Hare & Hounds — Restaurant in East Devon

We went for the carvery and we'd actually booked a table. Upon entering the door there was a 10-minute standing line which didn't really have any proper direction and people were coming from all sides plus you were literally in the doorway so quite exposed to having to keep being moved and losing your place in the queue. After said 10 minutes we gave them the name of our booking and were told our table was number ** so, off with trundled all the way down the back of the pub which is quite large to be honest. After finding somebody sat at the table already we had to come all the way back to the bar and queue yet again which wasn't perfect as I'm disabled and I was struggling to stand for the 10 minutes let alone hobble to Just about the furthest table away only to be told a different table number... Which was as you guessed it despite my son asking for one closer especially to the carvery itself right back at the other side of the pub. If they had shown us to the table they could have resolve the seating issue immediately putting is on the next table instantly. If they booked it properly in the first place there wouldn't be somebody sat there at which point we also overheard another person saying excuse me this somebody sat at our table so we weren't the only ones. Ok so there's a mistake and that's fine but when a customer is clearly struggling and the same problem appears twice in 5 minutes maybe a manager or supervisor should have been informed and at the very least offered to servers from the table rather than having to go back to the bar to queue and pay for the car very only to be given The advice of sit at your table and wait until we call you for the carvery. Problem here is that we had dogs, I also use a walking stick so to carry a heavy plate from the opposite side of the pub was impossible for me and we couldn't all go at the same time as arranged by the pub because we couldn't leave the dogs on their own. No forethought or management of the problem. That being said the food was quite lovely apart from the rose potatoes and although costly by comparison to other places I've been it's prices are just above average for the region. Atmosphere is beautiful it's a very cosy pub with a very warm welcome and real fires and log burners abundant throughout. Beer, lagers and ciders were good (to be honest we'd almost finished the first drink before we were called up to the carvery) . The meat was excellent and the food wasn't too dry although the service itself could definitely have been quicker I suppose the system is in place to relieve the pressure and chaos that you sometimes get at carveries. It did feel very much like the customer was second to the process however. My visit particularly was spoilt by the walking backwards and forwards and being told we couldn't have a table nearer the bar and carvery because dogs weren't allowed in that bit even though a couple with two labradors had literally just got up from the table. The rest of my group enjoyed their food. My enjoyment was spoilt after the first 10 minutes queueing And the pain it cost was a huge distraction even though I do enjoy my food and a nice pint. I need to point out that these are my views and my views only not that of my family. Back to a positive note they did provide dog beds or blankets. At 6:45 on a Thursday evening with only two or three people standing at the carvery at anyone time They're clearly was no pressure for the staff to perform. Stuff were very friendly but only one person showed initiative out of the six or seven that I saw. It is worth the visit but I think you need to make sure you speak to somebody seen yet if you're making a booking and find out which table you're on before you go especially if you have a disability as there are different levels and steps and if I had gone with my wheelchair we would have had to wait an hour for a table that allowed dogs despite having booked in advance. If you're going to offer a booking service then use reserve tabs instead of allowing walk-ins to find their own...

Shocked and appalled! We went to this pub for a birthday and the whole situation ruined the day. I talked about my experience to friends and colleagues, they have said they won't be going/returning and will share my disgust at the treatment my family and I received.

We arrived at the pub and asked a young lady to see if the booking was ready, she couldn't find us and this was fair enough, as we weren't sure the booking name, as it had been booked by my father in law who hadnt yet arrived. She said to come back with the email booking once my father in law arrived.

When he arrived we returned and spoke to a young man who when we explained the above, he responded with ' Didn't get the answer you wanted from one person, so thought you would ask someone else!'. The tone and manner of the individual oozed contempt and disrespect. To say it was rude was an understatement and the fact we were made to feel it was our fault...shocking. Anyway he then proceeded to say despite the fact we had confirmation of the booking, the booking wasn't showing. He could provide a table at the bar and whether we wanted it or not he 'didn't care'. Because of the way in which this was dealt we declined and left immediately.

The pub was busy and I am sure that it can be stressful but when your business makes the mistake, firstly you apologise, secondly you try to resolve the issue in the most respectful way possible and thirdly you do not speak to your customers in a tone you would use to stepping in something disgusting, regardless of where the fault lies.

We were lucky to find a pub close by in Ottery St Mary called The Volunteer who could not have been more pleased to have us and the food was fantastic. Highly recommended them. As for the Hare and Hound, I will never set foot in there again and as a local business man, I will ensure that word gets around that the service is beyond disgraceful.

Disgusting service from one individual is enough to put you off for life, regardless of how great they may...

When we arrived, instantly the woman behind the bar was rude and looked miserable. She told us to hurry up and order as the table was booked out again at 2pm. We should have left there and then as she was actually the most polite member of staff we encountered. She was rolling her eyes and tutting at other customers including children. We were shown to our table where we waited for our carvery. When we were told to go up, we were stood at the counter for ages waiting for someone to cut the meat and a lad came out and replaced the potatoes - he laughed and said I don’t know where the server has gone. Not really funny with 8 people in the queue. The meals were ok - yorkshires were soggy and meat was quite fatty but nothing we would have complained about. Our children’s meals came out 10 minutes later (despite us asking for them to be bought out before ours) and were disgusting. Mash potato was rock hard, sausages were cold and beans were congealed. We waited for a member of staff to complain but to no avail. Because they told us already that we need to be out at 2pm (it was 1:30 by this point) we told the kids to eat some of our roasts and we would speak to a staff member at the end. When they collected our food, we let them know and were accused of lying. Apparently the two (UNTOUCHED) children’s meals were absolutely fine as the chef had looked at them. We explained our children wouldn’t eat them and we would like a refund for their meals (not ours). The gobby waiter said this wouldn’t be happening but he would give a free scoop of icecream - despite already being lectured that we needed to leave due to table timings. We asked him to go away in the end because he was so rude and making our children uncomfortable- to which he said “yeah see you later - you can leave now” would understand if we were shouting and swearing but we were being polite in trying to rationalise with the ridiculous decision not to refund two uneaten children’s meals. The staff were appalling and we...