Village Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

I had a genuinely shocking and frustrating experience while dining at this steakhouse with my family. We ordered a jug of Coke for the kids’ table to share. Partway through the meal, we noticed something strange inside the jug. At first, we assumed it was just a large ice cube — until my younger sister pointed out that ice cubes don’t have black writing on them. We poured the drink into cups to inspect, and to our disbelief, it was a glass shot cup fully submerged in the jug.

By the time we realised, all the kids and teenagers had already been drinking from it. Our family does not drink alcohol, and the fact that a glass used to serve alcohol ended up in a jug for minors is deeply concerning. We had no idea what the glass had been used for, whether it was clean, or what traces it could’ve left behind. This was a serious hygiene and health issue — especially with children involved. I asked to speak with the manager, and a man came over claiming he was the manager. But his reaction — defensive, dismissive, and clearly uncomfortable, made me suspect he was actually the owner. He offered us a free replacement jug (as if that solved anything), and when I said, “This is unacceptable and unhygienic,” he sarcastically repeated my words back to me, mocking my concern instead of addressing it. When I asked for a refund, he got visibly irritated & replied; “I’m not dealing with this,” and aggressively opened the till to hand me cash, even though I had paid by card. He didn’t ask for proof of payment or try to log the refund, something any normal manager would do to keep the till balanced. That’s when I was almost certain, he had to be the owner, because no regular employee would hand out cash like that without recording it. The whole interaction felt like a man trying to brush a serious issue under the rug, while getting defensive the moment someone questioned him. Honestly, he was giving scared man behavior, acting like he was in control, but clearly nervous and not prepared to handle being held accountable and offering no apology of the accident other than trying to blame for the issue.

To the man I spoke with, whether you’re the manager or the owner, I hope you reflect on how poorly you handled this situation. This wasn’t a minor complaint. It was a serious food safety issue involving children, and your sarcastic, dismissive attitude made it even worse. My advice to you is this: take accountability, treat your customers with basic respect, and stop brushing off serious incidents like they’re an inconvenience. You can’t mock your way out of responsibility. Mistakes happen, but how you respond to them is what defines your business.

UPDATE: In response to the owner’s public reply

I want to make this very clear: I have a recording of the entire conversation, and at no point did you apologise. You also claimed I was aggressive, I was not. I was firm and rightfully concerned about a serious health issue involving children. Any responsible adult would be. Instead of taking ownership, you mocked me, then accused me of “ruining the experience.”. To make things worse, you ended your public response by saying: “Maybe drive-through will be more accommodating and you can berate them.”.That is completely unprofessional, condescending, and inappropriate. It shows a total lack of respect and a refusal to take accountability for a mistake that could have affected children’s health. This wasn’t a personal attack, this was a valid complaint about a serious safety concern. As the owner, your role is to take responsibility, not shift blame, mock your customers, and rewrite the truth. I stand by everything I said in my review, and I have the evidence...

I was with my family at this restaurant when something very concerning happened. We had ordered a jug of Coke for the children and teens at our table, and after it had already been poured and shared, my daughters had noticed something strange inside. It turned out to be a glass shot cup submerged at the bottom of the jug.

This was completely unacceptable, not only because we don’t drink alcohol, but because it raised serious hygiene and safety concerns. The drink had already been consumed by my children and my sisters children as well, and there was no explanation or reassurance about whether the glass was clean or how it ended up there.

My daughter approached the drinks counter quietly and spoke privately with the man who claimed to be the manager. My husband, my sister and her husband and I were watching from our table nearby. She was calm and polite, at no point was she aggressive or disrespectful. It was the man she spoke with who became visibly irritated when she declined the offer of a replacement and asked for a refund instead. He opened the till abruptly and handed her cash, despite her having paid by card. No apology was offered, and the whole situation was treated as if we were an inconvenience rather than a family with a serious concern.

What made this worse was the owner’s public reply afterwards, where he falsely claimed my daughter acted aggressively “in front of other guests.” That is completely untrue. She spoke to him away from other guests, and it was he who reacted poorly. Moreover, none of the guest was near them when she was talking to him about the glass in the jug and none of the guest paid any attention other than us the family. Moreover aren’t we guests as well?! Anyways, this experience was such a let down and very disappointing, not just because of the glass in the drink, but because of the owner’s refusal to take responsibility and his attempt to shift the blame onto a concerned customer, and framing my daughter as the aggressor. But also because we’ve been coming here a lot of times in the past year and in our recent visit in a while and the first time we’ve brought up such a concern and this is how the owner responds to their customers, is just very...

First time at the Village Hotel, won't be going back. Waited over 30 minutes for food. Went to ask what was happening to the entrees only to be told we thought you wanted it together. I did say that the Garlic Bread and Chicken Ceaser salad were the entrees when ordering. Orderd Chicken Schnitzel, a Pasta, Pork Chop, and Kids Spaghetti Bol. We waited another 10 minutes and we could see the food under the heat lamp with no sign of our buzzer being pinged to come and collect. I once again went up to the counter and asked if the food there was our order. Staff were just standing around having a laugh with each other. I placed the buzzer on the counter and said I will take the food to the table as the family, by this stage, were starving! The lady taking the orders insisted I put the buzzer into her hand. I said the food had been sitting under the heat lamp for 10 minutes and the staff then berated me for that it was impossible for that to happen and that I was wrong. Just terrible customer service. The food was just warm. The chicken schnitzel was good. Paid $93.00 for food and $35.00 for drinks. Not a cheap meal. We won't...