Cafe Cartel - Bad / No Service

This is a rant on the service on Cafe Cartel, I found the service to be nil at Plaza Singapura so I am amazed by the snaking line one finds there almost daily.

I used to like Cafe Cartel when it first opened at Siglap area. Then it expanded and I felt the food isn't that great anymore though it still draws in the crowd. I had a craving for pancakes and wanted to have some at the Cafe Cartel at Plaza Singapura outlet.

For once, there was no long line waiting outside. However the service was horrible. There was virtually no service at all. It has been a long time since I last went to a Cafe Cartel, and previously you had to place your order at the counter on an order chit, then you wait at your table. But it seemed like the old system has vanished, so I wasn't sure how that worked.

After waiting for a while, a guy (probably supervisor since he has on a yellow collar) told me to find a table and seat myself. I was reluctant as I didn't see any free tables, and so asked him about it. In the end, he grudgingly took me to a table. I was left there to my own devices. I pored over the menu and after a few minutes, a waitress brought over glasses of water. Kudos to her. I finally decided on what I want to order. I looked around to see how the order should be placed. If I have to go to the cashier to order, or someone will come to take the order. I noticed the staff were carrying order pad, so tried to catch someone's attention.

Amazingly, I was totally ignored though I could see 3-5 staff waiting by the food counter, waiting to serve the food. They were just not trained to notice if any of the diners need assistance. The outlet wasn't as packed as usual and there was no line outside the restaurant either. After waiting for 5-7 mins, I decided to just leave.

And when I walked out, no one questioned me either. Now I wonder if a dishonest person could also just walked out without paying after having a meal. This showed how attentive the service staff are at Cafe Cartel.

Needless to say, it will be another long long long time before I ever set foot into Cafe Cartel at Plaza Singapura again.

I walked out, then decided to turned back as I couldn't just let it go. I went to the cashier and asked to speak with the manager. The cashier (another supervisor) said the manager wasn't in. Anyway, I told her of the non-existant service I had and how it was bad for the outlet. Told her I will not ever go there again, and I will tell everyone I know of the service.

So here I am, blogging about it. I think I will send an email to the management too. It is quite a pity about this service lapse as I did like it when it was just one outlet and it was nice and cozy.