Reviews for Le Refuge

01/20/2008 - Old Town resident
I would prefer to give a rating of 0 for service and atmosphere, but this isn't possible on this site.

I had 7:30pm reservations for 4 people Saturday night. However, my girlfriend arrived a few minutes ahead of my parents and me, and upon arrival, the hostess claimed that our reservations had been for 7 pm, so they had given away our table. Additionally, she insisted that they do not take 7:30pm reservations (which sounded like a ridiculous lie to begin with). When my girlfriend asked how long the wait would be, the hostess said it would be at least 8:30--with virtually no waiting area. My girlfriend asked why they had not called us before giving away the table, given that we had provided a number for them--the hostess simply sneered and said that it was their busiest time, and that they have no shows all the time so they gave away the table.

She insisted WE were wrong, and that they had no obligation whatsoever to try to make amends. BAD business.

To add insult to injury, while dealing with this rude hostess who made no apologies or attempts to work with us, three seperate parties arrived for their 7:30pm reservations. This made it painfully clear that they had lied about not taking reservations at that specific time.

I have never been treated with such disrespect and rudeness by an employee of a restaurant. I have worked in the industry for some time, and I know that this behavior is simply inexcusable and suggests that no one can count on this restaurant to provide a pleasant experience, period. I will never patronize it and will certainly let as many people as possible know about their unprofessional service.