Small, Casual Groups are not for Teatro
A glimpse of the beautifully historic Teatro building on the corner of 8th Avenue and Macleod Trail SE, and one can't help but wonder at the extravagance and elegance that lies inside. My first experience eating at Teatro was pretty positive: my loaded friend was buying so I was able to place my worry over money aside for a few hours, but I was nervous about what I was wearing and who the typical clientele were in this majestic place. It turns out I was nervous for no reason, really. The decor is lovely, yet understated, and the space is strategically filled with tables and alcoves. The food was yummy, but not anything to rave about. And the clientele were what you'd expect at a relatively high end restaurant.
My opinion of this restaurant continued to grow over the years from other experiences. The food remain tastier than average, yet not to die for (by any means), but it was the ambiance and thrill of walking into such a historical building that grabbed me. Our dinner club decided on Teatro because others have held this same fascination for the restaurant.
Booking an evening out for a group of 13 quickly turned into a mini-nightmare. As it unfolded, I realized that our experience no longer followed the reasons we set up this dinner club in the first place.
To start off, you have to reserve weeks in advance and put down a $500 deposit for a group of 6 or more. Once you hit this tier, you have to fill out a contract. Now, I get why they would want this for a company function or wedding or some other gathering, but we are a casual group, who don't care if things take longer than they normally would for a smaller group. This timing issue seemed to be a big point of contention with them - what ever I requested or asked about, the issue of time to table came up. We honestly wouldn't care if someone's meal came out slightly later than another person's. We go to chat and enjoy ourselves.
The fundamental purpose of our dinner club is to get together with friends, try new food, and chat. With a group, you must now select a pre-arranged menu from their "Events" portfolio. Everyone is served the exact same thing, with the exception of the 2 options for an entree (oh my!). I've been asked what wine and water I wanted served, along with what logo to put on our menu. I can appreciate how more formal groups may want this for their event, but it's clearly lost on Teatro that some people just go to enjoy the food and each others' company.
Tonight is our reservation, and, to be honest, I'm no longer looking forward to the experience. I'm already disappointed that I won't be eating something I truly want, and I'm so scared that I'm going to stuck paying for people who may not show up, or who do not agree with the $120 / person charge (at least). The entire bill now has to be charged to my card, too, which is quite unacceptable for our purposes.
Throughout this process, I have questioned why we are going to Teatro. We looked for options to get out of the group contract requirements. We discussed at length whether we should cancel or not right up until the last possible minute. In retrospect, this situation is not ideal for us - we are now down to 7 people, just over the group size requirement, too. We should have booked 3 separate tables for 4-5 people each to ensure everyone could enjoy the night. Alas, it is what it is, but I wanted to share the difficulties and, quite frankly, unreasonable requirements Teatro has imposed on us. This is what any group over 6 could experience, so I suggest for people not looking for a limited menu at an extravagant cost find a different restaurant. Almost every other one in Calgary can handle a group of our size without hesitation. We are easy-going, just out to enjoy great food and try something new.
The positive spin to this is that now our group is so small that we should all be able to chat to each other and have it feel more intimate than if we were spread out down a long table.
Stay tuned for the review...
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| Source: calgaryculture.com |
My opinion of this restaurant continued to grow over the years from other experiences. The food remain tastier than average, yet not to die for (by any means), but it was the ambiance and thrill of walking into such a historical building that grabbed me. Our dinner club decided on Teatro because others have held this same fascination for the restaurant.
Booking an evening out for a group of 13 quickly turned into a mini-nightmare. As it unfolded, I realized that our experience no longer followed the reasons we set up this dinner club in the first place.
To start off, you have to reserve weeks in advance and put down a $500 deposit for a group of 6 or more. Once you hit this tier, you have to fill out a contract. Now, I get why they would want this for a company function or wedding or some other gathering, but we are a casual group, who don't care if things take longer than they normally would for a smaller group. This timing issue seemed to be a big point of contention with them - what ever I requested or asked about, the issue of time to table came up. We honestly wouldn't care if someone's meal came out slightly later than another person's. We go to chat and enjoy ourselves.
The fundamental purpose of our dinner club is to get together with friends, try new food, and chat. With a group, you must now select a pre-arranged menu from their "Events" portfolio. Everyone is served the exact same thing, with the exception of the 2 options for an entree (oh my!). I've been asked what wine and water I wanted served, along with what logo to put on our menu. I can appreciate how more formal groups may want this for their event, but it's clearly lost on Teatro that some people just go to enjoy the food and each others' company.
Tonight is our reservation, and, to be honest, I'm no longer looking forward to the experience. I'm already disappointed that I won't be eating something I truly want, and I'm so scared that I'm going to stuck paying for people who may not show up, or who do not agree with the $120 / person charge (at least). The entire bill now has to be charged to my card, too, which is quite unacceptable for our purposes.
Throughout this process, I have questioned why we are going to Teatro. We looked for options to get out of the group contract requirements. We discussed at length whether we should cancel or not right up until the last possible minute. In retrospect, this situation is not ideal for us - we are now down to 7 people, just over the group size requirement, too. We should have booked 3 separate tables for 4-5 people each to ensure everyone could enjoy the night. Alas, it is what it is, but I wanted to share the difficulties and, quite frankly, unreasonable requirements Teatro has imposed on us. This is what any group over 6 could experience, so I suggest for people not looking for a limited menu at an extravagant cost find a different restaurant. Almost every other one in Calgary can handle a group of our size without hesitation. We are easy-going, just out to enjoy great food and try something new.
The positive spin to this is that now our group is so small that we should all be able to chat to each other and have it feel more intimate than if we were spread out down a long table.
Stay tuned for the review...
 |
| Source: www.weddingbells.ca |
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