Frankie & Bennys, Norwich Riverside (Frankie & Benny's)

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	Frankie & Benny's
Date:	23/10/08 (370 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The exit! oh - The toilets are clean

Disadvantages: Everything

I am writing this review based on an experience my partner and I had at the Norwich restaurant on the Riverside Complex. In summary this has to be the worst place to eat in Norwich, and a restaurant I would highly recommend avoiding..........

I ended up in this, so called American Italian Restaurant on a last minute whim. I met my girlfriend after work for a few drinks, and as usual the beer was flowing, leading to the inevitable munchies. We decided to give Frankie & Bennys ("F&B") a look since neither of us had ever been to one before.

Being a Wednesday night it was easy to get a table, without booking. The first thing that struck us was the cheesy 60 style dinner look. The seats were red leather benches, musical instruments were on the walls, photos of jazz musicians etc were alongside, bright neon lights we all around etc.

We were shown to our table and given the menu. As you'd expect this place done steaks, burgers, chicken, pizza, pasta dishes etc. etc. The prices would be reasonable - if the food was good, but for the utter rubbish we were served, the prices were extortionate!!

We ordered a cheesy garlic bread, and this was the nicest part of the meal. This does not bode well when you consider that it came out of a packet, pre-prepared, and only had to be chucked under the grill till the cheese melts. Hardly rocket science and something that does not require a trained chef to do.

For some strange reason I ordered fish and chips. I know - going to an American/Italian style restaurant and ordering fish and chips. It must have been the shandy I had before hand.

The menu said beer battered fish. Naturally, I assumed that it would be a fish fillet, coated in batter and deep fried. When the meals came (which took ages to arrive - as below) I realised that it looked like the frozen cod pieces that can be bought from the frozen section of any supermarket at £0.99 for 4 'fillets'. You know the ones - the re-constituted waste fish from proper fillets with zero nutritional value and zero taste! In addition - the fillet was burnt! As I cut in to it the extremely crispy and burnt batter 'exploded' in to several pieces.

My meal was nearly £9 - which for one frozen fish fillet, a few chips and a little salad is extortionate.

My partner had some kind of pasta dish. We usually eat at Prezzos (and my partner loves the pasta there - so it was going to be difficult to beat) but the meal at F&B's was no where near Prezzos standard. It was cold, bland and the portion size was tiny. Being a size 8 my partner is not a big eater - but even she was hungry afterwards!

When the waitress finally came round to see if every thing was OK and to see if we wanted any additional sauces etc we had nearly finished. We just looked at her and carried on eating. I suppose I should have said something - but what's the point? Besides, we just wanted to get out of there. It is meant to be a quiet restaurant. Naturally you expect a bit of noise, a bit of banter etc and maybe a few loud children but this place was really loud. Screaming kids, screaming parents etc we had just about had enough.

The service was really slow, the waitress that we had was really miserable and didn't smile - It was also only seven thirty in the evening and she had a long shift ahead of her. If she was this miserable at this time, what was she going to be like later on?
She wasn't the only one. Looking around other waitresses looked just as po-faced. There was no sense of urgency and it looked like all customers were kept waiting. You could tell from the expressions, of the parents, around the restaurant that they were getting impatient. Their kids were obviously giving them grief who in turn were giving the waiting staff grief. Trying to flag down a waitress for extra condiments was a hassle, and after a few failed attempts I admitted defeat.

One thing I did note was that the staff were very quick to get the bill when you asked for it, and even quicker to get you off the table, and get the table cleaned and laid for the next victims. On more than one occasion I saw food on the counter waiting to go and the waiting staff were cleaning tables! Surely the food gets priority?!?

The drinks were expensive - but this is the same in all restaurants. Keep the meals relatively cheap and then hike the drinks right up, serve beer in bottles only and charge club prices for those drinks. Unfortunately, it is an un-avoidable thing when eating out.

The seating was awful. The tacky, faux leather covered benches are just not comfortable. You sink in to the bench and cannot move them towards, or away from the table. I'm lucky in that I am average sized but I can imagine trouble if you are larger or smaller. In addition getting off the bench is quite un-dignifying. Have to slide up to the end and then struggle out to go to the toilet.

The toilets are the only good thing about F&Bs. They are clean and modern.

The background music is cheesy - which fits in with the culture and atmosphere of F&Bs. It is not too loud, which is a re-freshing change, and actually allows you to have conversation whilst eating.

I was only too pleased to leave that place. One thing that did make me laugh was the attitude of the waitress after I had settled the bill. I tapped in my PIN number at the table and got my card back. The waitress then just stood there holding her copy of the receipt and looked at me. "Is there anything else?" I asked. She looked down at her hand, looked at me and walked away. I think the cheeky girl was asking where her tip was. There was no way I was going to give one after slow service, awful food and a complete awful experience. The best experience I had was in the toilet - and I suppose I could have left 5p in the urinal.

So, in short I will never be going in that place again - Ever. If we feel like eating out on a whim and the rest of Norwich is booked solid then I will get a take away.

I think that the only reason that F&B survives is the location. Being stuck right on the entrance to the Riverside complex and near a lot of the better bars and clubs in Norwich, and the fact that there are numerous taxi drop off points virtually outside the front door means that it is a convenient place to eat for parties on a night out, and on a night out people will 'make do'. You don't expect great food, you don't expect good service. You make the most of situation, carry on drinking and carry on the banter.

I think that it is a restaurant that will never change. It survives on what it (badly) does and that is that. It is a shame, because as a result I will never eat in any F&Bs whether it is in Norfolk, London, Cornwall - anywhere.

Summary: The worst eating experience of my life - Ever!