France - The worst and most dishonest restaurant in Paris "Au Gourmand"

We had dinner (4 of us) at "Le Gourmand" and booked on the same day via "La Fouchette" with a 30% discount. (This was the closest restaurant to the Louvres'museum according to "La Fourchette" web site as we were at the Louvres we booked there)

Let's start by the "best part" :
- The waiters were very pushy for wine, ( we didn't order wine)
- The waiters were not smiling
- the food was tasteless and in small portion
- Very limited selection (3 or 4 appetizer and main dishes),
- the location with several "adult bars" on the same street within 50 meters
- the very close & small table
- the desert took more than 30 minutes to arrive.
- The manager pushed our stroller

We were not expecting something great as we were looking for any restaurant close to the Louvres but this is a little too much on the low side

The check came without the discount.
The manager said that with the 30% discount he'll loose money.

The manager also said that despite the 30% off was available on our booking web site (la fouchette) we booked without the discount.
Who will chose to pay full price when they have the option to pay 30% less on the same web site....
This is a complete non sense.

The manager was very aggressive and shooting while he required us to pay the full amount.
He admitted that some mistakes happened on this web site but are no possibility to correct them (just pay the full price is his solution)

Finally he shot and said in a very aggressive way "I'll do the discount but never come back"
When we left the restaurant, he said again "never come back"

Regardless if he was right or not concerning the discount, that can not justify to shot against a customer and to be aggressive.
This the worst behavior I have met and this against the basic standard of the hospitality industry.

I can now easily understand that this restaurant is since December 2011 under "Chapter 11" ("redressemnt judiciaire" is the French word)

I have now found the worst restaurant and most dishonest place : "Le Gourmand", web site. http://www.restaurantaugourmandparis.com/

I would suggest posting a review in Yelp. And TripAdvisor. You'll get a much wider audience, and possibly the attention of the restaraunt owners.

Are you saying the service at a Parisian restaurant was bad? Shocking! :p

(Sorry, I'm not taking the piss, that was always the reactions of my English workmates when I complained about Paris)

We had dinner (4 of us) at "Le Gourmand" and booked on the same day via "La Fouchette" with a 30% discount. (This was the closest restaurant to the Louvres'museum according to "La Fourchette" web site as we were at the Louvres we booked there)

Let's start by the "best part" :
1- The waiters were very pushy for wine, ( we didn't order wine)
2- The waiters were not smiling
-3 the food was tasteless and in small portion
4- Very limited selection (3 or 4 appetizer and main dishes),
5- the location with several "adult bars" on the same street within 50 meters
6- the very close & small table
7- the desert took more than 30 minutes to arrive.
8- The manager pushed our stroller

We were not expecting something great as we were looking for any restaurant close to the Louvres but this is a little too much on the low side
. http://www.restaurantaugourmandparis.com/
1 pushy or polite
2 so you want happy smiling waiters, maybe on rollerskates to
3 surely either this is known, or you were chosen
4 i have been to that soccer boy's restaurant the one on all the tv shows. and has had lots of michelin*'s unbelievable wine push, fixed meal, with no choices. had to stand outdoors for 30 min in jan while the big kid yelled at the help.
5. i don't know of any "adult bars"near the Louvre, and i have searched for them. what's an adult bar?
8. did you park it where it was supposed to be?

re :price i have never eaten in a paris restaurant(or france, london, or italy) that offered discounts. sounds like a scary place to me.

I would suggest posting a review in Yelp. And TripAdvisor. You'll get a much wider audience, and possibly the attention of the restaraunt owners.

Out of curiosity I looked and the place has a decent rating on TA so can't be fleecing all customers, though by that I don't mean OP in any way deserved the shoddy treatment. I'd definately write a TA review based on your experience.

Thank you all for your replies

First : we, French people are well known to provide the best customer service experience worldwide.... We just need to fly Air France to fully understand our high level of attention to details, our willingness to help etc etc. Anyone convinced ?

the waiter was pushy for wine while still polite but still pushy

I parked the stroller right in front of the kitchen entrance so our baby can enjoy beeing bump as their strollers parking of this 500 sqft restaurant was already full....

So a French "adult bar", not sure how to explain that in polite words.... believe it's legal in Nevada ....oldest job on earth... working girls ... CC not accepted

Yes they have 4 stars based on 39 reviews on TA. and rated #539 of the best restaurant in Paris.
No sure if 39 reviews is enough to have a true idea of the place.


4 i have been to that soccer boy's restaurant the one on all the tv shows. and has had lots of michelin*'s unbelievable wine push, fixed meal, with no choices. had to stand outdoors for 30 min in jan while the big kid yelled at the help.
.

By the way, I don't know were is this restaurant, could you please help so I can try to find a new worst restaurant :o)

Should we make a new thread called the "worst restaurant in Paris" ? it'll be a very long one....

