I just returned from my third time eating at Brugge Brasserie and was greatly disappointed in the service. The food is consistently high quality and very good. We arrived for lunch at 12:30 and weren't seated until 1:30. A long wait can be expected at a popular restaurant; however, we were shocked at the response of the host when we asked how long the wait was going to be and he said, ""You're going to be here a long time."" This was followed up with no information or checking in to let us know how long to expect. After we were seated, it took another hour to receive our food - that is we didn't receive our food until 2:45. We wouldn't have stayed, but were in an awkward situation as we had invited friends. When we informed our server that we had been waiting for two hours for our food, his response was ""Yeah, I know."" \r
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Frankly, the restaurant has great food, but it will be tough to be successful if they continue with such poor service. I know that I will not return unless I were to hear of vast improvements in service and attitude. Simple things such as: letting customers know how long the wait is going to be when there is a wait for the tables; offering a complimentary order of fries when our food is delayed coming out of the kitchen. There are even simple things that don't cost any money, such as an empathetic response when we inform our waiter that we have been waiting for a long time for our food. Our waiter informed us that he is also a chef, which is great to have cross utilization in the restaurant; however, service requires training and it was clear that this restaurant doesn't prepare their wait staff for adequately handling the benefits of a currently busy establishment. \r
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I teach hospitality courses and have worked and patronized restaurants all over the world and unfortunately this was some of the worst service that I have experienced. As a native Hoosier, I greatly hope for the success of this independent restaurant.
Pros: Convenient location, ample parking, nice outdoor eating area in the warmer seasons, fun ambience
Cons: Inconsistent service, arrogant attitude, dirty bathrooms
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