the hatch — Restaurant in West Kelowna

I hope we got there on an off day, because we had terrible customer service from a youngish blond man. At the start of the tasting my British partner jovially quipped that the wine poured for tasting was more generous at the competition, to which the server replied that we should go back there if we didn't like it at Hatch. We laughed it off, but it wasn't a great way to start the tasting.

The server poured and walked away after each time he poured and didn't bother to tell us anything about the wine or the winery (which is relatively new on the west side). My mom then made the mistake of commenting on the white blend, saying it didn't work for her and that she didn't like it. The server got offended and proceeded to argue with her, even asking her if she was a winemaker! Obviously, everyone has an opinion on wine and the right thing to do would have been to engage her in a conversation about it or offer a similar blend as an alternative tasting. Taking an argumentative tone with customers is really not cool. This guy should not be working in a front facing role with customers.

The ratings is two stars because we did enjoy most of the wines (we bought one) and because I noticed there were other parties enjoying themselves, so we likely got the one guy who hates his job or had a bad day.

My parents have lived in West Kelowna for over a decade and always take visitors on a tour of the wineries. My mom had worked behind the tasting bar of a number of wineries in the area. We can confidently say the standard of customer service was very low at Hatch with this one individual. My parents won't be going back, there are a lot of other wineries that have similar wines at similar prices points but with a much better customer experience. Not a great way to build a...

Extremely rude and disrespectful staff working here. I can see by the other bad reviews this is something that they have been lacking for a while. By the owners responses to those bad reviews it also seems to be something they don't intend on changing. So, if you're looking for rude and uninformed staff, check out the Hatch!

To the owners response:

Our group largely consisted of people who work in the industry, myself included. I have never in my life have gone up to group without a reservation and said "where you're standing is annoying.". If in fact where the customers are standing IS annoying me, I would politely ask them to wait somewhere else.

Here is an example " hey guys! As you can see very very busy right now. We would like to help you guys as soon as we can but in the meantime would you mind waiting over here"

Or

" hey guys! Unfortunately for group your size we do ask that you have reservations. We might not be able to get to you today but we would highly recommend that you come back on another day with the reservation! Thank you for taking your time to come out and check us out. I'm very sorry that we couldn't get to you today"

I suggest you consider these responses next time someone is interested in your winery and you're busy. You may not get a 1 star review that way 😊

I would also like to point out where we are standing was also where you have items for sale. I apologize for being interested in these items. Next time I won't be so foolish to be annoyingly standing near your...

In summary- really poor staff attitude and treated poorly/rudely. We had high hopes and were really looking forward to this winery! We had heard it was something different, which is true, it was a different, more relaxed, vibe. The atmosphere and their style was enjoyable but the server we had for our wine tasting was plain rude and passive aggressive. He did try to redeem himself later on with being friendlier but the damage was already done. Furthermore, their wine tasting is a set five which was not made clear anywhere and we didn’t know until the first glasses were poured. And, upon arrival in the parking lot it is not clear which side the entrance is to the winery and staff (our server included) were rude and making audible snide comments about guests entering from the other side (perhaps a larger sign would be helpful for all… and when 4/5 groups try to enter the same way, it doesn’t seem like a guest issue…). My next comment is entirely subjective but the wines were all just okay. Due to the set menu, there were several wines that none of our party would have ever selected to try which limited our desire or ability to purchase a bottle of the ones we would have liked. In sum, I understand their desire to set themselves apart but there are many better wineries, even those with relaxed atmospheres, to...