reviewer189934 at 08:32 - 03 Nov, 2008 said:

Damien, I know this restaurant well.
The manager docent do brown nosing at all well.
Was this the real problem?

reviewer189937 at 14:06 - 03 Nov, 2008 said:

I think this i a terrible review. Not from the point of a well done review admonishing poor service bt from the point of view of the review itself being presented in a poor fashion. It is bitter, vendictive, mean and personal. If you are unhappy, say so. If you can recommend reasonable improvements, do so. This review however attacks a person (the manager) who may have family including children who could read this. The possible upset therefore is real and personal. Also, some people are not offended by vullgar language and it may not be inappropriate to use it in their company. The web represents a wide and varied audience. I believe it is damaging to louder voice that this type of review be allowed.

Damien Mulley at 23:45 - 03 Nov, 2008 said:

The manager doesn't do brown nosing? I'd agree. He also doesn't do politeness, common courtesy, manners, business sense, gratitude or the basics of service.

Damaging to Louder Voice? Free speech can be a burden like that can't it?

I find it highly suspicious that two new members to the site come here JUST to defend Hardwood.

Damien Mulley at 00:17 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

Also, in case anyone isn't aware, representing yourself as a member of the public when you are from the establishment is now a breach of EU consumer law

Conor O'Neill at 09:00 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

@reviewer189937 Diversity of opinion makes LouderVoice stronger, it causes us no damage.

Damien's second point there is very important and unfortunately many Irish businesses are still not aware of that EU law.

arthur peter van leeuwen at 13:17 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

i want to thank all the people who are taking time to comment on this topic. in particular damien and niall as well as greg o shaunessy who brought this to my attention. i am the chef at hardwood and i try everyday to cook with innovation and passion. to hear damiens reaction to his treatment at our restaurant is disheartening. it makes one question why one bothers to put himself out there exposed to the comments of anyone. i can assure you all the two dubious replies have nothing to do with or are from anyone at the restaurant. i have only just made the manager, my business partner, aware of what has been said about him and us. we have been open for almost two years and for the most part have been able to send our customers away happy and wanting to recommend us and or return. to be truthful i have been waiting for a truly bad review and this past two weeks i have received two. the other is on menupages.ie. i take everything anyone says very seriously. good and bad. most people are willing to talk about their bad experiences more readily than their good ones. so, to hear one, you must consider the truth that lay behind it. no matter who cruel or vindictive they may be. something must have happened to make damien write what he did. i intend to find out the truth of it and do something about it. no one is perfect in this world, but i assure you all i try as hard as i can to deliver a fresh, product cooked with quality ingredients and innovation. that is my truth to myself. to push my envelope as far as i can. to step out there. and take the shots if i have to. again thank you all for honesty and your opinion. if i can do anything to help any blogger or anyone who reads this feel free to contact me chef@hardwood.ie i am willing to hear what you have to say. good and bad

thanks

arthur

Dave at 14:30 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

Well said Arthur.

It's a relief to hear that you don't take this criticism completely personally. I know it is hard to hear comments about what you do specially when you have put heart and soul into your work as many restaurant owners do. People always do seem to find it easier to take the time to say negative things when something doesn't match up to their own personal imaginary standards of service. Some times, as you know it is just the result of neglectful upbringing and a feeling they are not getting what they feel they deserve all the time.

I'm not saying this is true in Damien's case but it should be made clear also that he is a professional writer and in the business of communications. So from his personal point of view any publicity is probably good publicity.

I hope you both benefit from this engagement. It has been suggested that people often take notice of bad reviews as much as good ones, and if the issues are resolved feel that there are better reasons still to go ahead with their purchase and booking because the management have taken the steps to address the issue.

The restaurant's name has certainly come to my attention now. Maybe I'll give it a try the next time I'm in Cork.

Laurence Veale at 16:57 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

I'll give Hardwood a shot the next time I'm in Cork. I'll be particularly interested in your wine list!

reviewer189950 at 17:19 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

Hi, my name is Jerry and i am the manager of Hardwood Restaurant.
I would first like to offer my sincere apologies to Damien and his friends who ate with us last saturday. It is my job to ensure all guests are made welcome and looked after when in our establishment and i was very dissappointed to read Damiens review.
If my tone on saturday was rude that was honestly not my intention. I've worked in the service industry for 12 years and truly enjoy what i do. I have witnessed bad service on many occasions and know how it can ruin a good evening. As my colleague arthur posted earlier this review was brought to my attention today and i've spent the last number of hours soaking it in. Obviously On saturday i didn't do my job well. I know when you arrived on saturday the restaurant was quite but we had a full book from 8 pm onwards and i had to ensure i would have tables for those who had booked. I was trying to accommodate everyone but at the same time ensuring i didn't over book. Maybe i need to work on my communication skills.
Its hard when one gets a bad review but i believe if you listen to what is being said you can learn from it and become better at what you do. I assure you i have taken everything onboard and will work harder to ensure our diners have the service they deserve and expect.
Should anyone like to get in contact with me my e-mail address is jerry@hardwood.ie

Damien Mulley at 17:41 - 04 Nov, 2008 said:

"So from his personal point of view any publicity is probably good publicity. "

Dave, this is not my viewpoint and your overall tone about people leaving negative comments and linking them to a bad childhood is downright insulting for anyone that decides to be honest and help anyone else that found service lacking.

1. I don't for a second believe that the fake reviewer who wrote the two reviews just happened to come along from nowhere and leave those comments.

2. The fake reviewers have an interesting style of writing don't they? Structurally and grammatically. Many of the comments here have interesting constructions.

Jessi_Mannering at 11:17 - 05 Nov, 2008 said:

@ Dave
How on earth could Damien being just trying to get publicity when everyone who was there agrees with what he's saying? Did you even read the comments under the blog that backed it up, or are you just a Freud lover?

Reviews are an opinion of what a person has experienced whether it be a movie, hotel, or, in the case, a restaurant and everyone is entitled to their own. Damien has done a service to both the restaurant and to possible patrons by voicing a huge problem that is not only at that establishment. Now it can be corrected. The service I have received in many places I've gone to has been appalling. I only wish I had a more visited blog, like Damien, to warn people about all of them.

So to put it bluntly, if you're afraid of a bad review by anyone, cop the hell on and provide excellent food and service. Don't cry when someone calls you out.

reviewer189962 at 16:11 - 05 Nov, 2008 said:

Damien, regarding your suspicions. I am reviewer189937 above. I am not associated with Hardwood. If it is inappropriate not to say who I am then why is this possible? For your information, the email I am providing is real and this can be verified by louer voice.