Boardwalk Bistro on Hastings — Restaurant in Noosa Heads

RUINED CHRISTMAS EVE !!!

Avoid being RIPPED OFF and shouted at by The Manager. UNCOOKED SEAFOOD. NON PUBLIC HOLIDAY SURCHARGE SHOUTING RUDE MANAGER

It is Christmas Eve that has been destroyed by the Manager of this restaurant who is a rude argumentative woman who refuses to listen to reason, and speaks over the top of you by shouting at you and interrupting.

The waitresses were lovely girls and extremely helpful and very good customer service …. however the Manager woman has made some major mistakes when dealing with us.

Firstly, the New Zealand green muscles were so uncooked at least half of them were unable to be opened, which means they were undercooked and that could present food poisoning issues . The waitress was told by the chef that we would be offered a good discount on that meal, or we could order a dessert complimentary. We chose to take the discount instead.

At the point of paying out of $33 meal, we were offered just a $9 discount when at least half of the food was completely inedible . That offer of nine measly dollars was simply pathetic and shows an unprofessional business environment .

To add insult to injury and to our absolute shock, we were then charged 17.5%, Holiday surcharge. This is Christmas Eve and it is a Sunday. This is NOT a public holiday. We were promptly told that under Queensland State Govt Employment Lawthat after 6 pm it is considered a public holiday. The manager told us that we should be aware of this law, just like foreigners coming into the country and driving motor vehicles. This is a ridiculous analogy and she was promptly stopped from continuing. We were also told that there was a sign at the front of the restaurant pointing out that a 17.5% surcharge exists. We learned that this is a tiny little handwritten sign at the front of this small overcrowded restaurant, and it was not visible to us when we entered because of the large group of people in front of us.

And yes, it is also printed on the menu this illmannered shouting Manager pointed out to me. However that menu is something applicable to every day of the year. At no point where we are aware that we are ordering food with 17.5% surcharge. She informed us she has to pay the staff extra wages and we are expected to cover that same amount as well. Expected !!! Really???

I pointed out that at the point of booking nowhere on the website was this stated. She agreed it wasn’t but continued to shout that it’s our responsibility to read the sign and check the menu. This is FALSE ADVERTISING.

I tried to explain to her that at the point of booking on the website nowhere did it state that after 6 pm this surcharge would apply. I again pointed out this was false advertising and we were not happy. Firstly not happy with the pathetic reduction in the price of uncooked seafood but secondly we were expected to know about Queensland State Govt employment law in relation to 6pm dinners. She did not listen to me and she spoke over the top of me constantly.

There was another family, who were equally as shocked by the surcharge, but had to leave as their children needed to get to bed . I discussed this with the manager and she said that they are “ just foreigners “ and wouldn’t know. This seemed quite a racist comment. I explained to her I am Australian, but my husband is a foreigner as she put it, and none of us were aware of the surcharge. She continued speaking over the top of me repeatedly.

This is an unprofessional situation with false advertising and undercooked seafood, which can potentially make a person extremely ill .

A very disappointing end to Christmas Eve . This business has the wrong Manager in place but the waitresses are amazing.

Not...

TLDR: Great location, great service, average food.

-Background- On Saturday a group of 5 of us went to Boardwalk Bistro on Hastings. We were in Noosa to check out the beach and had seen Bistro C and Boardwalk Bistro on Hastings before. Boardwalk Bistro on Hastings was able to squeeze the 5 of us in without a booking, which was awesome! They looked slammed.

-Service- The service staff from start to finish were great; they were friendly, attentive and speedy. Upon arrival we let them know we needed a table for 5, and they gave us the last table. It took a while for our whole group to arrive, and the staff offered drinks to the people seated while waiting for others. At the end of our meal we asked for a takeaway box to pack some of our food, and the waitress was kind enough to pack it for us.

-Food- Crab Tacos: The crab tacos were excellent - good flavour combinations and very filling (despite being an entree).

