Harvester Neptune Bournemouth — Restaurant in Great Britain

A very disappointing dining experience in which after waiting so long to have my order taken, then waiting over an hour for my meal to arrive, it wasn't what I ordered, leaving me so disappointed!

I booked a table at this restaurant several weeks ago as I knew i would be staying at the Somerford Hotel near Christchurch as it looked amazing online with views of the seafront, when I arrived I was taken to a table with an amazing view, paradise I thought, the restaurant was fairly quiet, but nobody arrived to take my order for a drink, let alone food, after 15mins an elderly couple came in & the young server took their drinks order immediately, then shortly after their food order which was the same as what I was going to be having, the spicy sea bass, she even gave them their salad bowl, then finally I maybe wasn't invisible anymore, the server came over took my drink & meal order, then brought a bowl for the salad over, FINALLY I thought!

I went over to the salad bar, but almost everything had run out, so all I ended up with was cucumber, beetroot & several pieces of tomato, very filling. My drink arrived when I had almost eaten the salad, but when I took a sip warm & sour comes to mind, the people behind me had their meal & were ordering dessert by time my meal arrived, the sea bass looked the wrong shape, then when I cut a bite to try, it was chicken, I was nearly sick with a pounding heart, not something I eat, plus it was Luke warm, like rubber, just how the prawn skewer looked & felt, the fries almost cold & hard, I called the nearest person I could see which was the man who took me to my seat earlier, he apologized & said he would get my sea bass, but it turns out that this was the correct order that the server had put in, how does spicy sea bass sound like spicy chicken, it wasn't loud in there for this mistake to happen, the sea bass had now run out, I was offered salmon but that mouthful of chicken put me off eating, it was taken off the bill, but then my server came over to say oh well, at least you got a wee drink & some salad out of it, I was speechless, so NOT for one second did I trust him that I didn't have to pay for the wine & I didn't want to get arrested, so I waited ages until I saw the other man again who said, I'll tell you what, don't worry about it, which was nice of him, but at the end of the day, I went back to my hotel starving hungry as I...

Disheartening Experience - Will Not Return

Unfortunately, I’m left with no choice but to give this venue a 1-star review. This is now the second time my partner and I have visited, and both times have been very disappointing. We genuinely gave them another chance yesterday, but once again, we left feeling frustrated and upset.

Our first visit about two weeks ago wasn’t ideal. We were greeted at the front desk and told we could sit wherever we liked and order at the bar when ready, which seemed fine. After settling on a table in the restraunt area, we were approached by a waitress who rudely questioned what we were doing. When we explained we were following the initial instructions, she told us she’d be over to serve us. We waited for 15 minutes without any service, so my partner went to the bar to order. Upon asking for a table number, the same waitress told him she didn’t know but would come over—she never did. To make matters worse, she gave him a disapproving look as he walked away. That was enough for us, so we decided to leave.

Hoping for a better experience, we returned yesterday for breakfast. We sat inside and my partner went to the bar to order, where we were told there would be a minimum 30-minute wait, despite there being only three other customers in the venue. Thankfully, the food arrived faster than expected. However, when my partner requested a swap from normal sausages to vegan sausages, he was told it would cost 99p, but then charged £1.98. We later learned this was because each sausage was 99p extra, though this wasn’t clearly explained at the time. When we raised this with a woman who appeared to be the manager, she claimed that they don’t allow swaps. This was especially frustrating, as most venues would happily accommodate a request to swap a meat item for a very similar plant-based option without charging extra, or at least with clear communication about any cost. We were also disappointed that we had to ask for the normal sausages to be included, which should have been offered upfront.

While the portion sizes and quality of the food were decent, the overall service and attitude were incredibly disheartening. The staff’s lack of professionalism and poor customer service have left a lasting negative impression, and after two bad experiences, we will not...

I rarely leave negative reviews, but our recent experience at Harvester Neptune was so disappointing, I feel compelled to warn others. What should’ve been a simple family meal turned into a lesson in vigilance—always double-check your order and your bill!

What Went Wrong:

Incorrect Order:

We ordered grilled chicken, one portion of breaded mushrooms, and nachos.

After a 25-minute wait (slow even for a busy night), we received:

Grilled chicken (correct)

Two portions of mushrooms (we only wanted one)

No nachos (the item we actually looked forward to!)

The Staff’s Shocking Response:

The waitress admitted she’d entered two mushroom portions instead of nachos (her mistake, not ours).

Yet, the manager insisted we pay for the nachos we never received, refusing to remove the extra mushrooms we didn’t order.

Their logic? “The system can’t void items” (a pathetic excuse—every POS system has a correction function).

Why This Isn’t Just About One Bad Meal:

For Customers: This is why you should photograph your order slip and scrutinize bills. Had we not checked, we’d have paid for food we never got.

For the Restaurant: Mistakes happen, but charging guests for your errors is unethical. A reputable business would’ve:

Apologized sincerely.

Comped the unintended mushrooms.

Either made the nachos promptly or deducted them from the bill.

Final Verdict: We’ve dined here before without issue, but this blatant refusal to right a clear wrong has lost our trust. Until management trains staff to take accountability (not punish customers for their mistakes), steer clear—or at least review your receipt like a hawk.

Note to Management: A refund for the extra mushrooms would be a start, but what you really owe customers is better training and integrity.

PS. Food was delicious that's why I didn't go for 1...