I love food. I love trying new dishes and discovering new restaurants and I especially love writing about my experiences on google reviews. But I also love writing blogs about food. And so, last year I started writing about my experience on Hive Blog. At first, I only wrote about the places I loved and the food that I thought was amazing. But then I realised that it was important to share my bad experiences as well, so people would know what to avoid. So my reviews are always honest, even if that means writing about a place that's popular but didn't live up to my expectations.
Honesty is always the best policy - even when it's difficult
I was hesitant to write this review today because the restaurant in question is very popular among Pakistanis in Sweden and I didn't want to say anything that might upset the owners. But then I realised that all I wanted to do was share my experience honestly, in the hopes that it might prompt the owners to make some changes and improve their business. In the end, honesty is always the best policy - even when it's difficult.
Balancing Work and Family
I wanted to complete my pending office work before Easter vacation, so I planned to stay late in the office on Tuesday. I called my wife and told her that we would open our fast at the Royal restaurant. I told her to take the children and come to my office at the time of Iftar. The restaurant is only ten minutes away from my office, so I thought 20 minutes would be plenty of time to get there. However, when we arrived at the restaurant, we realised that all the parking spaces were full. We ended up having to park quite a distance away from the restaurant. When we finally made it inside, the place was packed! Obviously, we weren't the only ones with the same idea.
First Impression
After we entered the restaurant, we stood there for a few seconds, hoping that someone would come and show us to our table. But when no one came, I went to the counter and told them that we had booked a table. The person at the counter pointed to a table in front and said to sit there, because that was the only empty table. There were only 5 minutes left until we could break our fast, so I went back to the counter and told the person that we had already ordered food, and asked when it would be served. The person said, "Okay, you are the one who reserved the table, right? So your table is over there," and led us inside the restaurant to a round table in the farthest corner.
How Royal sweets and Restaurant Failed to Meet Basic Standards of Cleanliness and Customer Service
It was an uncomfortable feeling that ruined our entire dining experience. Unfortunately, despite its name, Royal, this establishment fails to meet even the most basic standards of cleanliness and customer service. Seeing such a filthy condition of the chair, I was saying something before my wife said that there are 2 minutes before breaking the fast, so for now, put your jacket on the chair and sit. We couldn't believe that such irresponsibility could be shown in the hospitality industry. A spirit of service is vital to succeed as a professional in this rewarding sector of the hospitality industry. Which we were missing here. The distance between the chairs at the table and the wall was so congested that my belly was hitting the table.
Food Review
We ordered beef korma, chicken biryani, spinach paneer, chicken sizzler and chicken chili.
As far as the aroma of the spices and their combination and taste is concerned, the food was very tasty but the chicken was rubbery. The beef looked like it had been boiled in water and then added to the curry which made the meat dry and tasteless.
Conclusion
Any restaurant, large or small, must maintain high standards of cleanliness and customer service in order to remain successful and profitable. Customers come first - If a restaurant does not prioritize meeting the needs of its customers, it will likely suffer both financially and reputationally.
Disclaimer
As I mentioned in my intro, from the last 2 decades I have been active on social media, google mapping and reviews, youtube and thatsup. I will share my own past interesting content from these channels, but all my upcoming content I will share on hive.blog first.