Sarah had been looking forward to this dinner all week. She had made a reservation at the new Italian restaurant downtown. When she arrived, the hostess could not find her booking. 'I am sorry, but I do not see your name in our system,' the hostess said. Sarah showed her the confirmation email on her phone. After ten minutes of confusion, they finally seated her at a small table near the kitchen. The table she had requested was by the window with a view of the park. She decided to let it go and enjoy her evening anyway. Twenty minutes passed before anyone came to take her drink order. 'I will have a glass of the house red wine, please,' Sarah said politely. The waiter nodded and walked away without offering a menu. She had to flag down another server to get one. When her wine finally arrived, it was white, not red. 'Excuse me, I ordered the red wine,' she pointed out. The waiter looked annoyed and took the glass back without apologizing. Another fifteen minutes went by before the correct wine appeared. By now, Sarah had been at the restaurant for almost an hour. She had not even ordered her food yet. When she tried to get the waiter's attention, he seemed to be avoiding her table. Eventually, she managed to place her order for pasta carbonara. 'The kitchen is quite busy tonight,' the waiter warned her. Sarah asked how long the wait would be. 'Maybe thirty or forty minutes,' he replied with a shrug. She was getting frustrated but decided to be patient. An hour later, there was still no sign of her food. The tables around her were being served, even though they had arrived after her. She waved at the waiter, who pretended not to see her. Finally, she stood up and walked towards the kitchen. 'Excuse me, I have been waiting over an hour for my meal,' she said firmly. The waiter looked surprised, as if he had forgotten about her completely. 'Let me check on that for you,' he mumbled. Five more minutes passed with no update. Sarah decided it was time to speak with the manager. She found a woman in a dark suit near the front of the restaurant. 'Are you the manager?' Sarah asked. 'Yes, I am. How can I help you?' the woman responded. Sarah explained everything that had happened since she arrived. The reservation mix-up, the wrong table, the wine mistake, and the endless wait. The manager listened carefully and took notes on her phone. 'I sincerely apologize for your experience tonight,' she said. 'This is absolutely not the standard of service we aim for.' She immediately called the waiter over and spoke to him quietly. The waiter's face turned red with embarrassment. Within ten minutes, Sarah's pasta arrived at her table. The manager brought it personally and sat down across from her. 'Your meal is on the house tonight,' she announced. 'I would also like to offer you a voucher for a free dinner on your next visit.' Sarah appreciated the gesture, though she was not sure she would return. She tasted the pasta, which was actually quite good despite everything. The manager asked if there was anything else she could do. 'I think the main issue is staff training,' Sarah said honestly. 'Your waiter seemed overwhelmed and disorganized.' The manager nodded thoughtfully. 'You are right. We recently hired several new staff members.' 'We have been struggling to train them properly while staying open.' Sarah felt a little sympathy, but it did not excuse the poor service. 'Customers should not have to suffer because of internal problems,' she said. 'I completely agree with you,' the manager replied. 'Would you be willing to write a review once we have had time to improve?' Sarah said she would consider it. As she finished her meal, the manager checked on her twice more. She even brought a complimentary dessert as an additional apology. The tiramisu was excellent, Sarah had to admit. By the end of the evening, her anger had mostly faded. She understood that mistakes happen, especially at new restaurants. What mattered was how the business responded to complaints. This manager had handled the situation professionally. She had listened, apologized sincerely, and offered fair compensation. Sarah decided to give the restaurant another chance in a few months. As she left, she thanked the manager for her time and attention. 'Please come back and see us,' the manager said warmly. 'I promise your next experience will be much better.' Sarah walked home thinking about the evening. Sometimes the way a company handles failure matters more than the failure itself. She would write that review after all, mentioning both the problems and the recovery.
English Story (B1)Complaining About Service
This B1 English story is designed for intermediates learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Sarah visits a new Italian restaurant where everything goes wrong: her reservation is lost, she gets the wrong table and wine, and waits over an hour for food. After complaining to the manager, who handles the situation professionally with apologies and compensation, Sarah decides to give the restaurant another chance.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What was the first problem Sarah encountered at the restaurant?
2
What happened when Sarah ordered red wine?
3
What did the manager do to compensate Sarah?
4
What reason did the manager give for the poor service?
Vocabulary
48 words from this story
