Yuck, Another Conti's Lunch

I really abhor Conti's. It must've started when they opened their branch in Greenbelt 2. They have the ability to hire the worst staff. No customer service at all. Then, their people are so slow. Like ordering another glass of your bottomless lemonade will take them eons, and by the time they give you your 3rd glass, it is lukewarm already, and no amount of asking for additional ice, will convince their waiters that you do need ice.

I especially hate them during the holiday season. When you try to buy any of their pastries during a holiday, they give you numbers and call you one by one, asking their patrons to wait outside. And no amount of pre-ordering will get you anything, they will insist on a first-come, first serve basis for their clients. Seriously, they have to change their style! I would never recommend any a-lister to eat here.

That said, unfortunately, Lynx and I had to endure yet another lunch at Conti's just yesterday. She picked me up from the lobby of my office, and we were wondering where to proceed for lunch. Due to Conti's unfortunate nearness to my building, we opted to eat there instead as Lynx had to be back at New World Hotel soon. Lynx Alarcon used to be one my staff in the building, she is currently one of the Concierge supervisors in New World Makati City Hotel.

When we got to Conti's the lady who was pretending to be the receptionist curtly asked us to wait. No sense of being polite at all, but like I said, I'm used to their horrid staff already. We saw one of the managers of New World, and we decided to eat with their party instead. We proceeded up to the 2nd floor of the restaurant, where there were 2 other managers from the hotel waiting at the table already. Since it was a table for four, we asked if we could have an additional table annexed to extend it. The waiters said NO, because it would entail blocking the path. We asked for a solution to this particular predicament, and all the waiter said was that they will have to seat Lynx and myself at another table. FINE! I don't want to argue! I just wanted to have my lunch and get it over with.

They ended up seating us at another table good for four also at the 2nd floor. They can't put an additional small table in the previous group, but they can afford to seat 2 people at a table for four? Very fishy, as fishy as their Baked Salmon. Like I said, I was hungry, and we just needed to talk over lunch so we let this one slide.

Upon ordering, the waiter, who looked yet again very sluggish and slow, informed us that the waiting time for the food was 40 minutes. WTF! 40 minutes! It would've been faster if we ordered from Shakey's?!?! But we were there already, and since we had struggled for the table already, Lynx and I decided to wait it out.

We both ordered Chicken Ballotine:

And Angel Hair Puttanesca:

And of course Mango Bravo, which I wasn't able to take a snapshot of anymore. We asked for the bill, and it took them so long to bring up the change, Lynx and I ended up going downstairs to the cashier to get it. Horrid!

So sad, the food at Conti's naman is good. It isn't fantastic, or life-altering, its okay. This is what happens when a company who used to just cater ends up opening a restaurant. Food service is different between catering and a restaurant. They should've been ready to train their staff. It has been a couple of years, give or take, since that restaurant has opened in Greenbelt, and as of writing time, I still dread having to eat there because of their horrible service.