What the cluck Bournemouth — Restaurant in Great Britain

I’ve been a loyal customer of What The Cluck in Bournemouth for a long time, regularly ordering online and even dining in before. I’ve recommended this place to many friends and always looked forward to the quality food. Unfortunately, my most recent visit has completely changed my opinion.

My partner and I visited an hour before closing and were served chicken tenders that looked and tasted nothing like what we were used to. The portion sizes were inconsistent—my partner received significantly fewer chips, and when he politely asked about it, the response was oddly defensive. He was then handed a full box of chips, which felt more like a sarcastic gesture than actual customer service.

To make matters worse, when we asked about the clear change in chicken quality, we were first told the seasoning had changed, then that the supplier had changed. Both responses were delivered rudely and without any accountability.

The service also wasn’t great the last time I dined in, but I gave the benefit of the doubt because it was busy at the time. Now, after this experience, it’s clear that both the quality and the attitude toward customers have dropped. We won’t be returning.

Response to owner:

Thank you for your reply. Just to clarify, we arrived well before closing time—Google listed your closing time as 11pm yesterday, which is why we came when we did. As I’m writing this now, I’ve checked again and noticed the hours have been changed, which unfortunately makes it look like we were in the wrong when we weren’t. That’s really disappointing.

I understand supplier issues happen, but the drop in chicken quality was drastic and completely different from what we’ve had in the past. A simple heads-up at the time would’ve gone a long way. My partner’s portion of chips was noticeably smaller than mine, and while we appreciate you giving more after we raised it, the way it was done didn’t feel like a genuine gesture.

The photo comparison wasn’t to say that tenders should look like a burger patty—it was to show what we used to get from you and the quality we had come to expect. The new product didn’t match that at all.

Lastly, while I understand there may have been no intent to be rude, the way we were spoken to didn’t feel respectful—especially considering how often we’ve supported and recommended your business. I hope things return to the standard we...

Update! We wanted to also note that this is the first takeaway/fast food we've had in ages that has CRISPY FRESH COLD LETTUCE in the burgers and not wilted leaves lol - Ordered from here for the first time on deliveroo a few nights ago as we wanted to order something different from our usual! Got a couple of chicken burgers and some fries and wow the chicken pieces were huge! Great portion sizes, but will order less next time as it was so unexpectedly generous we almost couldnt eat it all! The chicken was fried to perfection and not dry at all. 3 large pieces per burger! I chose the chipotle sauce (never had it before!) and it was lovely and spicy and gave it a great kick. The fries were just cooked enough for me and came with a great helping of cheese. We were saying how good it was all evening! We also saw we got a free burger as well as it wasnt on our order and then we saw the lovely note left by Michael thanking us for supporting his small business. It was a lovely touch and he is right, the prices were great and exceptional value for money! Thank you for the freebie Michael! Will definitely order...

Hey. We decided to try your establishment after having it recommended by a friend. We are all thoroughly impressed.

Your portion sizes are absolutely immense. I don't know how you afford to stuff half a chicken into a burger, but it was a colossal. I literally can't eat all of it because any other portion in the area is pitiful in comparison. Your other ingredients in the burger itself are incredibly flavourful as well, the chips were top tier. Honestly dude we're proper impressed.

On your note you left us, you asked for feedback, of which the only thing that really comes to mind is more control over the selection of what goes in the food, which I understand is a potentially out of place request to ask of a fast food place, but what I mean is - being able to select if the salt is put on the chips or not, instead of it already being on them, or have the spice as optional.

But otherwise, your place is now a solid top pick for my friends and I. Seriously dude, those portion sizes, most would struggle to match the amount seen on our plates tonight unless we moved countries....