First & Last Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

I would leave no stars but unfortunately that was not an option. Family and I come here quite frequently. Have been doing so since I was a child myself. On Sunday how I was unable to eat with my family on my Nan’s anniversary. Kathryn the lady serving in the bistro was so rude, from the moment I said hey how are you going we are just eating in the sports bar with our family, her response was “NO , if you order in here you eat in here if you order out there you eat out there “ obviously my sister asked if we could just carry our food from in the bistro ourselves into the sports bar so we could eat with a family as we have done many times previous, her response was rude and unwelcoming snapping straight back “ NO if you order out there you eat out there ”. So I proceeded to go back into the sports bar ( walking through the pokies area) and I see Kathryn rushing through the doors from the bistro , I then approached a women and asked if the venue had a manager I could speak to because I just wanted to clarify for my self why this would be an issue. This woman identified as the manager and asked what was wrong I explained and she told me to Come back around to the bistro to order however I refused I just wanted to Confirm that since there is not any vegetarian options on the sports bar menu why I would not be able to order something from the bistro. I don’t understand what the issue is , it’s not as if i was trying to order sports bar menu and bring it into the bistro, I was ordering a meal that was full price, not on special, not discounted in any way and yet for some reason this girl Kathryn thought she had some right to speak to me so rudely. My sister and I did not eat and ended up leaving to go dine elsewhere while our family enjoyed their meals together, really disappointed will be looking for a new place to have family gatherings , really a shame as I stated previously I have been coming to this venue since before I can even remember. I working in hospitality from a young age I really don’t appreciate being spoken to in such. Nasty manner , Someone might want to teach some of the staff some etiquette when speaking to customers as this girl did not greet us or even smile at us. Thanks for...

First and Last is a decent pub with traditional pub food, but unfortunately the experience was overshadowed by the rudeness of the staff. The bistro manager, Sammy, came across as confrontational and unfriendly. Perhaps she was having a bad day but based on other reviews it seems this may be a recurring issue.

From the moment we walked in, Sammy’s manner was off-putting. As we waited to be seated, she scolded us for mistakenly standing near a staff-only door. Instead of politely asking us to move, she exclaimed, “You standing there could’ve had you hit in the back!” while shaking her head in annoyance.

Later, when I went to order and asked for two simple modifications (no sauce and no salt on the chips), she sighed heavily, shook her head, widened her eyes, and made me feel as though I was being unreasonable. She didn’t acknowledge my request at first, typed silently at the till, then eventually looked up and asked what I wanted again, despite my having already explained. Her reaction was unnecessarily rude and dismissive.

Oddly, she later shifted her behaviour and became friendlier, even addressing us as “my dears” when serving. While this was an improvement, the inconsistency was confusing and left a poor impression overall.

Hospitality work can be tough, and I fully appreciate how challenging customers can sometimes be. But staff should be trained to handle situations professionally, whether the customer is difficult or perfectly polite. Dismissing feedback or offering a generic “thanks for your feedback” reply is not enough. Constructive feedback should be shared with staff so they can improve.

Even if the food and atmosphere are good, rude service can spoil the experience. I’m not leaving a one-star review over one person, but I can’t say that my friend or I would return or recommend this place, which is...

Last night, we went to the FnL hotel for meal and take part in the trivia. I had the lamb shank which was very good, and my mate tucked into the beef burger of which he was happy with it too. We later had the delicious NY cheesecake. The staff and service was very good, and always has been since I've been going there. In the trivia game, we were leading in the first two rounds, then it went pear shaped for us after that. We had a good night, which is the important thing and the aim.

My friend and I had lunch at the hotel yesterday. It was the first week after restrictions for hotels were being eased. It showed on the faces of the staff, with beaming smiles and infectious enthusiasm everywhere. They were glad to be back. Kathryn was serving the tables, and she graciously apologised for the reduced menu, which we understood was due to the current conditions. My mate and I stuck to the seniors menu. I had a fish mornay and my mate tucked into a chicken parma. These meals were very nice and tasty. We had a chat with the manager, Brenton, about the history of the pub which dates back to 1862. One illustrious incident occurred on New Year's Day 1926. Several members of the notorious Collingwood Push decided to surprise their equally notorious Fawkner Push counterparts at the then Boundary Hotel. This social occasion lasted about 10 minutes, leaving over a dozen badly injured culminating with six arrests. The First and Last Hotel nowadays, is very much a family friendly venue of the highest order. Our dessert was chocolate mud cake, washed down with a schooner of Furphy. The First and Last is back in business, albeit within current strict social...