Harvester restaurant!

[wiggal]

I havent been to a harvester restaurant for years.
So we went for lunch there today.
Firstly, took 15 mins after we were seated to have someone take a drinks order.
Then we had soup, my partners was cold so sent it back, then we had to wait 25 mins with empty bowls in front of us for them to be taken away.
The waitress put the sauce pots on our table and they were half empty and covered in dirty finger prints and sauce!
My partners food turns up and so did the garlic bread, i then had to wait 15 mins for mine, an d when it turned up, had never seen anything like it in a restaurant before. Had ordered spaghetti bolognaise and it looked and smelt really awful. Picked a bit of the top, and it was really bad tasting too! Waitress then came up and said they wouldnt be charging me for my meal because of the wait. I wouldnt of paid for it anyway because i just could not eat it! It jst sat infront of me and well eugh!
At the end of it, we paid and the whole episode and the food left me feeling so sick, even my partner said to me to wait to get to the bush in the car park before being ill :(
Had to stand outside the car taking deep breaths to stop being ill, only just managed to get in the door before being very very sick :(
Has any one else had a meal like this in one of the big chain restaurants? Im in 2 minds as to wether i should complain to the head office or not, as i didnt have to pay for my meal. Im also not one to ever kick off about anything!
Do you think it will be worth it?

[k9 fott]

Nothings changed there then has it wiggal

[wiggal]

K9, i take it it isnt just me who has had these sort of problems at a harvester then?

[whiffey]

If it happened exactly as you describe then you absolutely must report it to head office and environmental health. The timings are not right for food poisoning, but it seems this particular outlet does need a boot up the ar$e.

[wiggal]

I wouldnt say it was food poisoning as i was ill around half hour after eating, it was the state, smell and taste of the food i had, it really was vile. My partner ended up offering me half of his meal but i just couldnt face even eating that!

Im not a fussy eater, and ive eaten many many different spaghetti bolognaises, but tbh, i would never ever serve food like that to any one, i wouldnt even give it to the dog!

[unrulyjulie]

I dont think the issue is that you didnt have to pay so you shouldnt complain. The thing is, you were looking forward to a meal out and it wasnt delivered. You came away feeling unhappy and ill! Not good! To be quite truthful what you describe is diabolical! What i wont do though is condemn every Harvester. This one must have an incredibly bad manager! I doubt this would be a universal problem within the company. Who knows though! Bad manangement and bad staff equals a bad combination .
My advice is complain. If its that bad, the situation needs addressing.

[whiffey]

No of course you can't condemn the whole company, but this is serving food to the public, and standards have to be impeccably high, for safety's sake.

wiggal, please mention this particular branch to the head office. Nauseating today could be food poisoning tomorrow.

[k9 fott]

Yea have wiggel they are about as good with food as the mindless morons that you phone up for help about things and they read to you from a computer screen and if you ask a question that diversives from anything that they have on there comp screen (god thats a big word for me will learn to spell it one day.
Have a kentucky next time at least you get served quick there.

And what is wrong with whiffey that is the first time that I have ever heard him/her or in between, ever post a serious grown up answer to anything

[whiffey]

k9 could you please repost that with all the words in the right order. Correct speling would be a bonus.

[wiggal]

Whiffey, if it had just been neausiating (sp) i dont think i would of been so peed off, but we were planning to go get some pet supplies right after, but my partner had to bring me straight back home and i was very sick.
Maybe i did say the title wrong, i cant condemn the hole company no, and i hope that there are no other restaurants in the chain as bad as this!

How do i get in touch with envronmental health to send a letter?

[k9 fott]

Dont worry about it wiggel as you will probbably have forgoten by it in a few days time.
I have just cooked a lovely home made steak.mushrooms and carrots pie with puff pastrey and lovely gravy and have breaded mushrooms and home cooked chips we are just about to tuck into it in half an hour (time for another 3 pints then) shall I e mail you some

[whiffey]

k9, could you email me as well, or even better msn ? Missing you already.

[wiggal]

No thanks K9, i will soon have a lovely tasty pizza to munch on! I dont like chips or mushrooms and very rarely eat pastry, so my option sounds much better!

[theonlyone]

A lot of the big pub chains are now franchises ,so you should
get back to Harvester and get it sorted with them .

[wiggal]

theonlyone, ive been looking on the website and couldnt see a contact us page or any kind of head office address!
But i will defnitely be finding out and making very clear that i dont just want free meal vouchers as will never go back to the restaurant and will be advising others not to!

[sleepy1]

i know some people went to one a while ago it was not very nice they said never again

[annalou]

Hi - a friend of mine eats regularly at his local harvester - always had good reports.... i've had a similar situation to yours wiggal in a whetherspoon (i complained by letter, had a non-commital reply and no apoloy) - poor service and terrible food, won't ever eat there again, brewers fayre are pretty poor too. best off having a meal in a local pub.

[Kenchar]

Worked in a Harvester for 1week last month... All I can say is that under no circumstance should you EVER eat at one. !st day was asked to mix up veg< potatoes etc ain the same sink! While the so called 'chef' cut chickens in half that were cooked next to raw meat & veg! My last shift was the worse though, I actually watched a chef wash pepper corn sauce of a returned undercooked steak with his hands using the trusted warm water & rubbin technique... Cook said steak some more and re serve! UNBELIEVABLE but sadly very true I am afraid... No wonder you felt ill!

[Kenchar]

I worked at a Harvester for 1week last month and all I can say is that under no circumstance should you EVER eat at any of their resturants... On my 1st day I was asked to mix up veg in a big metal industrial sink in the Kitchen, i.e. all the veg in the salad carts. All in the same sink & without gloves! Which they don't supply! A quick rinse then repeat with potatoes and pretty much anything else, all this while the so called chef was cutting cooked chickens in half next raw meats and unprepeared veg! UNBELIEVABLE but not as much as what occured on my last shift... A steak dinner was returned because it was too undercooked for the customer, I personally watched the chef pick the steak up with his bare hands and give it a quick rinse under warm water to wash the peppercorn sauce away... Only to put it back on the grill, cook some more and re serve! No wonder you were ill and as for complaining I will bypass their head office and go straight to enviro health I think! I was horrified and it has put me off eating out period, for the record they let me in the kitchen with no induction, didn't ask to see no I.D. and the level of cleanliness was generally awful! Their management is poor at best and I dare say your complaint wouldn't be taken into consideration, I know my concerns weren't before I left. I couldn't and wouldn't work like that. Good luck :-)