The Shoal Bay Diner — Restaurant in Shoal Bay

I made the conscious decision to support a small business and visited Shoal Bay Diner instead of the bustling Shoal Bay Country Club—something I usually feel good about doing. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.

I placed a takeaway order for a shroom burger, but when I opened the box later, I was shocked to find it was a meat burger—completely wrong and unacceptable given dietary preferences. I returned to the diner and politely asked the cashier about the order. I was met by someone who looked no older than 13 and gave the impression of being completely out of it—glazed eyes, erratic behavior, and clearly not in a state to be working.

When I asked if he had heard my order correctly, he laughed and said, “Probably not.” No apology. No responsibility. Just a mocking tone. He then added, “We can make you the shroom burger if that would make you happy,” in the most condescending way imaginable, and loud enough for others around to hear. It was deeply insulting, and frankly humiliating.

I don’t normally leave bad reviews, especially for small businesses—even when the food or service is average—but this was beyond forgivable. The staff showed no care, professionalism, or basic courtesy. The shroom burger I eventually received wasn’t worth the wait either—completely underwhelming and poorly made.

Unless you’re actively looking for rude, dismissive service and food that misses the mark, I would strongly advise against dining at Shoal Bay Diner. There are far better options in the area that actually respect their customers.

EDIT: the owner provided a shawdy response defending the unprofessional service and below average food. Please stop hiding under the garb of being a small business. The cashier is far from being “trained and professional”. He spoke to me in a rude and mocking tone in front of a bunch of other customers. If you believe in constructive feedback, take the feedback and implement the change. Your response to my feedback is...

Disgusted and genuinely offended.

We messaged Shoal Bay Dinner to ask a respectful, straightforward question: “Is your meat halal?” What followed was either astonishing ignorance or deliberate mockery. First, they replied “our chicken is halal,” then “our meat is halal,” then “our fish is halal,” and finally — “our bacon is halal.”

When we expressed concern, the person replied with a sarcastic “lol” and a dismissive “sorry, had a long day.” Even though this was over messages, the tone was clear — they were not being sincere.

It felt like they were making a joke out of our dietary and religious needs, and the sarcastic tone only made it worse. Whether it was ignorance or something more malicious, the impact was the same: we felt mocked, belittled, and disrespected.

If you care about respectful service — especially when it comes to cultural or religious sensitivities — avoid this place. There’s no excuse for behavior like this.

Reply to your response: Let’s be real — your response wasn’t just a tired mistake. It was sarcasm. You said “our bacon is halal” and followed it up with “lol.” That’s not respectful, that’s mockery. How about share the screenshot for your customers to know, as i cannot from my end.

If you now want to deny it, that’s fine — but the tone was clear and dismissive, and others deserve to know how you treat genuine questions about religious...

We were in on Sunday and your POS was not working properly you took my friends payment and even though she was showing you it had come out of her bank you kept arguing saying it was still processing, you wouldnt give her the food which she had paid for claiming that the money would bounce back, it didnt bounce back, So she has now paid for items she did not receive as you wouldnt give her the sandwich and can of drink despite her showing you the payment came out of her bank poor customer service to be arguing with someone when they have shown you proof it was paid to then say the money would come back when it did not. Expect a phone call today not good enough. I bet we were not the only ones you caught out over the weekend as the young girl said it had been...