Slug & Lettuce - Old Christchurch Road Bournemouth — Restaurant in England

Slug & Lettuce Bournemouth completely ruined my friend’s 21st birthday. It was hands down the worst experience I’ve ever had in a restaurant.

We booked for a group of around 20, and the second we walked in, it was clear they were not ready for us. No table prepared, no staff greeting us, just total confusion. We stood around awkwardly while they tried to figure out where to put us - even though we had booked in advance. After a long wait, we were told to clear and clean our own table. A group of paying guests having to wipe down a dirty table ourselves because no one else was doing it.

The table was filthy, and in the process of cleaning it, someone’s leftover food spilled across the table and got on my clothes. Not the end of the world, but still disgusting, and the fact no staff offered to help or apologise made it ten times worse.

We finally sat down, and then were completely ignored. No one came over. No drinks were taken. No explanation. When drinks eventually started appearing, they were random orders we didn’t even ask for. It felt like they were just bringing out whatever was lying around. It was supposed to be bottomless, but we only got five drinks over the whole session - if that. Some of us were charged £10, others £15, for the exact same deal. No consistency, no explanation.

Over an hour went by before any food arrived, which meant we were already late to everything else we had booked for the night. The birthday girl was literally crying from the stress. Her night was ruined before it had even begun properly.

When the food did come, it was a joke. No cutlery. No napkins. No sauces. We had to go up and ask for the basics just to be able to eat. One meal came with four sad little breakfast waffle fries instead of actual chips. How is that acceptable? It felt like no one in the kitchen or on the floor actually cared about what they were doing.

And the state of the table just got worse. Rubbish, empty glasses, mess everywhere. I ended up clearing it. I’ve worked in hospitality for over five years, and I completely understand when things go wrong. But this wasn’t a mistake. This was a team that didn’t want to be there, a manager who had no control, and a total lack of organisation, care, or basic standards.

To make it even more uncomfortable, we had three security guards posted around us for no clear reason. We weren’t being loud, rude, or difficult. We were just trying to enjoy a birthday, but instead it felt like we were being watched and treated like a problem. It made the whole group uneasy.

The only person who showed any decency was Marley, one of the male staff. He was polite and tried his best, and we appreciated that. But he was working in an impossible situation with zero support from the rest of the team.

At the end of the night, we spoke to the manager. She gave us a discount - which, let’s be honest, was the bare minimum. But even then, she got angry and defensive when we explained what had gone wrong. No apology. No ownership. Just attitude. And that was the final straw.

Management at this place is a disgrace. Whoever runs this venue needs replacing immediately. They are not fit to be running any kind of hospitality business, let alone one taking bookings for big celebrations.

We left angry, disappointed, and embarrassed. What should have been a fun and memorable night turned into a complete disaster.

Do not book here. Do not waste your time or money. If you care even a little bit about your event, go...

We had one of the most disappointing experiences at Slug & Lettuce last Sunday, 14/09. We waited over 40 minutes for cocktails, asked the only staff member we could find three times about them and were completely ignored. Meanwhile, the rest of the staff were in the kitchen laughing and joking instead of dealing with customer orders whilst the manager had her dinner with a large group of friends, perhaps not having her actual break but enjoying some "well deserved" time off. She was right next to us all this time, heard we’ve asked multiple times why is no one even starting the cocktails 30 minutes after we've placed the order but said absolutely nothing, just continued her dinner, didn't even asked another member of staff to sort them out as it's been so long already. The third time we’ve asked about the cocktails no update was provided, instead the waitress apologized saying she had a “more important task” to deal with which we overheard was a cold burger being sent back from a different table.

What made the whole situation even worse was the behaviour of the manager, Claire. The first time we spoke to her she claimed she had been “caught up in the kitchen,” but she was actually sat at the table right next to us eating with her friends. Whilst she was sat there, one of the cooks even came over to her table, rolled her eyes, and complained about “someone ordering a bunch of sharers via the app” which turned out to be our order. Truly embarrassing and unprofessional. After she finished her dinner, she went into the kitchen and barely came out of it. Whilst trying to find someone and get an update on the order, I could clearly hear everyone in the kitchen laughing and joking whilst the cocktails were still not even started. In the rare moments someone was actually on the floor, we managed to approach Claire about the cocktails and mentioned it had been over 40 minutes. Bare in mind, the place was empty, only another table of and the manager’s friends. The manager dismissed us, claiming we were lying and that it had only been 20 minutes. We then showed her the order confirmation email, which clearly proved it had been exactly 46 minutes since we placed the first order.

When our food finally arrived, almost an hour after, the cocktails were still missing and the order itself was wrong and stone cold. Instead of being told certain items weren’t available, they simply swapped them out without saying a word. Claire shouldn’t be working as a manager in any establishment. She treated the place like it was her own personal hangout with absolutely no regard for customers. Except for a single girl who seemed to actually care, no one else was doing any work. The rest of the staff were literally just sat in the kitchen ignoring orders and customers.

We asked for a refund for our entire order and left. This was more than an hour after our first order and joke you not, the cocktails were still not fully done. With Claire working there as a shift manager, we will not be returning and strongly advise others to avoid this location particularly due to the shift manager Claire and...

Visited here on Halloween night with friends, but sadly there were 0 decorations of any sort inside. Even some other customers were in costume there so I’m sure they were disappointed too. I ordered the Smothered Chicken from the bar and hooo boy, that chicken was incredibly overcooked to the point of the outside being rock-hard rendering it inedible. Several minutes of going at it with a knife just to salvage the less burnt interior was not how I wanted to spend my Halloween. At least the chips were fine. My friends tried to order their food just a few minutes after me and were told the kitchen was not taking any more orders despite the kitchen hours not being over yet any time soon. Despite this, they had no issue ordering their food from the S&L app which I guess contradicted what the guy at the bar told them. Only giving 2 stars because the music...