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| - My wife and I have been to the River Café many times for special occasions (anniversaries, birthdays, etc). For several years this restaurant has been one of our go-to places for a nice meal. Unfortunately a recent experience has changed our opinion of the River Café.
We decided it would be a great idea to order one of the River Cafe's picnic baskets and have a picnic lunch in Prince's Island Park. We ordered a day in advance (as required by the restaurant), and picked up our picnic basket a little after noon the following day. We found a bench in the park and started in on our lunch (the food was great - I'll give credit where credit is due). Unfortunately about 10 minutes after we sat down in the park, the weather took a turn. The clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, and it got downright cold. Not Calgary winter cold, but cold and windy enough that you wouldn't want to be sitting outside to eat your lunch. We promptly packed up and headed back to the restaurant to ask if we could sit down at a table inside to enjoy the rest of our lunch. I was shocked when we were told that we were not allowed in the restaurant. We were told "picnic baskets are for take-out only".
If the restaurant had been full, I would have completely understood. I estimate that the place was 20% full - there were plenty of empty tables, and the lunch rush was over by this time. I also understand that having a picnic basket sitting on a table doesn't exactly scream "high-end restaurant", and that they are trying to uphold a certain image. This seemed to be the main sticking point for them. To resolve this, I asked if they could simply take the picnic basket to the kitchen and plate the food. This seemed like an easy fix - arrange the food nicely on a couple plates, and the restaurant doesn't have to worry about an unsightly picnic basket on their table. Furthermore, their customers get to stay warm and eat in comfort. I was told this wouldn't be possible.
Needless to say we left the River Café absolutely fuming. I understand that the picnic baskets are meant to be a take-out lunch, but management should use common sense when enforcing their policies around this program. When a customer pays $70 for a take-out lunch and asks to come inside when the weather turns, they should be welcomed into the restaurant if there are available tables.
This whole experience has completely ruined our impression of the River Café. We won't be back.
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