Harvester Horwich Park Bolton — Restaurant in Bolton

(edited sp&gr -originally done on Mob App) We visited here tonight (Sat 25th Feb) at 530 for an 18th birthday meal as a party of 10, having pre booked a week before by phone and explained that one of our party was in a wheelchair. Upon arrival we found the table allocated us consisted of a round booth for 6 with a small square table pushed up to the side of it. It was also right at the back of the restaurant, at the furthest point from the bar and salad bar. We told the Deputy Manager this wasn't suitable as we wouldn't all be sat together, and the location would mean negotiating the wheelchair through all the chairs and tables, probably having to ask at least a few people to move their chairs so we could get through. Also for myself (as I use a walking stick) carrying drinks and salads through a restaurant full of other diners would be difficult. They asked us to wait while they sorted another table out, so we went back outside. 10 minutes later we came back in and they were only just clearing and setting up another table for us, and asked us to wait in the bar area. Eventually we were seated and given menus. 10 minutes went by before our drinks orders were taken, then the waiter just seemed to vanish. After another 20 minutes, and giving the DM the stink eye while he was stood at the bar, he came over and took our food order. By the time our first course arrived we'd been there well over an hour, and some of our party had resorted to raiding the salad bar and eating bread rolls as we were so hungry. The first course came and was actually nice and the food was hot, so we thought "worth waiting for then". We all finished our starters, then waited another 20 -30 minutes before our plates were cleared. Then another 10 minutes went by before our main course arrived. As I am diabetic and on a low carb diet, I had requested no chips, corn cobs or tomato, but just wanted extra (in addition to the ones that came with it) mushrooms with my steak. I got 6. Not extra, in total! Luckily I was also having the salad bar, so went and got another bowl of salad. So essentially I'd paid for my side items. The steak was cooked medium as ordered, but was rather tough and chewy and did have some fat and gristle in it. My friend had ordered the 12oz rump also, but ended up with 6oz fat. By the time she'd tried to cut out all the fat there was less than half of it left. Again the waiter had vanished, and by the time someone came to ask if out meals were OK, most of us were nearly finished with our mains, so she returned her meal to the kitchen uneaten, saying she'd just have a dessert instead. They did ask if she'd like a replacement meal but she said it was too late now and too long to wait for another (we'd been there over 2 hours by now). No one came back to ask if we'd like desert menus so we eventually helped ourselves from another table. The DM came over some 10 minutes later and apologised about the steak, then the waiter came back and took our dessert orders. About half an hour later they were brought out, the ice cream desserts were served in hot glasses, so were melting faster than we could eat them! Then we realised one of the children's desserts was missing. By the time it was brought out everyone else had finished theirs and just wanted to go home, so he ended up rushing it and leaving some. We'd brought a birthday cake with us, which we'd asked to be brought out after the main course, but this never appeared. We had to ask twice to get it back, so we could take it home and cut it there. So Grandmother never got to see her grandson cut his birthday cake as she was too tired after being stuck in the restaurant for so long. It was nearly 9pm when we left. The whole evening was a fiasco from start to finish, disorganised and very slack service. The waiter was a complete drip, and seemed to just keep vanishing. They even charged my friend for her dessert, even though she'd sent back her main course as it was inedible. I would have thought that a free dessert would have been a nice gesture, but apparently...

Wasn’t very happy , we were happily seated got our drinks very fast however no one came round to order are food we waited around 10 -15cmins and no one came and with a baby and a toddler It was quite a wait , we ordered on the app and waited for are salad bowls im guessing around 10 mins watching other tables that came in after us getting served ligit had to chase the server to get her attention after that she said there’s no bowls and to just go get a plate which wasn’t a problem but we could of got told , 5 mins after getting are salad, food came out (which isn’t a problem) but that’s how long we was clearly waiting, kids food came out (which they enjoyed it ) 2 of the other children’s food came out ( both steaks and they both highly recommends it ) and we waited for mine and my aunts food we watched the women come out with the food and go to a different table ligit sped passed us and as she walked back she stopped looked , looked back at the table she served clearly giving them are food wen trying to get her attention ingored again i understand your busy but i have worked in the same establishment!! So we waited just incase we were wrong but no every one on the table Bascally finished there food so had to go chase Watever person we could find which we were told apparently are check came though separate cause we apparently paid separate, we ordered on the app clearly together and payed one bill on the app , I am unsure on what exuse that was , if u gave are food to the wrong table it’s a honest mistake, anyway wen we eventually got are food we was that disappointed and frustrated kids had finished eating we just couldn’t enjoy it . But she cleaned are table fast and asked if we wanted dessert we didn’t even want to wait any longer and overall just disappointed, she was quick another to throw are bill for drinks on the table walked aways and waited and waited again had to chase her down so we could pay and get out of there ,

Overall food was nice and tasty compliments to the chefs (kids said) but service seriously needs to get better, I understand if it’s busy but the way we were treated We had to chase are server...

The wife and I took our 4 year old out for breakfast. We arrived hopeful because we've eaten at Harvester's before, not this specific one however. We walk in, stand at the "Wait Here to be Seated" signs. No one on front of house in sight. So I get a little bored of waiting and look around, clock someone at the bar. Walk over and ask for some assistance to which the member of staff replies "One minute, someone will be with you shortly." So I return to my wife and son eagerly awaiting a member of staff to seat us. Again, a few moments pass and STILL no one has come to seat us, this time around my wife goes out looking for someone, she eventually finds a member of staff with a little more going on up stairs and seats us herself, of course after making up excuses and having a slight moan. So now we're sat down with our menus, we've already dined with Havesters before so we had a pretty clear idea of what it was we wanted to order. Moments past again, no one came to take our order. The wife clocked one of the members of staff casually cleaning some tables so she walks over and asks if she could take our order. "One minute," she says - I get a feeling this is the new Harvester slogan. Why tend to the customer which pays your wages when you can tell them to wait. Customer service and satisfaction .101 👍 She takes our order and to be fair the wait for the food isn't at all bad. The wait wasn't bad, no. But the quality of food was. The fried eggs were undercooked and still had the raw egg whites on top. I ordered one and the wife had two, all THREE were under cooked. 🙈 The beans tasted watered down. They still vaguely tasted like beans, but as though they'd been left in the rain over night. The mushrooms lacked any taste whatsoever and filled the plate with grease. So now all the food that was palatable were now absolutely caked in oil so overall a absolutely abysmal experience sprinkled with a waste of time and money. Never coming back again, you couldn't even pay ME to return...