Thank you all for your replies

First : we, French people are well known to provide the best customer service experience worldwide.... We just need to fly Air France to fully understand our high level of attention to details, our willingness to help etc etc. Anyone convinced ?

the waiter was pushy for wine while still polite but still pushy

I parked the stroller right in front of the kitchen entrance so our baby can enjoy beeing bump as their strollers parking of this 500 sqft restaurant was already full....

So a French "adult bar", not sure how to explain that in polite words.... believe it's legal in Nevada ....oldest job on earth... working girls ... CC not accepted

Yes they have 4 stars based on 39 reviews on TA. and rated #539 of the best restaurant in Paris.
No sure if 39 reviews is enough to have a true idea of the place.



By the way, I don't know were is this restaurant, could you please help so I can try to find a new worst restaurant :o)

Should we make a new thread called the "worst restaurant in Paris" ? it'll be a very long one....

Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road.
http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/eat/celebrity-chef-restaurants-in-london

Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road.
http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/eat/celebrity-chef-restaurants-in-london

Thank you slawecki. It seems that you're more demanding than me :p
I have been to only one Gordon Ramsay restaurant at the Trianon Palace and it was a GREAT experience. One of the best restaurant in Paris'area especially the deserts'parts are great

"The closest restaurant to the Louvre". ???? The Louvre is over 1km long, there are dozens of restaurants that are "close" to the Louvre.

La Fourchette is a fairly reliable reservation service, albeit one devoted to tourists. Citivox is more reliable and has a lot more local traffic.

But you can post this review right on LaFourchette, you can also email them and advise them about having a hard time with the "discount". Perhaps you misunderstood the wording?

"The closest restaurant to the Louvre". ???? The Louvre is over 1km long, there are dozens of restaurants that are "close" to the Louvre.

La Fourchette is a fairly reliable reservation service, albeit one devoted to tourists. Citivox is more reliable and has a lot more local traffic.

But you can post this review right on LaFourchette, you can also email them and advise them about having a hard time with the "discount". Perhaps you misunderstood the wording?

Hello

Yes this is the closest restaurant to particular area in the Louvres where we were located.
On "la fourchette" iphone app you have "around me" and it's true that this restaurant was very close that the area of the Louvres where we were.

Yes good idea, I'll e-mail la Fourchette. I'm French so it was easy to understand.
Funny part : the manager show me his own booking software and said.... look there is no discount indicated, otherwise I'd have indicated the discount....

Who in the world will go to a web site where a discount is available and will prefer to pay full price rather than the discounted price ?

Who in the world will go to a web site where a discount is available and will prefer to pay full price rather than the discounted price ?

It could be miscommunication between the Fork and the restaurant and showed a restaurant discount that shouldn't have been applicable. Online errors are not entirely unkown after all.

If the restaurant does not apply the discount, you should send a complain letter to La Fourchette (but make sure before that that your discount coupon is fully valid for the day/the menu option).

Thank you Nicolas & Tcook.
Yes the discount was definitely valid on that particular day. The "lovely" manager told me that he had some other tables with the discount that particular night.

Unfortunately we made the booking on an Iphone at the last minute and didn't print anything so there is no way to prove anything

I do understand that mistakes may happen but I was mainly disappointed with the way the manager deal with the situation.

I sometimes wonder how "real" are these discounts, I have the feeling that some restaurants increased the price to afford the 30% or 40% discount and if some clients pay the full (regular / already increased) price that's a "plus" for them.

I was wondering about that the other day, when I had a really discounted meal (easy to compare to other restaurant in the surrounding area serving very similar dishes): how long before they all bump their prices? I guess it will depend on how widespread La Fourchette is used, but I am not sure it caters mostly to tourists...

I was wondering about that the other day, when I had a really discounted meal (easy to compare to other restaurant in the surrounding area serving very similar dishes): how long before they all bump their prices? I guess it will depend on how widespread La Fourchette is used, but I am not sure it caters mostly to tourists...

Bonjour Richelieu

"Au Gourmand" found an easy way, on the windows menu there is no precise price and it's indicated that appetizer will be from EURO 15 to 20 and main dishes from EURO 28 to EURO 35 based "on the fresh products available on that particular day and of course the market price of these products...." (and maybe on the number of La Fourchette booking they had :o)
(I can't remember the precise digits but the idea is to give you outside a window of the price, even if the window is not that wide this is still surprising).

On the menu they gave you inside the restaurant both appetizers and main dishes were on the highest price of the window'menu (again all at the same price)

The discount usually doesn't apply to drinks, "could be" the reason that they're pushy for wine

PS: It seems that we share the same love for "Flying beurk"

Thank you Nicolas & Tcook.
Yes the discount was definitely valid on that particular day. The "lovely" manager told me that he had some other tables with the discount that particular night.

