Paul

I went with a friend for a quick early lunch. 75 minutes later, we emerged into the sunshine having spent £24 excluding a service charge, which we refused to leave.

The bread and butter were nice, the Coke and fizzy water tasted of Coke and fizzy water, the omelettes and salads were very good, but the service was dire. Slow to produce menus, slow to produce drinks, slow to take orders, even slower to produce food, and then slow to generate a bill.

No wonder we were the only 'business types' in there.
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James - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Further to my complaint about service at PAUL, Covent Garden, I sent an email to the HQ and received a very considerate and thoughtful reply. That was a pleasant surprise. I recommend PAUL for having the best hot chocolate in England.
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Linda Ward Selbie, Toronto
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, March 04, 2010

While we had enjoyed snacks at other Paul locations around London, the Covent Garden store is certainly weak on customer service.

On Friday, February 12th my husband and I queued patiently for a table around 5:30 p.m. While we could see empty tables in the dining room there was no acknowledgment of, or communication by the service staff with the customers waiting in line to sit down. Eventually the man ahead of us left in disgust. When one of the waiters came into the store to fetch a cake I spoke to her to ask how long until we could be seated and was completely ignored. She didn’t even make eye contact. Eventually the male server came out and said that they were short staffed and he could not seat anyone. My husband asked to see the manager and expressed to him our frustration. The manager displayed poor leadership skills as he didn’t seem to care, wasn't apologetic, courteous, nor was he pitching in to help out. I guess the concept of ‘lead by example’ isn’t in the training manual for Paul employees.

We certainly understand that places can be busy however it is a courtesy to customers to be welcoming and at give them an approximate wait time. We can then decide to stay or go elsewhere.

Rudeness doesn't leave a good impression for any business.
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Linda Ward Selbie, Toronto
3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Thursday, February 18, 2010