The General — Restaurant in Victoria

Great Intentions, but a Frustrating Dinner Service

We visited The General on a recent trip to Hotham with a simple order: just four steaks for our table. However, what should have been a straightforward meal turned into a frustrating experience.

After waiting for over an hour, we inquired about our order. At first, our server seemed annoyed by the question. It wasn't until we pressed the issue that we learned our food had been delivered to the wrong table—a table that initially rejected it, only for it to be served to a second incorrect table who accepted and ate our order. This kind of mismatch is just not what you expect.

To their credit, once the situation was uncovered, the staff did apologize. They offered us complimentary shots and upgraded our steak cuts as a gesture of goodwill, which we appreciated. The steaks, when they finally arrived, were cooked well and tasted great.

While the recovery effort was commendable, the initial error and the long wait were significant letdowns. It will take a few more visits to change this rating. I'll be back in Hotham this season, so I'll be sure to check in again and see if the service...

isappointing Experience and Poor Service

I recently visited this establishment with my three children, and unfortunately, our experience was quite negative. One of the staff members with braids displayed unfriendly behavior towards us, and it felt like a case of racial discrimination against Asians.

After placing our order for food and drinks, we repeatedly inquired about the status of our order, but received no clear information. Eventually, we approached the kitchen to check if our food was ready, and were handed a box of fries, which was part of our order. A short while later, the staff member with braids came over to warn us that we should not have taken the food directly from the kitchen, claiming it was someone else’s order. However, the other customer had ordered after us, and there was no clear communication about the service process.

This experience left a very bad impression, especially due to the apparent racial bias from the staff member with braids. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and addresses these issues to improve their service and ensure all customers are treated...

It’s the place to go. It’s the place to be. It’s the place to be seen. But there is so much more about The General. We came here on a Friday night after the drive up from Melbourne for a weekend of skiing. We got there right on 6 and other tables were full with families. Big kids, little kids, toddlers and babies. They were devouring their pizza and the parents were able to relax somewhat while the kids ate and kept themselves amused. We drank great wine and then ordered dinner. Salmon. Steak. Pizza. It was all delicious. The portion sizes were excellent and taste fabulous. Steak cooked to perfection. Bonus was that the tv was on televising the football. And no doubt it would’ve been televising The Ashes due later that night. There are two parts to The General - upstairs and downstairs. I’m told there is a great decking outside area but not the season to check it out. We left around 9pm and the place was crazy busy with people. Lots of cheers, catchups, smiles and more. Atmosphere was...