Waterside Inn Ware — Restaurant in East Hertfordshire

I am not one to really post reviews but unfortunately due to my experience here I have had to post to ensure others are aware before they attend. The service I received here was awful to put it lightly. I went with some friends for a birthday lunch and ordered at the bar, and when the food arrived it was the wrong order and I kindly informed the waitress that I had ordered something else and she said she would call over the guy who took my order who was named Tyler. Tyler then came over and said did I read your order back to you, which he had not, and then asked if I would be ok with what was brought to me or if I would like my original order which I said I preferred my original order, being pregnant my taste preferences are more considered at the moment. He then said ok and walked away. My friends had all eaten their food and I was still waiting for my order and when I proceeded to ask if it had been put through Tyler responded that no he had not, as I had not specifically said 'can i have a reorder?' But had responded to him to say I wanted my order?! His General Manager named Miranda, then decided she needed to have her say and said it was my error as he would have read it back and therefore if I wanted to have my order then I needed to pay for my order. I explained my issue wasn't about paying for my food which I already had done at the point of ordering but the fact that he never read my order back and also for the fact that he came over to ask me if I wanted my original order but decided not to do anything about it and left me waiting there with no food or explanation as to if I did want it I would have to reorder. Miranda with her awful attitude and head rolls, said it was my error so I had to deal with it and I said how could she be sure he read it back when she wasn't there and she said 'I trust my staff', 'are you calling him a liar?' And i explained she was calling me one and that she was not even showing a basic human decency forget being the general Manager. She called me grumpy and said 'there's no one else to speak to so youll have to deal with me' with so much attitude and aggression that I am actually surprised she is allowed to be facing customers. I explained that her attitude was not called for and she even cut me up and said 'oh there's nothing more to say!' Just pure rudeness for anyone to display to another person. I was in pure shock that this happened and feel that Tyler and Miranda although front of house decided lying and calling a customer a liar and not trying to even come to a resolution is absolutely despicable. I didn't leave my house that day looking for a free meal but it was suggested that that was my intention. So word of warning if you receive a wrong order it's most definitely your fault. *Also when I said I would be leaving them a review about the service she said 'oh you're gonna threaten me with...

THIS IS ABOUT THE SUNDAY MENU.

So me and my partner drove a little bit to this place as it seemed really scenic for the hot evenings atm. Prices seemed alright too at first.

First complaint, which can’t exactly be helped because of the location, but nonetheless, the ant fly things were everywhere. Everyone’s partners were picking the flies out of the girls hair lol, had to swat them away from tables constantly.

Secondly, we came at 6pm, which isn’t that late imo, but maybe affected the food quality. The roast was stale, for £14 a roast you’d expect atleast a decent portion. Mine didn’t even come with any stuffing and at most a tablespoon of mash. The beef was super fatty, the roast potatoes looked great but tasted like they were cooked atleast 2 hours prior. There wasn’t much else on the plate, peas and carrots. That’s it. My partner had the triple roast, and experienced similar. Only difference being he got a teaspoon of some cold stuffing. He even said it gave him the vibe of a microwaveable meal... Both agreed in the end that we should’ve just gone to Toby’s. Lol.

Lastly, the service isn’t great. I ordered a cocktail (which btw, all were sold out apart from one?) through the app as I was sat outside and didn’t want to go up to the bar inside. Once the drink arrives, I kindly ask for a straw, to which I’m responded with “ok I’ll get it for you this time, but next time if you want a straw go order your drink at the bar.” Right… I thought I’d let it slide.. Few minutes later, a server spills a drink on my foot :), it’s not even the bad part, because these things happen. I said to my partner “ooh! Got a drink on my foot haha” out of surprise, the server turns around, looks at my foot, then me, and walks away. Of course it wasn’t on purpose, but the courtesy of apologising would’ve been nice and even expected?

Overall, for a first experience it wasn’t good, and we won’t be returning. Can have better for a 50£ dinner evening …

FUN FACT THEY OFFERED US A £50 FREE DINNER AFTER THIS REVIEW. REVIEW REMAINS THE SAME AS FOOD IS STILL...

Imagine it is an uncharacteristically sunny Saturday afternoon in October and you have just had a great lunch at the local Thai while catching up with old friends. You decide to have a couple of drinks at one of the local pubs and pick the Waterside Inn as it has a lovely beer garden on the river. You order a cheese and mushroom bruschetta and a Chocolate Crème Brûlée Fondue for £12.50 from the app. The bruschetta arrives 15 minutes later and it's actually just a piece of toast, with no crust, some cheese and one mushroom. Gutted, you wait for your pudding. You wait an hour. You have chased the staff 3 times and they don't know where the pudding is. When it finally arrives, it's a sort of Crème Brûlée with 3 small brownie chunks. Amazing, worth the wait. You ignore the terrible service and continue on your day anyway. You're in a moderately warm nook by a speaker which is fairly loud so you are probably compensating. Then the manager, Miss Trunchbull, comes over to you very abruptly (without a smile or even a hello) and says: "I can hear you from my flat upstairs. If you don't quieten down you will be kicked out." Excuse me, but what just happened Miss Trunchball? Why are you sending me to the Chokey? Utterly disgusting customer service. Imagine, if she had actually had any form of training in customer service before she took over a pub, then she might approach you with a smile and have a quiet word with you about the noise. She might ask you to keep it down, move away from the speaker etc. She might even apologise, for rinsing your wallet of reasonable ££ after an hour long wait for food not even worthy of Wetherspoons. Then again she might just want to run a fairly decent establishment into the ground so she can give up and someone else can take over instead. One can hope. 7 years ago, two managers ago, this was a lovely pub and it didn't even need a 300k refurbishment to make you want to go back. For info, there is a lovely riverside pub opposite where the staff know what they are doing and the food...