Disgusting and disturbing activity at Ristretto, Rivonia!

I'm appalled and very disturbed about the working conditions of the waitpersons and child minders at Ristretto, Rivonia, as well as the exceptionally terrible customer service.

I went, with my daughter this morning for breakfast. What was supposed to be a lovely brunch turned into a very sour experience. My daughter ordered a spaghetti bolonaise and vanilla milkshake, and I, a beef burger and chips with coffee. The burger was overcooked, dry, tasteless with no basting or sauce. I had to ask the waiter to please bring tabasco, tomato sauce and mustard, just to get the burger down. I courteously asked for the manager to give feedback as he had previously come to ask how we were enjoying our food. After the feedback to manager, I sat and had my coffee while the child minder pushed the children on the swing-my daughter included. A while later, I asked for the bill and a glass of warm water and a slice of lemon. To my horror, the water tells me the restaurant now charges for the said warm water and lemon- a whole R7!

What shocked me was the audacity to charge a paying customer for water and lemon! When I asked why I'm being charged, I was told it's because of the electricity to boil the water also for the lemon. Can you imagine my horror! I ate a less than memorable breakfast, at their appalling establishment for R151, and they still wanted to charge a paying customer for water and lemon! Water and lemon!

The manager replies that it's " standard procedure." I ask, where? If I had walked in and asked for water and lemon, and not order anything- sure, charge, but not a paying customer. I then open the bill and want to tip the child minder and the waiter, to which I'm told I cannot. I ask why I can't tip them cash...the waiters keep quiet, (which signaled to me hair raising activity happening there), and the manager hesitantly says, because they are not allowed to be given cash. The tip must be paid with the bill and only at the end of the month will they receive their tip. Second shocker! The manager responds again saying, "it's standard procedure." Again I ask, "where?" which restaurant treats their poorly paid waiters like that?

I told the said manager that not only do waiters work hard and get paid peanuts, but now they (managers) take the little means of boosting their pay, away from them too.

How is a waiter going to keep track of every table who tipped him/her, the entire 30/31 days of the month? And as caring customers, how are we guaranteed the tip we give, is really given to the waiter? The manager could not answer to me- naturally! I further told him that if customers knew that that is how they are treating the very workers who serve us and take care of our children, as we peacefully eat, customers could boycott the store. Personaly, I SIMPLY CANNOT EAT AT A RESTAURANT WHICH TREATS THEIR WORKERS AS LESS THAN HUMAN, ROBBING THEM OF THEIR PERFORMANCE/SERVING RIGHT, and then want me to pay for water and lemon all because it inconvenienced the restaurant to boil water for a PAYING CUSTOMER!

Disgusting and disturbing activity at Ristretto, Rivonia. Terrible restaurant!