Unfortunately we made the booking on an Iphone at the last minute and didn't print anything so there is no way to prove anything


Don't you see your reservation details on your online account? (my account section of the iPhone App) :confused::confused:

When you arrived at the restaurant, haven't you given your reservation details? :confused::confused:

If you have made your reservation online, La Fourchette can easily see it, and then you can send a complaint letter to them if discount was not properly applied.

Don't you see your reservation details on your online account? (my account section of the iPhone App) :confused::confused:

When you arrived at the restaurant, haven't you given your reservation details? :confused::confused:



Yes you can even review the reservations details afterwards, however there are no indications if a discount applied or not
I have even checked some previous booking with & without discounts and nothing is indicated.

At the restaurant, we just mentioned our name and they found us. Should we mention upon check in that we book with La Fourchette ? With a discount ?

If you have made your reservation online, La Fourchette can easily see it, and then you can send a complaint letter to them if discount was not properly applied.

Not sure if it's very useful to make a complain to La Fourchette as the so "Friendly and full of integrity" manager applied the discount at the end.

My 5 cents : The manager is dishonest. He knew that we were entitled to a discount but tried to charge full price.
Also when he showed me the check I was at the counter (wanted to pay before my guests:o) and just said with my cc in hands, "believe there is a discount for la Fourchette booking"
And he replied "yes the discount was available tonight on la Fourchette but you chose to book without the discount"... Welcome to the twilight zone.

Maybe I should have not have the credit card in hands and don't use the word "believe" when arguing a bill

The "manager" is the owner of this restaurant

Looking at La Fourchette reviews, the comments on Au Gourmand are very good (rate: 8/20)

Rates include "Gastronome" guests, with no suspiscion of complacent votes.

There is no comments about discount which is not applied.

In the terms and conditions of La Fourchette website, it is clearly said that "Should I claim the promotion to the restaurateur? No. At the time of booking, the restaurant is automatically notified that it is a reservation with promotion. This promotion is automatically applied to your bill. You can invite your friend (s) discreetly! A restaurateur may forget to apply the promotion: no worries! you can remind him when to pay, or if you remember once you left the restaurant, you can report it to us, and we will contact him. "

This promotion is automatically applied to your bill. You can invite your friend (s) discreetly!

That's cheap :) I like it.

Looking at La Fourchette reviews, the comments on Au Gourmand are very good (rate: 8/20)

Rates include "Gastronome" guests, with no suspiscion of complacent votes.

There is no comments about discount which is not applied.

In the terms and conditions of La Fourchette website, it is clearly said that "Should I claim the promotion to the restaurateur? No. At the time of booking, the restaurant is automatically notified that it is a reservation with promotion. This promotion is automatically applied to your bill. You can invite your friend (s) discreetly! A restaurateur may forget to apply the promotion: no worries! you can remind him when to pay, or if you remember once you left the restaurant, you can report it to us, and we will contact him. "

Thank you for T&C.

It's often when there is a problem that we can see if someone is good or not.
This owner is definitely not good.

Anyway, it won't be the first "gourmet" restaurant" under chapter 11

Thank you for T&C.

It's often when there is a problem that we can see if someone is good or not.
This owner is definitely not good.

Anyway, it won't be the first "gourmet" restaurant" under chapter 11

they have chapter 11 in france?

they have chapter 11 in france?

What on earth is Chapter 11?

Chapter 11 : it's called "Redressement judiciaire" in French, not exactly the same than chapter 11 but the same spirit : company is not doing well

Chapter 11 : it's called "Redressement judiciaire" in French, not exactly the same than chapter 11 but the same spirit : company is not doing well

To 97% of the planet Chapter 11 is what follows Chapter 10 in a book, it appears you're referring to some obscure foreign legal term.

What on earth is Chapter 11?

It's a form of financial bankruptcy in the USA.

To 97% of the planet Chapter 11 is what follows Chapter 10 in a book, it appears you're referring to some obscure foreign legal term.

Yes you're fully right, and there is after a chapter 12 and also a chapter 13, sometimes even a chapter 14 if this is a big book :D

To make it easy : restaurant Au goumaud = restaurant "Kaput"

Anyway, it won't be the first "gourmet" restaurant" under chapter 11

What is your source to say so? :confused::confused:

What is your source to say so? :confused::confused:

It was ironic
Usually speaking Good restaurants / companies stay in business.
Bad restaurants don't.
It's a little trivial but usually speaking it's true

Nicolas : do you believe acceptable that the precise price of each dish is not indicated on the window menu !!
Only a bracket is indicated and of course the menu handed inside the restaurant is the highest price of the bracket.
Is that a sign of a serious company ?

Even if we put aside the rest of my experience there (screaming manager who asked not to come back etc etc), this single factor of no precise price clearly shows that this company sucks

Will you go there to experience their wonderful and innovative customer service ?