Seafood Platter: The seafood platter was well presented and consisted of a large bowl of salad, a good amount of chips, a local sand crab, 3-4 Mooloolaba prawns, a few cuttlefish, 4 Coffin Bay oysters, a few Harvey Bay scallops, salted salmon, fried calamari, and four seafood sauces. Overall the platter was good but not excellent. The prawns were just underwhelming. They weren’t that sweet, and with a bit of a limp texture rather than a good bite. The other seafood was good. Overall the portion was too much for the two people sharing, and even after some help we still had a takeaway box full of cuttlefish and chips to take home.

Wagyu Burger: The Wagyu burger was a bit disappointing, especially considering the $26 price tag - but I guess you’re paying for location more than anything. The patty size was great, but it was way over cooked. Instead of a nice juicy bite, it was dry and chewy. Sad to have the wagyu cooked like that. The trimmings (lettuce, cheese, onion jam, tomato sauce) were all fantastic and worked nicely, but the dry meat really ruined the overall experience. An edible burger to be sure, but not gourmet or stand out. The chips were a bit hit and miss. I detest a dry chip, and love chips that are crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside. These chips were palatable, about 70% that were great, and 30% that tasted dry and stale. The garlic aioli was nothing special (glorified mayo), but it helped the stale chops go down. There was a large amount of it which was nice. Overall, the portion was good.

-Location- The location is the main element this restaurant has going for it, and it is an exquisite setting. Noosa beach is a well-known tourist attraction for a reason - the white sand is gorgeous, the sub-tropical fauna surrounding is amazing, and the sea is glassy and vast. Boardwalk Bistro on Hastings sits on the boardwalk (the main walk along the beach), and from our table (possibly the furthest from the sea in the establishment) we had a fantastic view of Noosa beach. The restaurant windows open directly onto the beach, giving an airy feel, and making it seem like you’re really experiencing Noosa beach.

-Summary- Overall, we had a good experience at this restaurant. It afforded a lovely opportunity to feel Noosa, and the staff made for a great dining experience. The food was wanting, and better food would have been nice (especially for the price). However, we came to Noosa to see and enjoy the beach and this restaurant let us do that. With better food, would definitely...

Before COVID we used to regularly dine at Boardwalk Bistro for drinks and lunch or dinner, it was a fave location. But after the experience with the staff yesterday we would never go back and the waterfront view is no longer worth it.

Since we hadn't been in a couple of years, my mother and I booked an afternoon table for a drink to see if we wanted to book for dinner one night this week. We were told we had the table from 3-4pm. Great! We ordered a drink and got busy chatting, as a mother and daughter this was a rare chance to catch up, so naturally to the time flew. Unfortunately, every 5-10 minutes we were harassed if we wanted anything else (clearly they have to meet a quota), we were planning on getting a few drinks and some nibbles but we were just enjoying chatting and by this point it was getting downright rude and off-putting. At 3:40 we were given the bill and at 3:45 we were approached with an EFTPOS machine and almost forced to pay.

We had to firmly remind the waitress that we had the table until 4pm and we would come to the counter when we were ready. She wasn't impressed and grumbled off with a huff. Looking around there were plenty of seats available so it wasn't as if there was a table shortage.

We approached the counter at 3:55pm and explained to the head waitress how uncomfortable we were made to feel. Rather than apologizing or acknowledging the poor service, her response was to bark at us that "well you need to order food with drinks, it's the law!". Might I add, no one actually informed us of this! If the staff had informed us drinks needed to accompany food we would have happily munched on some tapas with our drinks. Withholding information is not an excuse to be passive aggressive and rude with your patrons or shove them out the door before the time they have booked the table for (especially outside of peak hour to boot).

I calmly tried to explain that next time could they please inform us if we need to order food. But by that point the head waitress had cut us off to start talking to the next customer, refused eye contact, grabbed our money and tip without a word of thankyou and promptly shoved us out the door.

At the end of the day it turns out the price of sincerity and respect is a $9 bowl of spiced edamame! What a shame. The experience really ruined the afternoon, but thankfully we went to a different waterfront venue for dinner which was worth every cent of the 4 course meal and drinks.

Boardwalk Bistro has certainly changed this year. Being vegan and my mum omnivore, we used to love their menu options. But now I would highly recommend choosing a different restaurant in Noosa if you want to actually enjoy a water view or simply have a pleasant and respectful...