Nando's Epping — Restaurant in Melbourne

So I was here just yesterday 27 November 2024. We entered the store around 9:15 pm knowing the store closes at 10 pm. We ordered the new share and tear meal which included the whole chicken, 2 large sides, and a pita bread. For the side we choose peri peri chips and the garden salad. We ordered and asked the staff politely if we can dine in as it was only 9:20 pm. The staff said of course as we close at 10 pm. We sat down to eat and had to wait until 9:50 pm to realise we still have not got our food. We went to the counter and the staff said they are cooking our chicken and that we can dine in it’s okay. Of course you wouldn’t want to sit past 10 pm when u know u cannot comfortably eat and have to rush so we asked them to give the order as take away. We finally received the order just close to 10 pm and walked out of the door to eat in the car as we were super hungry. The peri peri chips were very soggy and not fresh at all and had no seasonings of peri peri. In fact the salad was disgusting. The chicken was cold. If it was prepared fresh and took them that long it shouldn’t be cold which I anyway think was a lie from the staff. They kept us waiting hoping we won’t dine in and leave. They kept looking at us strangely. I am absolutely disappointed and paid $42 for this order to get nothing. All gone into the bin. Never going back...

Seriously dissapointed would be a kind way of putting the dissatisfaction not only my partner and I have, but the 5 other groups of people sitting around waiting over an hour for their food. Any attempt at asking what's going on with the waiting times is met with a defensive remark, the guy didn't even apologise to someone who asked for a refund after his table was served but he received nothing and waited another 20 minutes for nothing. Meanwhile these guys fling out menu log and online orders like its no tomorrow, they will serve people who have just sat down for 15 minutes and leave a family who has been waiting for their food looking in disbelief. I was forced to eat my food before it got cold and wait an additional 30 minutes and we have still yet to receive my partners food. This is well and truly unexplainable, I've never seen a place manage to stuff up the priorities and serving of food to people who have been patiently waiting, and they were patiently waiting, because despite the fact they were waiting for over an hour they never met the cooks with antisocial remarks that do not help the situation. Avoid this place at all peak hour times.

Addit: avoid at peak hours, otherwise this...

Very Unpleasant experience - i was told it would take half an hour for a classic wrap and some chips to be prepared even though not one other customer was in sight just 3 nandos representatives of epping . I was hesitant but decided to happily wait. i then go back half an hour later like i was told, to find a locked entry door at 930pm mind you trading is meant to be until 10pm. You could see employees eating at a table together and i was then told there was no more sweet potato chips. i then had to wait a further 5 minutes for normal chips to be prepared instead again when there was no one else infront of me. not a pleasant experience very disappointing bad service and the chicken they gave me was dry and cold like it had been sitting out for a while which made it not at all edible which confuses me as to why i had waited 35minutes in the first place!! i have never ever had such terrible experiences at any other nandos restaurants that i go to just i always seem to have issues at the epping location. So it was time...