Gamelle

[miranda]

I was meeting a friend for Lunch this week and we decided on Gamelle on College at Bathurst...have eaten there before...good Bistro fare...I arrived at 11:45...the place was empty... door was open all the lights were on...maitre d 'said have a seat anywhere ...read the Menu...and make your choices...but I will not serve you until Noon exactly...he said for 15 minutes you can decide what you'd like but nothing will happen or arrive before 12:00...and I asked and why is that...he said because I do not serve til Noon...Guess what...we didn't eat there and don't know if I'll return...it's not that great anyway with all the choices on College....Miranda

[praj]

This may not surprise some of you...true Gamelle story from today: My fiancee and I like Gamelle, but it's been a while, so we decided it was time to go again. I called to make reservations and was speaking to 'someone' from the restaurant who couldn't hear me on the phone (I was in a quiet office, he in a loud restaurant in the afternoon). After spelling my last name to him three times, I told him "close enough"...he says "no, I need it right for my database". I said "I'm not sure what else I can do, I've spelled it for you three times", and he hangs up on me! I called back 3x, he hangs up 3x! I went down in person to complain - turns it it was owner Jean-Pierre who hung up on me because I was rude to him (huh???). I said 'this isn't Paris', i.e. you can't treat a customer like sh*t and expect them to come anyway. He's just lost a customer for good, and he says "good!" This is beyond shocking to me; needless to say, we're never going there again. What a joke...

[jayt90]

Could be staff arriving late, LLBO regs., a family fight. But the only good reason to leave is if the attitude was condescending, or you were short on time. But it's your call.

[millygirl]

Yes, you are right in that it could be many reasons but the fact is he should have explained further. Besides LLBO doesn't have anything to do with taking a lunch order. From what the original poster says, he sounded pretty abrupt and I probably would have left also.

[Jean Georges]

I wonder if there has been a chance in ownership, as I have been there 3 or 4 times and had excellent service every time. My last visit was about 1 year ago. I like the cozy room, the nice little patio at back, and have found the food to be quite good. A bit on the expensive side but overall I have liked enough to return several times. But if the service has gone downhill I wouldn't go back - the food wasn't good enough to overcome bad service.

[balthazar]

Yes that is strange. I have been there 3 or 4 times also (for dinner only, the last time about a year ago) and the service was excellent, food very good. Classic, cozy atmosphere. It is one (was?) of my favourite restos in the city. I hope it has not gone downhill...

[cowhound]

AFAIK the owner has not changed and the server is his wife.

[JamieK]

+

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Gamelle
468 College St, Toronto, ON M6G1A1, CA

[Minnow]

I don't know what is going on at that place, but when I was there in the summer I saw the maitre d' (owner?) ask people to leave because they got up to go to the bar to get a drink when they had been sitting there for at least a half an hour without service (which was agonizingly slow.) The food there is nowhere near good enough to make up for the horrible service and attitude.

[millygirl]

LOL, that is too funny. My morning laugh, thanks Minnow.