Plough Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

We’ve been coming to The Plough Hotel for family functions over the past five years — around five times in total. In the past, we’ve been able to order drinks at the bar during our bookings ( our group is usually 12-14 people and we’ve actually ALWAYS sat under the window in the bistro) , which has always worked smoothly and suited our group.

However, during our most recent visit, we were told that we couldn’t order drinks at the bar anymore as it would apparently require more bar staff — something we were happy to accommodate by simply waiting our turn. It made zero sense by their argument that the bistro tables ordering drinks from the bar would increase staff stress) Unfortunately, when my brother questioned this, he was admittedly a bit sharp in tone with the waitress but what followed was completely disproportionate.

The manager (Mr Pete Evans) came out to speak with us and his attitude was aggressive, rude, and belligerent from the outset. Instead of de-escalating the situation, he actively inflamed it. His approach was unnecessarily confrontational for what could have been a simple discussion or explanation. We weren’t difficult customers — just regulars asking for the same arrangement we’d had in the past. Mr Evans claimed the website clearly says that bistro tables can’t order drinks separately. It does not. It says “ Where you can dine in a nice relaxing setting and enjoy full table service” it does not at all say you can’t order drinks at the bar. My husband comes from a hospitality background and his comment was “the he was bristling, defensive and it’s a pity he didn’t try to problem solve it in a more solution focused way than how he presented with his spray”

So we literally were moved 3 tables over and consequently all ordered drinks and food from the bar. The same waitress bought our food out. Utterly bizarre claim that we would cause staff shortages trying to order drinks from the bistro. The literal only difference between both sets of seats was a huge long bench/waiters station. To claim to us we’d ruin the quieter part of the bistro and affect the other guests makes zero sense when there’s little in the way of soundproofing and the whole venue was a hubbub of noise.

It’s disappointing to see such hostility towards patrons, particularly from management. We’ve supported this venue over the years and have recommended it to friends and family, but sadly after this experience, we’ll be reconsidering that. We all commented we won’t be back, that’s a loss of above $700 on a cover.

The food has always been solid, the venue itself is nice, but hospitality is about more than what’s on the plate. It’s about how you treat people, especially those who keep coming back.

Really...

My son had dinner here tonight and was one of a party of 8 males. He and another friend had never been here before and I guess may have been slightly underdressed, but they were well behaved. My son does not drink alcohol or smoke. Some of the meals were around a 40 minute wait and while a few meals arrived in a timely manner, the others that did not have their meals, got to watch others eat theirs. Overall the food was ok. Nothing to sing and dance about. My son and his friend are of the darker persuasion, Polynesian. When leaving, they were escorted out by what I assume was one of the staff, just to make sure they ‘got out ok’. Then they were given a thumbs up when off the premises. Is it normal to handpick darker people and walk them off site? Please dont assume all Polynesians drink alcohol and then ‘cause trouble’. My son is very well behaved, polite and well mannered. Yes, some Polynesians dont partake of alcohol, smoke, you must be surprised! Everyone else in this group was Anglo. This judgemental behaviour towards my son and his friend was a bad decision on your part. It's called stereotyping and racial discrimination. Your staff need more life experience in judging this type of thing. Perhaps run a workshop on it, you are in Footscray for gods sakes! Surely you know the demographic of it, right?! Learn to read the room!...

I celebrated my 60th birthday with my family and special friends yesterday. We booked the Victoria Room which was fantastic! It allowed everyone to get up and move around before and after courses, and allowed my 2 small grandchildren space to move around freely, away from other diners in the larger dining room. The Functions Coordinator, Simone, was a pleasure to deal with throughout the entire process from the initial enquiry till the end of our celebration. Nothing was too much trouble, and she responded promptly to emails, which were more often due to changing restrictions during Covid lockdown. Thankfully my birthday celebration was able to go ahead as scheduled. Our 10 adults ordered a good range of meals from the specials and general menu and everyone enjoyed their meals. Simone and staff were attentive to our needs throughout our celebration; they were never far away. This was the second birthday celebration our family has had at the Plough, and both times we have been very well taken care of. If you're looking for a venue for an informal casual meal or a special function definitely contact Simone at the Plough. You won't be disappointed. There is also off the street parking provided in the customer carpark at the rear of the hotel. Thankyou so much Simone and other members of the team for helping make my special...