Ugandan Dining Experience

Going out to eat in Uganda is very different than in the US.  Let me break it down for you.

The customer service here is horrible.  In the US, there are very high customer service standards, so I guess my expectations are unrealistic in Uganda.  Imagine that every time you go out, it’s the server’s first day on the job.  They don’t know what’s on the menu; they forget to bring silverware and napkins; when you specifically ask for ketchup, it never comes; etc.  And when you ask for the bill, expect that it will take at least 15 minutes to write up and another 15 minutes to pay/figure out the change.  (Remember, no computers or credit cards.) 

Personal example: I was with some friends at a pizza place in Kampala.  We had placed our order and were waiting for the drinks.  The server went and got the bottles of Coke and placed them on the counter by the kitchen (a direct view for us).  Then he disappeared for 10 minutes or so.  When he eventually came back, he still did not bring the drinks.

PCV:  Can I have my Coke please?

Server:  It is just there (pointing to the Coke on the counter).

PCV:  Why don’t you bring it here?!?!

So let’s say you actually have a decent server at a restaurant – odds are the kitchen doesn’t have half of the food on the menu.  Most local restaurants don’t have refrigerators (or electricity), which means they can’t store food overnight.  Each morning someone has to go to the market, get the food for the day, bring it back, and start preparing it.  (Restaurants usually don’t start serving food until 10:00am or 11:00am.)  And if mangoes aren’t in season, they won’t be making the mango salsa that’s listed on the menu.

Personal example:  A group of us went out to eat at a local bar/restaurant.  We ordered drinks and a few plates of French fries to share.  (There aren’t many choices for vegetarians at local restaurants.)  It took over 1 ½ hours to get the fries.  I’m guessing the kitchen staff went out and bought the potatoes, soaked them, peeled them, heated the oil, and finally fried the potatoes.  Lesson learned – it’s better to arrive at a restaurant 1-2 hours before you’re hungry.

“It is finished” is a common phrase in Uganda when something is broken or gone, like my apples are finished because I ate the last one at lunch.  If you go to a restaurant late in the afternoon, almost all of the food is finished.  There’s just nothing left in the kitchen and they’re not going out to buy more.

Personal example: We sat down for dinner at a restaurant and the server came over and said: “The pork is finished, the fish is finished, the burgers are finished, and the chicken will take more than one hour to prepare.”  (I think the chickens were still running around out back.)  I ordered a veggie burger because its vegetables, not beef.  “Oh sorry, it is not there.”  Someone else ordered the tuna salad and the server came back with a tin of sardines.  “Is this okay?”  Um, no – that is NOT tuna.  [Everyone ended up ordering virtually the same meal and I had a vegetable sandwich, which is somehow different than the vegetable burger.]

Sometimes it’s just easier to cook at home instead of dealing with the stress of going out to eat.