Member
Our recent visit to Dining Room, Cherthala by third week of May 2025 was a blend of pleasant surprises and notable service disappointments. Here's a comprehensive account of our experience: Ambience & Facilities: The restaurant boasts a spacious layout, making it ideal for groups and families. We visited as a group of six, including children, and found the seating to be comfortable and accommodating. The overall ambience was clean, airy, and welcoming. There's ample parking space available, which is a big plus for diners arriving by car. Both the toilet and hand wash areas were clean and well-maintained, which reflects positively on the restaurant's hygiene practices. Food & Presentation: The food was tasty, with flavours that leaned towards authenticity, satisfying both adults and kids in our group. The portion sizes were generous, and the dishes were delivered to our table surprisingly fast, which added to the dining convenience. Table clearance was efficient, with staff promptly clearing plates and keeping the table tidy between courses. Service Experience: Unfortunately, the service experience fell short, particularly with the order taker. He exhibited a substandard attitude, lacking the basic courtesy and engagement expected from front-line staff. What stood out was his need to have every order repeated, despite clear communication from our side. This created confusion and disrupted the flow of our meal. We were even more surprised to notice that he was wearing an earbud during service--a highly unprofessional practice. Whether he was listening to music or otherwise, it clearly impacted his attentiveness and performance. This behaviour wasn't just isolated to our table. We observed similar interactions with other diners, suggesting that this is not an isolated incident, but rather a fundamental issue in staff training and supervision. Overall Impression: Dining Room, Cherthala, delivers well on food quality, portion size, hygiene, and infrastructure. However, these positives are undermined by poor frontline service, which is a critical component of the dining experience. A few improvements in staff selection, grooming, and customer engagement training could significantly elevate the restaurant's overall performance. Would we return? Possibly, for the food and comfort. But we sincerely hope the management takes note of the service shortcomings, as these currently act as the weakest link in an otherwise promising setup.