Hopscotch — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

It was a busy Saturday night at Hopscotch - a venue I’d been a frequent customer at for years - when I received the most hostile, aggressive treatment I’ve ever had from a bouncer.

I left my handbag on a table and was standing two metres away. When the bouncer picked up my bag and began going through it, I walked up and simply said ‘that’s mine’ and tried to collect the bag. He was instantly angered by this, despite it being my own handbag. I did nothing untoward, I just tried to take back my bag.

I was then told repeatedly I was showing ‘aggression’ while I was yelled at, manhandled and my personal belongings rifled through. I was told I had to leave the premises despite my group of friends being inside, and despite me doing nothing wrong. I was not intoxicated. I pulled out my phone to record his aggressive behaviour - a video which I am happy to send on - and my phone was also roughly grabbed off me by him. The only aggressor in the situation was the power-mad bouncer who felt I had wronged him by claiming my bag.

I wasn’t going to post about this, constantly telling myself it wasn’t that big a deal, but it can’t go unsaid. It has stuck with me. For a venue that claims to be all for inclusivity and ‘good vibes’, Hopscotch’s staff made me feel less than human that night.

This isn’t the first bad experience I’ve had there. I was once groped and thrown up in the air without consent by a man I didn’t know and when I informed Hopscotch’s bouncers they didn’t bother to remove him from the premises, they simply issued him with a ‘warning’.

It’s so backward that a woman who asked a man not to go through her bag can instantly be shouted out and kicked out but a sexual aggressor can stay put. It’s sad to know where Hopscotch stands in their treatment of women and their commitment to maintaining...

We were here to have dinner, celebrate the upcoming birth of a child for a friend and have some drinks. They were showing a NRL game (the Raiders weren't playing) on one of their TVs, which no one was watching - not one person. An international rugby game was playing and the manager refused to switch the TV to that channel with some feeble excuse that it wasn't Australian sport. Their menu is international food, their drinks and cocktails are international, nothing Australian about anything else they do, and the manager wouldn't budge, despite multiple customers wanting to watch the Rugby. I don't think the management here understands what 'hospitality' means. I could understand if they had people in the bar that wanted to watch the NRL, and/or the Canberra Raiders were playing, but this was the usual 'power trip' BS that infiltrates too many 'managers' in hospitality in Australia. No doubt this place does well - and it is a shame - it has a great vibe, and the bar staff were friendly and helpful - until you encounter management (the friendly staff recognised no one was watching the NRL and agreed to change channel and then manager stopped them). Hopefully the owners/licensee see this and provide some training to staff around the importance of recognising what would maximise business - not what is written on a...

Hopscotch is paraded as one of the best gathering places in the Braddon area amongst most Canberra locals. So I was excited to go for my first time to try it out and see if it lives up to the hype. Upon arrival, this place was absolutely packed with people. It was very lively and quite crowded, even the outdoor area. Music was loud, yet everyone else was louder. Hopscotch had a nice aesthetic that feels very hip and modern, but it's brought down by its lackluster customer service. Staff members didn't seem to enjoy working there and one of them got into a heated argument with one of the guests at our table over an error on their behalf. The food wasn't any better either, well, at least for me. My friends who ordered the Pizza were happy with their choices however I ordered the "Hoppy Burger", an overpriced, bland, dry, poor excuse of a burger that even makes Hungry Jack's Whopper look (and taste) nice. Can't exactly say I would recommend this place to others if they're looking for a good night out on the town, as I'm sure there are other places in the area that are better and doesn't have me leaving with ringing ears and a bad taste...