Ocean Beach — Restaurant in England

It was a couple of weeks ago that we came to this restaurant though I've tried to block it from my memory. It was a busy hot evening and we waited for 30 minutes for a table to become available. That was fair enough. Once seated it was a further 30 minutes for the order to be taken and a further 45 minutes for the food to reach us. Realising that the place was chaotic and noisy I opted for scampi and chips figuring that nobody can make a mess of that. My husband had a noodle beef dish. When the food arrived the server threw the plate on the table and a third of the chips went onto the table. She left without acknowledging what she had done. I waited as I expected her to return with replacement chips and an apology. This was not forthcoming, she did not return. I ate the food which was unpleasantly overcooked and the plate cold. My husband ate his food because he was hungry but likened it to a "Pot Noodle." The music was so loud everyone was shouting to be heard. I went to the ladies toilets and was shocked by how disgusting they were. There were only two out of approx 10 loos which were clean enough to use. The bins were so full they over spilled onto the floor with women's used sanitary products visible. I am immuno-compromised so I have to be extra careful about cleanliness though any healthy person would find this standard of hygiene unacceptable. When I spoke to the manager he said the toilets had been checked one hour before and it was the fault of those using the beach. I explained that had the loos ben checked, whoever did it, did not do anything to improve the cleanliness. To me it looked like the toilets had been ignored for 24 hours. If the restaurant has people tipping up from the beach using the facilities then the loos need to be inspected and cleaned more frequently, not left in a dire state. I wonder what Environmental health would make of it? The manager deducted money from the bill because I raised these issues, though I didn't request it. This was the first time at Westcliffe and will be the last. It was a thoroughly unpleasant evening so thank you and your staff for...

Been going here for years. We had booked a table for 8.15pm leaving a note on the booking that we had chosen them to dine with for our last meal before moving away from Southend. They were happy to accommodate. This is a Thursday in the height of summer. On the website it states it closes at 11pm so we thought that was fine, although when we arrived we saw 1/2 of the tables on the veranda were closed off. Food was lovely and the male waiter was attentive. Initially thought service was very quick and efficient. Barely an hour into service, it started to feel like they were packing up and wanted you to leave too. One younger waitress kept coming back to take ‘any last drinks’ at 9.20. We’d personally like to apologise to the other older long-standing waitress with botox/lip filler about asking for the dessert menu again an hour and a half before ‘closing’ which was met with contempt. Or perhaps we couldn’t read the expression but didn’t hear any courteous response expected from staff in this industry. The younger waitress kept returning about last orders apparently due to ‘cashing up’. Still no word of an early closure. We weren’t the only ones to feel like we needed to go. Deliberately sucking out the atmosphere to ensure we left in my honest opinion... 8.15 should have been a 2 hour service - we were out by 9.50 along with the last diners and the shutters were down before 10pm. Disappointed as it was our last meal in Southend before we completed on our house the next day. Had they been upfront about closing at 10, then we wouldn’t be left disappointed and affronted. The way they’ve constructed this feels as though thy deliberately make it so people don’t stay late. They need to be trained to have more tact - and more consistency in their waitressing style - and review their...

I’m writing to express my deep disappointment following an experience at your restaurant on Sunday, June 29th. I have been a loyal customer for years and have always considered your venue a special place in Southend, having celebrated my son's birthday there twice and frequently bringing friends and family for lunch or dinner whenever I'm in town.

Unfortunately, on this occasion, the staff member responsible for seating guests was extremely discourteous. I had brought two adult friends, my 4-year-old son, and my 1-year-old baby for dinner after a lovely day at the beach. I had been looking forward to sharing this cherished spot with them. However, when we arrived, the host told us he could not seat “four and a half people,” which we found quite dismissive and offensive. He repeated the remark seriously and offered us a table that would only be available in two hours. This left us confused and embarrassed, and we eventually decided to leave.

This is not the first time I’ve encountered a lack of courtesy from what seems to be the same individual. While most of your staff have always been welcoming, this particular employee’s attitude gives the impression that certain guests are unwelcome—perhaps based on whether they have children or other perceived biases.

As a fellow business owner, I know how important it is to treat every guest with respect. No employee should be allowed to make guests feel unwelcome or judged. I hope you will take this feedback seriously and look into this matter to ensure that all customers, regardless of who they are, feel valued and respected at your...