Chez Bruce - non-family friendly Post Reply

[Anthonyd923]

We are given vouchers for Chez Bruce in Wandsworth as a Christmas gift.

My girlfriend booked us a table. On the day we called up to check the reservation, and to check if we could bring our pram.

6 week old baby who sleeps like a dream and wouldn’t have made any fuss.

Lady on the phone said prams aren’t allowed in the restaurant.
Before my girlfriend could continue the conversation, our baby made a few noises in the background. The lady from Chez Bruce hung up the phone.

Has anyone ever encountered such poor customer service?
It was a lunch time booking.
Surely banning prams in an area with so many young families is not a great business move.

[2009Kat]

I think their website is pretty clear they don’t allow young children and babies.
We go to Chez Bruce for an adult meal away from the kids. Why not book again when your baby is a little bit older and you can leave them and enjoy some respite and a delicious meal.

[aevinnoymksed]

If you want a fancy meal, Trinity in the Old Town were previously very accommodating to us and our young baby (in pram, and even in sling in their Upstairs restaurant). 

[muddyboots]

IMO you are totally unfair to try to rant on here about the BEST local restaurant we are so lucky to have.

They are not able to accommodate prams due to space and it is a fine dining restaurant.
Your baby being a good sleeper is not the issue.

I’ve taken my children since really small, but not when they needed a pram due to space.

It’s not fair to try to criticise a business when actually they are really clear about what they can and can’t accommodate.

[Ramaboo]

Also, why do (some) people feel the need to share their grievances so publicly?
Thought this was a forum for advice, recommendations, information - criticism of specific establishments feels petty, and yet seems to be a growing trend.

If somewhere doesn't want to make me feel welcome due to my own personal circumstances or tastes not fitting their requirements, I go elsewhere. It's not as though we are short of options in this city/area. 

[bar1981]

Disagree with your comment regarding bad service. Their service is excellent and just cause they had to reiterate their T&C’s doesn’t mean that they are rude. I have 2 little ones and I understand that you may not be able to get childcare but it really is a place to unwind and have a great meal so leave it for when you can go there just by yourselves, you will not regret it.

[denshort]

We have experienced quite the opposite.

We went for lunch with our 8 month old, they had a high chair, cooked him a plate of green veg and were really accommodating.

It’s quite a small restaurant so it’s fair that they can’t have buggies in there. It’s compact at the best of times.

[Birchtree]

Congratulations on your little one.

Our experience of Chez Bruce has always been excellent and it is where we go for special occasions. When the children were very small, we booked a baby sitter so we could really relax and concentrate on each other and the wonderful food and experience. Now the (grown) children love it for their special occasions.

As others have written, Chez Bruce are very clear with their policies, and the space is one of the reasons why. Living in Nappy Valley is great, but sometimes you want to have a special “adult” meal away from very small children, and Chez Bruce has always been perfect for that.

Maybe you can get your in laws to babysit for a few hours and sneak away for a lovely, relaxing meal - just the two of you .

[this_is_cat]

Both Trinity and Chez Bruce are very clear on their websites about their child policies.

We took ours in a pram and sat outside Trinity when tiny, but they don’t have space for prams inside.

Chez Bruce also doesn’t have any space for prams or car seats, but will happily accommodate children during non-peak times.

It’s nice to be able to drag kids along to most places, but it’s nicer to know there are top notch places to go for a child-free lunch or dinner

[Scottov]

Sorry, this one is on you

They don’t have space for prams and are very clear about their policy.

[Monion]

I’m very surprised if they hung up on you - Chez Bruce has some of the best customer service I’ve experienced along with some of the best food

[Sugar'nSpice]

Regardless of how "great" Chez Bruce might be, it is extremely rude to put the phone down on anyone!! 

[TFP]

I very much hope they only "hung up the phone" after a fairly serious attempt at civility.

The policy is what it is - I 100% agree with it for dinner, and I suppose probably something like 75% agree with it for lunch.

[Natscent]

So they should try again in about eleven years then?

[toomanykidsanddogs]

We've been frequent Chez Bruce's customers for the last 12 years and I've never heard them being rude to anyone. Perhaps they would put the phone down if someone was rude to them...? I don't know. Every story has two sides, right?

As a mother of young children, I wholeheartedly agree with their no prams policy. Firstly, there really is no space at the venue for prams. Secondly, people go there for a child free meal, often for special occasions. With Trinity and Chez Bruce, I love having these two fine dining venues where I can forget about being a parent for a couple of hours and enjoy peaceful elegant dining. Children are not robots and even the best sleeping baby can unexpectedly wake up and cry or soil their nappy. Nothing wrong with it, this is what babies do, but perhaps it's not fair to inflict it on fellow dinners who are paying up to 200-300 pounds per couple to have a very special evening? We have literally hundreds of family friendly restaurants in the area, many of them serving delicious food. Babies are babies for a very short time in the greater scheme of things. Being limited with fine dining options for a few months is not the end of the world, right? It's not just about our "rights" but also about respect for fellow dinners, respect for what the restaurant is trying to create and what other people expect when they make booking at these places.

Definitely go once you have a babysiiter. It's one of the best places in London, both in terms of food and service.