Single Dining

[chez]

Having just returned from a glorious 4 day break in PP I was interested in how I was received in restaurants as a single diner. On my first night at C'an Josep I was the first arrival so had plenty of choice of tables, however the restaurant soon filled up but throughout I was looked after impeccably. On the second night I visited la llonja and, although I hadn't booked, was offered a choice of table inside or outside & again looked after very well for what was an excellent meal & dining experience. For my final night I was looking forward to a fabulous evening at Stay. Again no reservation and although the restaurant was busy it wasn't full given the time of year. Unfortunately here the priority seemed to be greeting regular diners and larger groups whilst I was left standing waiting. Eventually I was herded to a table outside at the far end of the terrace. Although it was a cold evening the patio heaters were more than adequate and the food was very good, however I was disappointed by the experience and must admit to feeling like a second class citizen. Certainly from my experience both Ca'n Josep & la llonja would be highly recommended, not just from a service & dining perspective, but in terms of how they treat single diners!

 

[kate1]

I am surprised to hear this as we have experience of being lone diners at the Stay and were both (husband and I on different occasions) treated very well - however, they do already know us en masse, so possibly they just tend to give a more effusive welcome to regulars? I think to be honest this is only to be expected wherever you eat, and it's part of the reason we go back to certain restaurants - because they know us and make a bit of a fuss of us... certainly at Stay the owner always makes a point of coming to talk to regulars. I'm sure if you went back a few times and they got to know your face, they'd soon be greeting you like a long-lost friend! One thing that always impresses me about certain restaurant staff is their ability to remember you from year to year, even though you may only have visited once - I think that shows professionalism, and it's something that seems to happen far more in Puerto Pollensa than in the UK. For example the owner at the Siller always gives us a bottle of wine as we are leaving - a lovely gesture, and yet we probably only go on average once or twice a year. I can see however that if you were eating at the Siller for the first time and saw us being singled out you might well perceive this as favouritism... it didn't happen to us until we had become 'regulars'!