Coach Lane Restaurant, Sligo

We made a reservation at Coach Lane several months prior. A few weeks before the event we were phoned and asked to change our dinner reservation by an hour-and-a-half. When we said this wasn't convenient there was no apologies for the mix up on their part. We compromised and made it for an hour earlier.

On the night they phoned us A HALF AN HOUR prior to our revised reservation time to tell us we were late, apparently not listening to us that we were actually not meant to be there until 19.30hrs and that was us accommodating them.

We arrived at 19.30 to be ushered up the stairs and once our starters were selected they were relayed to the kitchen while the waitress returned to take our main course orders. Thirty minutes later our starter arrived, followed by our main course.

At 21.07 a man we had not met before that instant arrived to our table and said 'here is your bill, there is no time for dessert or coffee, this table is booked again at 21.30 and all our desserts are made to order'.

I have never experienced such blatant disregard in all my life. We were a group of 14 and apparently the table was booked for 13 more at 21.30.

When we asked to speak with a manager to voice our discontent we were more-or-less told that they had a busy restaurant and had other customers to tend to.

When we pointed out the manner in which we were handled in, no attempt of an apology was received, we were seemingly disregarded.

We asked could our dessert orders not have been taken at the time our mains was? Surely as they ran the restaurant it was their responsibility to ensure we were provided for-had they never catered for a group of 14 before? How could apple pie or Bannoffi be made to order? And why as their point was (and we did change our original reservation to suit them) if there were two sittings did people sit down after us and were still there after we left?

In a dignified manner, we paid our bill, service charge included and left.

We were a group of 14 educated mature adults, expecting a lovely meal out; instead, I feel we were treated to seemingly utter rudeness and mismanagement by people who appeared far more interested in getting their 700eu from us and the next gang in, than they were for our experience of their establishment.