We came for a pre theatre meal on Saturday evening. Being so close to the theatre every other diner was also attending the same show, giving the restaurant the challenge of having everyone arrive at the same time and everyone having to leave at the same time and having to feed everyone in a 2 hour slot. They managed this amazingly. We were 1 of the first tables in and were seated by a member of staff and given menus. The lady explained that due to everyone being pre theatre, they would be taking our drinks and food order together, to get our food order into the kitchen before the next guests arrived. She then left us to browse through the menu whilst she seated more guests. 5 minutes later she returned to take our full order. She explained that a number of orders go to the kitchen at the same time and there may be a wait for the food but we would have plenty of time for 3 courses before having to leave for the theatre. Our drinks were brought to our table by a male member of staff who was courteous and polite. During our visit, each time re ordered additional drinks, we only had to ask the lady and within minutes the male member of staff (barman) had them at the table. Our food took a little time to arrive but we were explained this on arrival. People need to understand that pre theatre dining is different to a normal dining experience, If 50 people arrive at a pre theatre restaurant at once, it is obvious that everyone is not going to be fed in 20 mins, we knew to expect this and had allowed 2 hours for our visit. Knowing we may have a little wait for our food, we relaxed and enjoyed the drinks and company. The restaurant was warm, vibrant and was playing Cher (we were heading to the Cher show at the Mayflower Theatre) After 40 minutes from arrival, 30 min after ordering, I noticed the food for the tables that had arrived the same time as us, started to have there meals delivered to the tables, the table next to me received there’s before us, even though we ordered moments before, but maybe our meals just took longer to prepare. Our meals were brought 2 at a time, the young man placed the first 2, then explained he was going back downstairs to get the other 2. After placing the 2nd lot of meals he asked if we needed anything else. On looking at our plates we could see why our food had took time. Each meal was homemade, our fish was freshly battered, our pasta freshly made, our burger freshly grilled. The food was fresh, tasty and exceeded our expectations. We leisurely ate our food safe in the knowledge that we had plenty of time until we needed to leave for the show. By the time we finished our meals the restaurant was full upstairs and down, we were not fussed that our plates were not taken straight away, a young man came and removed our plates within 10 minutes of us finishing our food and asked if we would like to see the desert menu, the lady brought us the menus and we ordered desserts and more drinks. The drinks were brought to the table almost instantly by the barman again. The desserts arrived within 15 minutes. We ate and drank with plenty of time to get to the theatre (which is a 2 minute walk) I asked the waitress how many people were in the restaurant, she told me 110 people all going to the theatre. So 110 people to be fed and watered in 120 minutes, that’s a huge task and this restaurant managed it amazingly. The staff remained polite and cheerful through the whole 2 hours and made our visit a great one. TIP- if you are going pre theatre, give yourself plenty of time. I would say 1.5-2 hours. Everyone will be wanting to eat and leave at the same time as you, so any less than 1 hour and 15 mins before your show starts would be cutting it fine to get a full service. Be prepared that the service may be slightly different to a normal restaurant service, the food may take longer to come, plates may take longer to clear but inevitably you will fed and watered before the show starts. We will be returning
The Quarter Lounge – Southampton