The Lakeside Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Western Australia

We absolutely adore RAC Karri Valley Resort, and the front reception staff are really lovely and attentive, but on every occasion that we have stayed at the resort, we have experienced, what can only be explained as, racial discrimination from the restaurant staff.

My husband and I are darker skin toned, and each time we entered the restaurant for coffee in the morning, we were ignored, looked "up and down", and refused service and sent away with a "breakfast is over" or "we are closed" bark from the rude baristas, even though there were clearly patrons enjoying a meal and placing orders.

On the most recent occassion, on our last morning at the resort, the female barista saw us walk in, and saw us waiting patiently at the front restaurant reception desk for someone to acknowledge us (which they didn't) and she looked at us, just ignored us and continued chatting away with her colleague. The male at the register also looked at us and then proceeded to ignore us. We witnessed him provide lovely service to the 'Caucasian' male he was serving, who ordered takeaway coffees and then left. Instead of then attending to us, the male server just turned away from us and went to do something else.

There was an older female waitress there with short dark hair. She also saw us walk in, she ignored us and didn't even acknowledge us with a "be with you in a moment". After waiting for a very long time for somebody to acknowledge us, we had to walk up to the bar to speak to the male staff member to ask for a seat for breakfast. Without even acknowledging us, the female barista barked out to the male staff - "breakfast is over" - Directing the comment to us but also not speaking directly to us, as if we were lower than her.

We asked if anything was available for takeaway, such as coffee or a sandwhich. The older female waitress overheard this and said to the male - "tell them we only have muffins". We were standing right there. Again, directing the comment to us however not speaking directly to us. We asked if takeaway coffees were available, as the barista was still clearly making coffees. The male looked over to the barista, and she shook her head at him, as a sign for him to say "no" to us, despite the fact that she was still making coffees....

We left feeling incredibly sad, humiliated and discriminated against. As soon as we walked out the door, we looked back and saw the older female waitress go back to the reception desk - where she had avoided standing the moment we walked in and was waiting to return to, after we had left.

We have visited Karri Valley resort a number of times and have experienced this same type of behaviour from the restaurant staff on each occasion. It is a true shame that these staff members let the whole resort down. That experience on the morning of our last day ruined our entire experience at the resort. So much so, that we went to the front reception to make a complaint about the restaurant staff - something we have never done before.

My husband and I adore Karri Valley resort and have spent our anniversaries there for many years. We would love to one day bring our future children to the resort so they can experience the beauty that it is. We save every dollar of our savings each year to splurge at the RAC Karri Valley Resort and to get the Lakeside View Room. We pay the requested room rates. We pay for the experiences to support the resort. We clean our room and leave it in impeccable condition when we check out, including making the beds and wiping down the tables. We pay to use the tin boats and the kayaks and to play archery. And we pay and splurge out to have our anniversary dinner at the restaurant. I don't understand why the colour of our skin or the clothes we are wearing (I wore a beanie on the morning because it was freezing out) makes us so 'disgusting' that your staff won't even look at us when they need to speak to us, yet a Caucasian customer would get the most doting, wonderful customer service. Come on guys - we are in 2022. Racial...

The worst experience in WA! We are staying in the hotel, right next. Went for dinner. Most of the restaurant was empty but they decide to let us sit next to a very noisy family. Ok we agreed to it, so maybe it’s us to blame… We ordered Turkish bread that was great and drinks. We both ordered the steak that was well priced, he asked for medium rare and I asked for medium well. I guess chef didn’t like that because that were the bad experience started… I got mine it was medium rare as well, asked the waitress to put it for a few more minutes in the grill please, she didn’t say it’s a problem she took it. After 15 min I was talking my partner to start eating as it was daily cold already, still didn’t get mine. After 20 min, I went to the bar to ask because no one looks to our table, although it was right in the middle and next to the bar, they went to the kitchen and said it will ready in a few more minutes. After about 7-9 minutes (30 min total since I asked) my partner finished his meal, I did t feel like eating anymore but was hungry so took a bit, the stake was over over over cooked, I couldn’t even cut it, tired to eat it but was impossible. We didn’t want to continue for more drinks or something sweet we went to pay. We told them it was a bad experience, didn’t seem to care so much, at list they reduced my stake (that I didn’t eat! At all) from the bill. We left, I was still hungry. Not recommended at all! Much better places...

Food was not bad but as a Vegetarian I was really disappointed. I previously check the menu on the website to see if I had option because some friends wanted to try the place. I was not super excited by the choice I had but I accepted seeing that I have a couple of options, when I arrived I had a quick look at the menu to see if that was the same menu. The 2 items I saw online were there so I decided to go with those 2 starters. The Bruschetta and the Warm Pumpkin Salad. When I received the Pumpkin Salad I start eating then I realized they put Bacon on the Salad. Not exactly what I was expecting from what I read on the online menu. And then the Bruschetta had cheese that was not on the online menu as well. I finished my plate because I am vegetarian mostly for environmental reason so there not point wasting it and I inform the waitress and she told me she is aware of it and that they fixed it on the written menu. Quite unfortunate that they did just half of the job :(

So things to remember: If you are Vegetarian you should avoid. If you are Vegan stay far from there

And if you manage this place, we are in 2021 so update your website and offer some diversity on your menu you have an establishment in the most fertile part of the state so use this advantage and be a bit creative.

Finally I gave a star because the service team did...