The National Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

I had a questionable experience at The National Hotel in Richmond on Wednesday, July 30th, when my colleagues and I came in for a catch up. Overall, my personal experience was okay, I ordered the mulled cider and a cheeseburger, both of which were fine.

However, an incident involving one of my colleagues really spoiled the evening for me and others in our group. She has coeliac disease and can only eat food from Coeliac Australia accredited venues, which The National Hotel is not. Due to the severity of her condition, she brought her own food. Please note that this is something she’s had to do on many occasions in order to safely participate in social events. She was being discreet, eating under the table so so she would not encourage others to do the same.

Unfortunately, a blonde-haired, female staff member approached our group and publicly called out the fact that she had brought in outside food. The approach was unnecessarily rude and confrontational. My colleague responded apologetically and respectfully, explaining her condition and why she needed to bring her own meal. Despite her explanation, the staff member continued in a manner that felt dismissive and discriminatory.

When the staff member noticed she was eating calamari, she pointed out that the venue also offered calamari and claimed to have separate equipment for gluten-free food. My colleague clarified that she has a heightened sensitivity and can only eat food from venues accredited by Coeliac Australia, which are venues that follow strict protocols to avoid cross-contamination. The National Hotel does not have this accreditation.

Rather than accepting this, the staff member doubled down. The conversation happened in front of a group of 20 colleagues, with the staff member standing over my friend while she remained seated. It was intimidating and uncomfortable for all of us.

I want to emphasise this clearly. The way my colleague was treated felt discriminatory. Her condition is not a choice or preference, it’s a medical necessity. Watching her be publicly singled out and shamed for managing her health responsibly was upsetting and unacceptable.

What’s more upsetting is that my colleague ended up stopping her meal and had to wait 2-3 more hours until she got home to eat again, leaving her feeling isolated during what was meant to be a festive group gathering.

This entire situation could have been handled more sensitively. The staff member could have pulled her aside for a private conversation, or simply asked something along the lines of “is there anything we can do to help you or make your experience here better?” rather than making her feel like she was doing something wrong. I have a background in hospitality and I personally cannot imagine speaking to a patron who had severe food sensitivities in the way that this particular staff member did.

It’s clear to me that this venue would benefit greatly from further training around food allergies, coeliac disease, and how to talk with customers in a non-discriminatory way.

I won’t be returning to The National Hotel. What should have been a fun work event turned uncomfortable and isolating because of how this was handled. Please also note that other staff members in this venue were lovely, it was just this particular staff member that really made me question the overall culture and views...

I had my 21st birthday at the National Hotel and the service was absolutely incredible! The staff were so attentive to even the smallest of things. Whilst speeches were happening, they controlled the music and made sure there were no awkward silences. They ensured that they didn’t disturb the flow of the event when serving food and were extremely professional and quiet as they served. I ordered the 3 course menu & the food was amazing and all my guests really enjoyed the food! Someone was quickly accessible whenever we needed something and was always very polite and kind. Sasha was amazing with coordinating with me prior to the event, she set up the table arrangement etc perfectly and made the entire event so hassle-free for us! I was so happy with how well the venue and the staff took care of the event. The venue (garden parlour) size was perfect for our medium-sized group! Would definitely recommend...

Overall experience at The National Hotel was amazing! I organised a surprise birthday lunch and it was very easy to organise from start to finish. The events coordinator (Sasha) was very efficient and clear with communications and was very accomodating of our requests. The function package itself was very reasonable and this venue is one of the few venues that allows you to have a cash bar rather than mandating a tab or drinks package. I also loved the additional extras in the function package! Provides some great ideas to make your event special. The quality of the food was incredible. Everyone at our event was raving about the pork belly and lamb shoulder! We booked the Garden Parlour and it was the perfect space as we were able to play our own music and present a photo slideshow on the tv. Would recommend this...