My first visit to Henry J Beans met with a massive service failure which reduced their takings for the night if only by a few pounds. Reflecting on this, perhaps they don't care because I can imagine this place gets very very busy so maybe everyday is like Christmas for them and accordingly, any notion of a service ethos has gone out the window. I actually found the food here to be okay, but it presents an interesting contrast against another of our recent posts, Hard Rock Cafe, where it was the service, not the food that was the highlight. Which would I return to? If I had to go to either, it would be Hard Rock, because at Henry j Beans I was simply ignored most of the time, while at Hard Rock, they sought to make me feel wanted.
Located on the Kings Road, Chelsea, Henry J Beans is a US styled 'bar & grill' with TVs on the wall, ribs on the grill and Budweiser on tap. The interior has both high tables with bar stools, and more traditional tables with chairs. For food, I wondered if there is a dedicated dining area or can I sit and eat anywhere? Dithering accordingly, I hung around the entrance signalling clearly for a staff member to approach, no one did. I wandered a bit further in to be even more visible, nothing. I made eye contact with a waitress while standing around, she was pretty and she ignored me (these might be connected). Tired of standing, I sat at a high table, no one approached. Of course, what really irks you most in these situations is that there actually seemed to be quite a few staff, and they would often be standing around chatting to each other.
I had read the menu outside, a good job since I wasn't offered one inside, so I went to the bar and ordered. Initially I was ignored there too. Eventually, I was served. They asked me for my table number so perhaps all food does need to be ordered at the bar, though reading other reviews now that I am home strongly suggests table service is the norm. My ordered ribs arrived quite shortly after, they at least were brought to the table, though I had to ask for more than just one paper napkin. The ribs were okay, nothing special, again, leaning heavily on BBQ sauce but acceptable. But after these were cleared away, nothing. No dessert menu, no 'is there anything else I can get you', simply ignored again. I was actually going to order dessert, but after sitting at my table for a while as staff continued to talk to each other, and continued to ignore me, leaving just seemed like the best option.
So whether it is the case that Henry J Beans is too rich to care about their customers, or too stupid to care about their customers, this customer is not stupid enough to pay them a return visit.
Located on the Kings Road, Chelsea, Henry J Beans is a US styled 'bar & grill' with TVs on the wall, ribs on the grill and Budweiser on tap. The interior has both high tables with bar stools, and more traditional tables with chairs. For food, I wondered if there is a dedicated dining area or can I sit and eat anywhere? Dithering accordingly, I hung around the entrance signalling clearly for a staff member to approach, no one did. I wandered a bit further in to be even more visible, nothing. I made eye contact with a waitress while standing around, she was pretty and she ignored me (these might be connected). Tired of standing, I sat at a high table, no one approached. Of course, what really irks you most in these situations is that there actually seemed to be quite a few staff, and they would often be standing around chatting to each other.
I had read the menu outside, a good job since I wasn't offered one inside, so I went to the bar and ordered. Initially I was ignored there too. Eventually, I was served. They asked me for my table number so perhaps all food does need to be ordered at the bar, though reading other reviews now that I am home strongly suggests table service is the norm. My ordered ribs arrived quite shortly after, they at least were brought to the table, though I had to ask for more than just one paper napkin. The ribs were okay, nothing special, again, leaning heavily on BBQ sauce but acceptable. But after these were cleared away, nothing. No dessert menu, no 'is there anything else I can get you', simply ignored again. I was actually going to order dessert, but after sitting at my table for a while as staff continued to talk to each other, and continued to ignore me, leaving just seemed like the best option.
So whether it is the case that Henry J Beans is too rich to care about their customers, or too stupid to care about their customers, this customer is not stupid enough to pay them a return visit.