WINNIPEG, Manitoba  -- Usually people like a restaurant because of the great food. Quite often if the food is average and the service is less than, chances are they won't go back. Paradise restaurant on Leila Ave. is a perfect example of an eatery with amazing food but less than acceptable service.

       Having dined at the restaurant several times over the last year and never once having service better than inmates in a jail would get, it makes me wonder why I continue to go back. And by that I mean plates are dropped in front of you, if an employee doesn't hear you it's "huh?" instead of "pardon me?" And good luck if you're just wanting a refill of water.

       Jump ahead to Thursday, May 24. Getting into Paradise shortly after 9 p.m. (it's open until 10:30 - remember that, it's important to the story) I'm with a colleague and we stand at the front where a woman leaning over the bar to the right looks at us, not welcoming us or even acknowledging that we are there. It isn't until I say, "Um, hello?" that she walks over and asks what we want.

       "A table for two," is my response. We're seated and given menus. She let's us know that she is new and it's her first day. Thankfully my colleague and I both have a sense of humour so we joke around with her to put her at ease.

       I order a caesar salad while my cohort gets the usual feta salad. There are no olives on his and the server points out that she doesn't know where they are and asked if he wants them. It was amusing at the time until he is later given a giant bowl of diced olives.

       Meals and service are slow at the restaurant. Again, thankfully the food is awesome but is it worth feeling unwelcome and rushed? Because it takes a long time to get a pizza -- which on last check Dominos could take the order, make and it deliver it in about 15 minutes - we are fast approaching 10 p.m. by the time the main course arrives. Problem is, the plates still hadn't. And no, we can't blame business of the restaurant considering there are only three tables being used and two are already served the main course. Here we are sitting and staring at a pizza only to finally get the tableware about five minutes later.

       The meal is finally complete. Again, delicious as always. Since the drink menu is still on the table I decide to order a strawberry daiquiri. Because of our table's close proximity we are able to hear the discussion at the bar (which is around the corner) where one of the seasoned, well-trained (although that's debatable) servers reminds the new chick that "we close at 10:30. Did you tell them we close at 10:30?"

       A quick check of the time shows that it's only 10:17 p.m. when the beverage arrives. Even that took a while as we overheard a debate about which is the proper glass to serve the drink in. I'm even offered a larger straw, presumably so that I'll finish the drink faster. I refuse the new straw but am given it anyway by the pushy server. All the while we still hear staff, including the owner of the restaurant, asking from around the corner, "Are those guys still here?" The bossy server kindly reminds us that the place closes soon.

       We've now heard at least three times the encouragement the new employee is getting from her colleagues and she lets us know that it's pretty much time to get going, despite not finishing my drink. I give my colleague a look of disgust and he knows what's coming next.

       As we mosey on up to the front to pay, the owner is there feverishly tallying up the register receipts and I point out that we could hear every comment that was made about us 'lingering.' The instructional server is vacuuming and first denies being rude directly to us and then admits she was simply reminding that Paradise closes at 10:30. What's worse, the owner denies knowing anything about what I am talking about. He later suggests he "could understand how it could be taken as rude," all the while not making contact as his fingers hammer away on his calculator.

       Here we are, leaving after a $40 meal and a confrontation with three staff members in the lobby of Paradise on Leila Ave.  What happens in the end? Paradise lost. Why? Because you can't win arguing with a customer who really is right.