Harvester Wheatsheaf Loughborough — Restaurant in Charnwood

Worth its Weight in Gold (And Possibly an Award for Best Server of All Time) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me begin by saying that there are "good dining experiences," and then there’s the divine, cosmic, near-spiritual experience I had at Harvester last night—thanks entirely to the sheer brilliance of one Emma, our server, who has, without question, redefined my standards for what it means to be served.

The evening began with my friends and I arriving slightly later than intended. We were not so much fashionably late as we were an episode of "Will They or Won't They Make It Before Close?" tension built to a crescendo. The clock was ticking down, and Harvester was nearing the end of its operating hours. The stakes were high, the air was thick with the aroma of impending hunger-induced panic, and yet, somehow, Emma—the legend herself—looked upon us and said, "Don’t worry, I got you."

It was nothing short of a miracle. Not only did she squeeze us in, but she did so with the kind of grace and poise I had only previously seen in fictional characters from epic fantasy novels. If anyone’s ever wondered what would happen if a fairy godmother and a Michelin-star chef had a child, that child would be Emma. She seated us with a smile so warm, I almost thought I could feel it on my face like the rays of a summer sun.

And let’s talk about the service. Folks, there are servers, and then there are Emma-level servers. When she presented the menu, I almost felt like I was being handed a treasure map. The way she described the specials was nothing short of poetic—each dish was introduced like a character from an epic tale. “This steak,” she said with a knowing glint in her eye, “is not just a steak. It’s an experience—a journey of flavor so intense, your taste buds may need a moment to process it.” Naturally, I ordered it. I needed that journey.

Throughout the meal, Emma was everywhere and nowhere at once. She appeared with drinks faster than I could ask for them, and her timing was impeccable—never hovering, never intruding, but always there when we needed her. It was as though she was a culinary sorceress, reading our minds, anticipating our needs, and fulfilling them with the subtlety of a magician. I briefly wondered if she had hidden superpowers. If I had to guess, Emma’s special skill is turning the average dinner into an event so extraordinary, even the food is applauding.

When our dessert arrived (which, naturally, was also expertly recommended by her—because she knows), Emma didn’t just bring it to the table. No, she made the grand unveiling of our final course an event worthy of a standing ovation. The dramatic flourish of the dessert plates, the perfectly timed commentary, and that final, knowing look that said, "You are about to experience the last, most glorious chapter of your dining adventure"—it was enough to make me tear up a little.

As we wrapped up our meal, Emma, like the professional that she is, managed to not only take care of our checks with speed and precision but also left us with a sense of fulfillment beyond just the food. I felt… cared for. Like I had been pampered by a hospitality deity sent down from above. How did she do it? I’ll never know. But that’s the magic of Emma.

So, to anyone reading this: If you ever find yourself near Harvester and you see a server named Emma, do yourself a favor and ask for her specifically. You’re not just getting food and drink. You’re getting an experience. A story. A memory. And possibly, if you’re lucky, an invitation to Emma’s secret club of diners who have witnessed the art of service elevated to an otherworldly level.

To Emma: Thank you. You are, without question, the greatest server in the history of food. May your tips be as generous as your spirit, and may you always have enough time to deliver a flawless experience, no matter how close to closing you are. We will return. And next time, we’ll...

My family were extremely disappointed with today service. We arrived on time for our booking at 1415 today. At 1420 we were seated, greeted pleasantly and within 10 minutes we had ordered both our food and drinks.

However, we were not informed by Michelle (Manager), who took us to our table how long the wait would be; though I did over hear her tell the couple Infront of us that it would be around 40-50 minutes, so we were prepared for that with the kids. However, 50 minutes later the couple who came in before us had finished their food and still noone came to update us. So I did ask our server if there was any update on our food, to which she returned 10 minutes later to let us know, she's "clearing up the other table next to us and then we would be next". The other table that had come in with us and seated at the same time, and ordered about 3 minutes before us have now paid and left. 1 hour and 10 minutes after we had ordered our food came.

Not once did the server come to check on us to see if we were enjoying our meal, however she had checked the other tables next to us during theirs.

Once we had finished our meal, the sever asked if we wanted anything else, so we asked for and ice lolly for one child and the make your own sundae for the other. 15 minutes later I seen our server notice out table, point and rush off to the kitchen. 5 minutes after this, I lost my patience and went to find the manager Michelle to ask what was happening, informed her that we had been waiting 20 minutes for our dessert and that we had waited over an hour for our mains. 5 minutes later our dessert finally came and as the kids were tucking away I thought I would go and find Michelle and express my concern over the service away from the table and the children. After waiting a minute at the front desk I went back to find her discussing with my wife what was happening with today in front of the kids.

Michelle was being incredibly defensive about our concerns. I understand they're busy and we have to wait, she said the person who sat us down should have explained but she denied that it was us that she had sat down, and at the time of discussing I couldn't remember either but once she left, my wife and I were convinced it was in fact her that sat us down. She then went on to explain that the people next to us may have ordered before and therefore there could have been like 5 meals ahead of us, but we explained they came in, ate, paid and left before we even got our mains. Then when I said about desserts being 20 minutes to get an ice lolly, she started going.om about staff being off sick etc. Both my wife and I found her very rude. And to top it off the server brought us the bill before my daughter even finished her Ice cream. Server and manager seemed to try to avoid us and not make us feel welcome back. Barely any apology and not even a free drink offered or anything for the inconvenience.

Once to family we're back in the car I went back in to find Michelle to ask if she had a comment card or shall I fill out in a website or anything and all she gave me was a scrap piece of paper with a QR code on to review on Google. Another occasion to offer an apology but nothing...

I will never return to this restaurant, though I would have considered it because the kids and I really enjoyed the food, but the service and way they dealt with us...

Not the best, but certainly the worst. Well done to all the staff who helped achieve this rating. Mainly Molly, Becky and the Chefs. Even before we had an issue with the food, our waitress Molly had a 0 out of 10 on the personality scale. No friendly chit chat and certainly not welcoming. We wanted the 2 Course set menu and the Nachos as a starter. We were on a downward slope at this point. The Nachos were unavailable and there wasn’t another starter we wanted and thus forced to have a dessert which I didn’t want. I wanted to swap the starter for another one which i wanted, but this was refused and said it’s subject to availability, although it doesn’t state this on the menu. We were half way through our salad before I had to ask for our drinks, and Molly said she would see where they were, so I told her that they were on the bar on a tray! My wife and son asked for their steaks to be well done and they came back a little pink. They were sent back, and when they were returned they were still pink as the picture below shows. We asked for the manager and Becky came to the table and said that is how we do them! That is well done! So if you want a well done steak, don’t come here as well done is still pink!

As for the puddings, how about an ice cream which you need a straw to eat it with! This had to be changed as well!

It’s a shame as we had a good time a couple of weeks ago, but after this experience the best part was leaving and never to return.

Just paid the bill and all they took off was a children’s steak meal which was around £6! Totally disgusting.

As we were leaving about four staff were standing there watching us walk to the car and shaking there heads at us. This restaurant is a disgrace to the Harvester Brand, and it seems that after reading quite a few reviews it seems to be the same story and the management certainly are not learning from the feedback received, and if it’s Becky as the management, then Harvester should cut their ties and employ caring people who will do a fantastic job and turn things around in this restaurant.

Looking forward to my next meal out.....at Beefeater.

You have my contact details, so I will be looking forward to hearing from...