Green Olive at Red Hill — Restaurant in Melbourne

Truly awful experience that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. We attempted to take my beautiful elderly grandmother out for the first time in over a year due to covid and were greeted with the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. My grandmother can hardly hear and so we moved from the very loud indoor table to one of three large vacant tables which we checked for reserved signs. Rather then politely telling us these tables were in fact reserved and asking us to move (which is fine), the manager (who is also the daughter of the owner) proceeded to storm over to the table and act as though we had just committed a crime. The first things she said were ‘you can’t sit here’ in an extremely rude tone to myself and my grandmother. Not politely ‘I’m sorry these seats are taken for another group’, or ‘I understand why you need other seating arrangements but I’m really sorry there is nothing we can do at the moment’… just ‘you can’t sit here’. From here she proceeded to speak to us with hostility and anger as she explained in more detail, rolling her eyes on several occasions, throwing her hands in the air, and aggressively pointing to inside and failing to listen when others were trying to ask her very reasonable questions.

We asked if anything else could be arranged to accommodate for our grandmother and were told ‘no. only inside or outside over there, you need to move now’. My brother then asked (very nicely might I add) as she continued to be rude ‘do you have any heaters for our grandmother if we sit over there outside’. The response was ‘heaters are here’ as she pointed to the roof (obviously meaning - no there are no). Not once was there an offer to arrange blankets, suggest alternatives that would accommodate our needs or treat us with the respect we deserved. From the get-go the manager displayed the worst customer service I have ever seen in my entire life. She was antagonistic in every comment, had an appalling attitude, a lack of respect for the elderly, and was extremely defensive as soon as someone tried to ask a question. As we decided to leave, and I was helping my grandmother up Sophie continued to try and fight with my family and throw in unnecessary comments. When I asked her (very calmly and politely) for her name she responded with a smirk stating, ‘It doesn’t matter I’m an owner’, as if that exempts her from any accountability or consequence?

I sent an email to the owners Sue and Greg to inform them of the terrible service we experienced. This was received with the same hostility as their daughter provided to us. Unlike other businesses that humbly accept and take on feedback, Greg decided to ignore every aspect of my email and each of the issues raised, entirely blaming us. This is also apparent in every negative review I’ve since read where feedback is always deflected and put back onto the customer demonstrating a lack of accountability and ownership.

I understand that you can’t always accommodate for customers requests, but you can at least be professional and try your best. My issue is not with the fact they couldn’t accommodate for another table, it’s the way in which that message was delivered and then the antagonist and sarcastic attitude that came with the fact that ‘my parents own the business’.

I’ve grown up on the Peninsula and have never once had a bad experience at a winery – there are plenty of others to enjoy where you will be greeted with warmth and happy faces and where staff will genuinely ensure you have a great time! Do yourself a favour and book yourself into one of those...

Had a terrible experience at Green Olive Winery, and feel compelled to share my disappointment. Although I can hear the owner screaming at his screen, “your opinion doesn’t matter” or “mate, you’re a nobody.”

As a customer, I was appalled by the behaviour of the owner, who displayed a complete lack of professionalism and customer service skills.

We ordered coffees along with our wines, and the coffees we ordered tasted burnt. When I brought it to the attention of the owner, he insisted that he had over 20 years of experience with coffee and that it was good and that I was in the wrong. Apparently, we’re all to have the same palette as the owner when it comes to tastebuds. Instead of acknowledging the issue and attempting to rectify it, he brushed me off and threw away my coffees as if it was inconsequential. When I asked if we could get a credit or refund, the owner became dismissive and accused me of “quarrelling” with him, which was not the case at all. I was simply seeking a reasonable resolution for the subpar coffee I received.

To make matters worse, the owner's behaviour escalated to the point of threatening to call the police and fine us for trespassing on the property, even though we were paying customers. He kicked us out of the establishment and made a scene in front of other patrons, embarrassing and humiliating us. The utter lack of professionalism, customer service, and basic decency demonstrated by the owner was shocking and left a bitter taste in my mouth. The other staff members witnessing this stood still, showcasing what a toxic workplace this establishment is.

As a paying customer, I expected to be treated with respect and courtesy, but the owner's behavior was completely unacceptable. I left feeling frustrated, humiliated, and thoroughly disappointed with the experience. I would strongly advise others to avoid this establishment if you expect even basic customer service and professionalism. I will not be returning, and I urge others to think twice before patronizing this winery.

EDIT AFTER RESPONSE:

Our intentions to visit the winery were to take in the scenery, allow our children to play around and enjoy the winery. In no way were we ever being inappropriate or abusive towards staff.

When we arrived, we were directed to our table. The table was relatively large and our party suggested that we wouldn’t need so much space, and to leave that table for another larger party, as we were happy to take a smaller table. We didn’t have any issues, nor did the the owner at the time, until stated now.

The communication from our party was nothing but respectful.

We were forced to leave and threatened as previously mentioned, but we never refused to leave the premises. Our party was dispersed across the property and it took us some time to pack up our things and leave because we have a baby and a toddler.

Abusive behaviour is what we unfortunately experienced. Nothing but intimidation, rude remarks and short temper towards clientele.

Please have a read through reviews as this isn’t an...

Apr 2024 Last time we graced Green Olive with our presence, it was like hitting the jackpot in a culinary casino, so naturally, we had to bring our out-of-town visitors along for the ride this time. And guess who tagged along? None other than our feathered friend, the parrot! Yep, our tropical buddy spread his wings and joined the party once again.

Well, Green Olive, let me tell you, you're like that reliable friend who always comes through with the goods. The service was smoother than a silk scarf on a summer breeze, and the meals? Oh, they were like a symphony of flavors doing the salsa on our taste buds! We went for the charcuterie and kitchen garden platters, and let me tell you, they were like old friends welcoming us back with open arms (or should I say, plates?).

Our out-of-town guests were so blown away by the whole Green Olive experience, they might as well have been levitating. And then there was the farm visit! Our parrot, who's always been a bit of a social bird, hit it off famously with Binny, the resident farm dog. I swear, if animals could exchange phone numbers, these two would've been planning their next playdate faster than you can say "fetch"!

So, mark my words, Green Olive, you haven't seen the last of us. The next time we're in town, you can bet your finest olive branch we'll be fluttering right back through your doors, parrot in tow and appetite in full swing. Until then, keep those plates piled high and those smiles even higher. You've got yourself some loyal patrons here! 🌿🦜🍽️

Dec 2023 We went to Green Olive on Dec 10th and totally enjoyed our lunch there. The foods are unbelievably fresh and delicious with great relaxing and serene ambience. The one thing that I really appreciate about Green Olive is that they accommodate for pet by offering outdoor dining as such our pet parrot get to enjoy these lovely place and met a lot of joyful staff and friendly fellow dining patrons too. It was just a marvelous day out. We maximized the whole 90 min of the seating session as the parrot and the adults were having too much fun 🤩

We ordered the charcuterie plate and kitchen garden plate which offered as a great balance of meats and non-meats selection of food. The breads were amazing and all the food are soooooo fresh and just delectable! The red paddle was a great compliment to have with the charcuterie plate (I highly recommended getting one to have with the charcuterie plate). We will definitely be back with more friends...