This is a review of the Fat Duck's choice of reser...

This is a review of the Fat Duck's choice of reservation system. Thanks to it I could not complete my booking after spending FOUR HOURS trying. A restaurant of this calibre might think to employ a booking service that actually works.

Tried to make a reservation online for four hours while waiting for IT staff to fix issues. Given that spots only become available once a month, a four hour downtime at the exact moment they become available is not indicative of preparedness. As soon as support staff emailed everyone that the issues were fixed, I tried booking. It still presented the exact same error. I tried every solution they told me and more - different browsers, opening and closing, tried three different computers, deleted browsing history. Everything didn't work and within 15 minutes the available date I kept frantically trying to unsuccessfully book was taken by someone else. The support staff said that once the site went live, there was nothing they could do except try to avoid issues for next time. Needless to say this was extremely frustrating and a complete waste of my time.

I tried calling the Fat Duck, but no answer and no way to leave voicemail or send an email. Hopefully someone from the restaurant reads this review and takes their vendor to task. I hear your food is amazing but it may be difficult to appreciate if I already have a bitter taste in my mouth.