I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration regarding the recent dining experience I had at the restaurant within the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel on the evening of 9/10/23On 9/10/23 my colleagues and I visited your restaurant for what we hoped would be a pleasant dining experience after a very long and stressful day. Unfortunately, from the moment we walked in, it became evident that the service we received did not meet even the most basic standards of hospitality.Firstly, we were kept waiting at the table for an unreasonably long time before anyone acknowledged our presence. When we were finally seated, it took another considerable amount of time for our server "MIA" to come to our table. Throughout the meal, our server seemed disinterested, inattentive, and rushed, making us feel like an afterthought. We had to actually get up from our table to go and look for her even to order.Furthermore, the quality of the food was far below our expectations. Not only did the dishes take an excessive amount of time to arrive at our table, but they were also cold, and some items were improperly prepared. I ordered the pan seared salmon and asked our waitress "Mia" if I could substitute the side dishes then thoroughly discussed how I would like them prepared. Mia then agreed that it could be done and our order was then submitted.We asked Mia our waitress if we could then dine outside on the patio of the restaurant due to the temperature in the restaurant being uncomfortable and she told us "she does not serve outside and that she could put our ordered in to go containers" we agreed to this however after seeing the unsanitary conditions of the outside dining area where there was used plates, dishes and glasses with ants we decided we would endure the conditions inside and returned to our table.Once our food arrived over 45 mins later in to go containers we still tried to enjoy our meals however mine was not prepared not only as I ordered but did not include any of the embellishments, condiments or sauces states on the menu. I also was only substituted one of the requested sides. I then asked to speak with our waitress "Mia" to notify her that my order was not prepared correctly. She then said that "she could not substitute" at this point our entire table was confused as they all witnessed our conversation about how I would like to substitute and how I would like it prepared. I addressed this with MIA with a very calm and compassionate tone however she became enraged and combative. She mumbled that "she didn't have to deal with this shit" and stormed off as were trying to come to an resolution.At this point after much patience and restraint we asked to speak to a restaurant manager. The manager (whose name I didn't get) came to the table I then explained the situation again in a very calm tone. He also said that "there are no substitutions or it would be an up charge" I explained to him that this was not what was communicated to our dinner party but had it been communicated I would have adjusted. I told him that I the "lemon sauce" as described in the menu also was not included on my dish. "He said he didn't think they even prepared that on today" he then asked would I like it re- cooked. I asked that I just receive what I ordered.A few mins later "MIA" returned to our table in an aggressive tone to confront me about my order and again tried to challenge me on what I ordered and our conversation. I felt attacked and extremely embarrassed in front of my colleagues. At this point I asked the manager to not re-prepare the order, I was disgusted and completely lost my appetite after the emotional trauma I experienced at the hand of our waitress "MIA".We had to send back our orders multiple times, which further extended our already lengthy ordeal.From the time we sat down "MIA" was dismissive and unresponsive to our concerns. This lack of empathy and willingness to rectify the situation was extremely disheartening and added to our overall dissatisfaction. We never received an apology from MIA or the restaurant management.As patrons of the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel multiple times a year and as a Bonvoy member we had expected a certain level of service and quality that, regrettably, was not met during our visit to the restaurant. I believe it is essential for your establishment to be aware of such issues to maintain the reputation and trust of your customers.I kindly request that you investigate this incident and take appropriate measures to ensure that future patrons do not have to endure such a disappointing dining experience. It is my hope that you will take this feedback seriously and work towards improving the quality of service and food at your restaurant.
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