Perch on Lancing Beach — Restaurant in Adur

We arrived right on time (13:15 Saturday 30th) and were seated after a 5 minute wait. No problem as such, except we were forewarned on the email booking acknowledgement that we only had a 75 minute period at the table and could be asked to leave if the place was busy. Today, it was extremely busy and a long line of people waiting for a table.

Presumably this places the kitchen under a lot of pressure to deliver the orders quickly. In turn that could potentially affect the quality of the food. The guy who seated us (Mark) who may have been the manager or perhaps even the owner as he was not in a uniform - was incredibly rushed. There was no eye contact with us and no real greeting.

After a few minutes he asked us to wait a little longer for our table and then suddenly he rushed off to the table expecting us to somehow know we should follow. We realised what happened when he looked over his shoulder wondering where we were. The place was very, very noisy.

Before he rushed away I remarked to him that we had telephoned at 09:00 that morning to cancel but were told the £20 deposit would still be taken from our card. In the middle of my explaining this, Mark interrupted me to say had we called on the phone, we could have cancelled without losing our deposit. He was so rushed he didn’t take the time to ‘listen’ to me - he only ‘heard’ me.

He left us in the middle of the walkway and gestured toward the window where our table was located and quickly turned away - he was gone before I could say thank you. The window table was a nice location but sadly, the table top was sticky from a previous customer. I used a napkin to clean up as the waiting staff were run off their feet.

Our waitress appeared after about 5 minutes. She was very young (but that’s only because I’m very old) and unable to answer a question about how the payment of the bill works after a customer pays a £20 deposit - but later she found the answer for us. She was possibly quite new to the job but was very nice indeed (I’m sorry I forgot her name but it may have been Kat as that was on the card that asks customers to review) even though she, too, was rushed as all the staff were. They had to work very hard, constantly to keep up.

We ordered two Beach Burger’s at £15.50 each and one sparkling water, £2.50. By the time the food came it was 14:00 so we had been in the place for 45 minutes and had 30 minutes to eat and potentially leave. See my second paragraph for context.

I must say the burgers were very nice but a little more cheese would have improved the overall flavour. The sparkling water came in a warm bottle (why are they not stored in the fridge?) and the glass had two cubes of ice that were already watery in the bottom of the glass. It was hot at the window which sounds nice - and it kind of was - except the transfer of heat through the glass meant that the water got luke warm very quickly.

Overall, I have frequented The Perch around 8 times over the years. The difference from a few years back is quite notable. The prices are a little high and the place needs a deep clean. The staff work very hard but there just needs to be a few more of them on the weekends.

I would’t necessarily dissuade anyone from going to The Perch; the location is great. There is parking close by. You can take your dog along with you. The food is quite good, it’s just that the time constraint is a little tight and the ‘rushed’ vibe from the staff prevents a more pleasant customer...

Constructive feedback!!! I can’t tell you if the foods any good, because I never got it !

But I can tell you the staff answer back and are not in a position to do so. Arrived it was bank holiday Monday Wouldn’t of said it was massively busy but wasn’t expecting anything fast But was expecting at least some service while we waited, and to be kept updated So when we ordered our drinks and our food that’s when it stopped Left for 45 mins no further updates or asked if we wanted any more drinks, we just sat there with no updates or even a care in the world we asked at 30 mins where 4 pizzas were and at 45 mins we decide to terminate waiting, pay for our drinks and leave On leaving we were spoken to with no care On compassion not even a sorry All the staff wanted to do was point out we actually hadn’t waited 45 mins when we had actually had !

Guys it wasn’t about the time we sat there taking in the views and drinking your drinks It was about the fact you didn’t feel the need to update us It was about the lack of asking if we wanted anything else It was the lack of explanation for the delay but it was ok for you all to stand around chatting happily amongst your team

Guys I would say it would be considerate to put your customers first !! I get you have probably been run off your feet all day , you had all probably had enough, but guess what you chose the job ! You chose to serve people for a living and you chose to represent the place you work !

If you do that then you need to live up what’s expected! Sadly none of you did You let us down left us waiting And disappointed us greatly !

Ended up hitting a great fish and chip restaurant further down the rd sat on the beach and enjoyed food we only waited 5 mins for ! Served by people that cared Smiled And regardless of how busy they had been all day...

We booked a table for a Birthday lunch and on arrival was surprised how quiet it was. Once seated, we waiting some time to order so were taking a birthday photo including one of my partner with our dog on his lap. The waitress came over and told us in an officious manner that dogs weren’t allowed on laps and he had to stay on the floor. I was shocked He is a Spaniel not a Great Dane. It was a photo looking out of the window together. We were in the dog friendly section with other diners two tables away. He was having a cuddle and HAD been on the floor. He wasn't sitting in a chair at the table and we did put back on the floor. What’s the big deal? She the. took our order and to be honest looked quite pleased with her self. Well I am afraid that spoilt the whole lunch. Had it not been a special day I would have said something in response or just left without ordering anything. On reflection, I wish we had. She constantly looked over at us during our meal and was officious throughout. We didn’t order anything after our main meal as we really didn’t feel welcome. We have had dogs for 20 years. They have always eaten out with us including at Perch Worthing and we have NEVER had an issue with there or our “behaviour” in a restaurant. I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed as she ruined what should have been a special day! We will certainly not return and certainly wont recommend The Perch Lancing to our friends as being a dog friendly venue. It clearly isn’t dog friendly or even people friendly in our experience. Such a shame. I did message to feedback about our experience but have not had...