, that having to seat a fourth person later, after seating the others, may disturb a crowded restaurant but your restaurant only had two or three other tables occupied at that time and, we would have disturbed no one. She also stated, when he came in and she could seat us, that we would have to leave by 5:45. Again, Really? Not only will you not let the people there and ready to be seated be accommodated but you are going to rush us out as well. To make matters worse it was my birthday and I was so looking forward to spending it at Casa Mono. I find it hard to believe, that a place of your caliber, would allow a hostess( the very first person you meet and the very first impression you get of a restaurant) to treat people in such a manner. It was only after we decided that we would leave, go somewhere else and our friend had finished his call did she offer to help us, that was too little too late. We could have avoided any drama had she just sat the three of us when we had arrived. We could have ordered for the four of us, our friend would have come in, joined us, and I would have had a ""Happy Birthday."" I've been to Spain many times and, although your cuisine is slightly different from the food there, it is one of the closest I've had to it in the states so far. Unfortunately this was a bad experience for all of us and I'm very doubtful that we will be returning any time soon. I don't expect any action on your part in sending this note. I just wanted you to be aware, if you were not, that this was how some people get treated at your restaurant. I work for myself as well and if this was happening with a worker of mine, in their dealings with any of my customers, I would surely want to know. I am also very aware that this particular hostess may dispute what I have written and that’s fine, that’s her version and or opinion. Furthermore, I will say that the customer should always be made to feel welcomed and any effort, within reason, should be made to accommodate them. I won’t say the customer is always right but I will say, at the very least, they should be heard. With much respect for your chefs and waitstaff, Mark Selfridge
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