Never Lets You Down
The food has been outstanding. Lamb, fish, wine list is solid and have always been happy with the evening.    [05 May 2001 13:10:41]

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     ­Anonymous   

A Nightmarish Experience
Re: Della Femina restaurant in East Hampton, New York - Refusal To Honor Advertised Prix-Fixe and Ejection From Restaurant For Complaining

My wife and I asked for the advertised prix-fixe menu at the Della Femina restaurant in East Hampton, New York and for our efforts were thrown out by the General Manager, Walter Struble. Here is an account of our nightmarish experience. It may help others evaluate the risks they run if they plan to visit the restaurant.

The East Hampton Star weekly newspaper of March 21, 2002 had an ad from the Della Femina Restaurant offering a "Three Course Prix Fixe, Sunday thru Friday". We made a reservation for 6:30 P.M. On Friday night, March 29.

We ordered and received cocktails. We noticed that only the regular menu had been placed on our table. We asked for the prix-fixe menu. The server said it was not available on a "holiday weekend." We told her their ad specifically covered the present "holiday weekend" and that denying it made us feel like suing the restaurant to teach it a lesson. I asked for the manager. The manager, Mr. Walter Struble, arrived. I started to explain that they were not honoring their word because the ads specifically included Friday any way you looked at them.

To our astonishment, Mr. Struble didn't even let me get two sentences into my explanation. The sophisticated facade of a professional maitre d' crumbled. Standing in the middle of the nearly empty restaurant, he cut me short with the ridiculous excuse that he had other important matters to attend to and could not hear me out. Then, with bewildering speed, he shifted gears and said he had decided we must leave immediately. Shocked, to say the least, we refused. I said he should call the police if he thought he had a good reason to force us to leave. Then he grabbed the cocktail from in front of me and pulled the cocktail glass from my wife's hand as she was holding it in front of her mouth and said that we would not be served. She let go of the glass from fear that, if she didn't, it would break in her hand from the force of his reaction.

The hysterical meltdown of a maitre d' is an intimidating sight. Faced with this outrageous and threatening conduct, we left.

This takes the prize for the most obnoxious behavior we have ever seen in a restaurant. And all this in response to a legitimate complaint presented in a civilized way - and not even allowed to be finished! This would have been inexcusable behavior by any restaurant employee let alone the person supposed to be the embodiment of restaurant professionalism! Forget about restaurant standards - for Mr. Struble not even to listen to what we had to say was a breach of the most fundamental rules of ordinary civilized
behavior. As for snatching the drinks away - that was unspeakably base conduct. What a pathetic contrast this was to the genuine concern one gets in a fine restaurant, anywhere in the world, if one points out a problem.

We have eaten in Della Femina many times, under all forms of their menu, including the very first day they opened. Can this manifestation of crudeness and hostility possibly represent the prevailing spirit of the place? Is it to be a place where people are invited to have a prix-fixe menu and then are treated with contempt and brutality if they ask for it?

I imagine the Star will show this letter to Mr. Struble or others at Della Femina and give them a chance to respond. But I can't imagine what they can concoct to justify this outrage. Perhaps they will try to make it look as if we somehow brought this on ourselves.

In anticipation of some sort of corporate spin I stress the following points: At no time during the contretemps at our table did we raise our voices or rise from our seats. Our attitude was one of surprise and even amusement at apparently having been caught in a restaurant variation of the classic "bait and switch." The only violence was shown by Mr. Struble in grabbing the cocktail out of my wife's hand and the only loudness was Mr. Struble saying "Get Out!"

Perhaps the restaurant will claim there was a mistake in their ad. But anyone who looks at the ad can easily see that it clear and specifically included Friday nights. In any event, mistake or not, a professional maitre d' would never have handled the matter in the crude and nasty way Mr. Struble did. He or she would certainly have listened to what the patrons had to say and most likely would have considered it a matter of honor to provide what was actually advertised.

Could it be the rule in the Hamptons that, if you forthrightly point out that a restaurant is not honoring its published offers, you deserve expulsion? If so, welcome to Sodom on the South Fork where good manners dictate that victims keep quiet and the machinations of maitre d's take the place of hospitality.

We have recommended Della Femina in the past. Will we continue to recommend it? Definitely not. How can we send people to a place where they might be embarrassed and mistreated if they stand up for their rights?

The preceding complaint, in the form of a letter to the Editor, was courageously published by the East Hampton Star in its issue of April 4, 2002 even though the Della Femina restaurant is a regular advertiser. The restaurant was given a right to reply and Mr. Struble did not address a single specific point in our letter. He did a standard corporate spin, calling us difficult, pretending we had left him no choice and amazingly called his rude actions a mere suggestion that we leave.    [11 Apr 2002 07:01:07]

Food: -   Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­Daniel Katz   katzdan at earthlink dot net

New
I love this place. I finally had a reservation accepted (it was a Sunday). I was a little concerned when I saw a table for 30 outside and a "party" of almost as many already at the bar. We were seated and our waiter started what was a perfect evening. The appetizers were very good-excellent with the tomato tart the winner. All the entrees were great but the best was the pork chop. When the waiter tells you the pork chops are the best thing on the menu...believe him. The atmosphere was relaxing and the service was outstanding.    [06 Aug 2003 13:09:44]

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Recommended Dishes: tomato tart, pork chop

     ­Anonymous   

Review
Better than most out here--always consistent.    [14 May 2005 13:20:22]

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     ­Anonymous