Torquay – Harvester
I can’t recall eating at a Harvester before and after checking, there aren’t any in Norfolk with the nearest being in Lowestoft and Ipswich. And, when I heard that every meal comes with a free all you can eat salad bar I was entirely sold and it didn’t much to persuade Ross who eats too much salad.
I had downloaded the app in advance of the visit and it was this offer that tempted us. It’s advertised in the venue itself, but they do need to see the app to be able to scan the code which I can imagine annoys a few people. Fortunately, I was prepared and ready…. We were seated promptly but our order wasn’t taken for over ten minutes, which seemed a lifetime when the thought of all you can eat lettuce was on my mind.
The salad bar and there was also bread, butter, dressings and most importantly of all, olives. Indeed, I managed to get through all the olives in the container which I was quite pleased with, I like to complete things. Now, if there were pickles as well then this might have gone up just another notch…..
My third salad bowl with some of the olives all covered in a Caesar dressing.
The main event, the half roast chicken with fries and sweetcorn fritter type things. I had the naga chilli dip as I like a bit of spice, but I also just brought the bottle over as well to add to the whole arrangement. The chicken was tender, moist and plentiful, with the fritter things adding texture to the meal. The chips were also firm on the exterior and fluffy on the inside, with everything at the appropriate temperature. I went for a pint of Stowford Press as some variety from having beer. It wasn’t the best cider I’ve had, but it was entirely drinkable.
Looking at the on-line reviews, they’re high for a chain restaurant, so it seems that most customers leave happy and content. I had a little look through the reviews and there was one customer that was apparently near to a panic attack because of the service…. Anyway, I liked the restaurant’s reply:
“I am very sorry to read that you did not enjoy your visit with us and even more sorry than you felt you couldn’t either ask to speak to the manager to discuss your concerns or contact us directly after leaving rather than posting your comments on, not just 1 but 2 social media platforms.”
They have a point….
“Today, after my family had dinner, Jamie started sorting out our plates. While he was stacking up the plates, he asked me if I could put my leftovers on top of the plates. And I was like, “Sorry?” He just repeated what he said and added “because I don’t want to touch it (pointing on my leftovers).” He already sorted out our used utensils, so I had no choice but to pick up my leftovers barehandedly… I just felt like it was rude”
That’s sub-optimal to be fair to the customer….
“Was greeted by a very stuffy, sarcastic member of staff who enquired as to whether I had booked. I said I hadn’t and did not realise that you needed too as I just walk in my local Harvester. With a snort, she retorted well Torquay is a major holiday destination in the summer and you can’t just walk in. No problem, I’ll walk right out again.”
I suspect the restaurant wasn’t too concerned….
“Told staff allergic to jalapenos make sure none on nachos still found one hiding under salsa brought it up with waitress she couldn’t have cared less complete joke !!!! Rest of food was of good quality. Maybe they should show an interest in customers food requitmrenents as eating this jalepeno would have put one of us in hospital”
Highly undesirable, although the restaurant was hugely apologetic.
The team member apologised that she forgot the checkback (pro-actively, I didn’t complain) but I think she was Polish, so I decided that she was inevitably forgiven for that as I’m just a bit pro-Polish. The surroundings were generally clean and the venue was surprisingly busy for a weekday lunchtime, so they’re clearly doing quite a lot right. And because the salad bar had all the olives I could eat, I was entirely happy. I’d go again, the whole set-up was actually better than I expected and it’s a much more popular venue than I had anticipated.
