Alento Lounge — Restaurant in Hart

Went for dinner and drinks as a group of 3. We were told to go find a table, eventually found one. We ordered food and drinks via the app. No drinks after 30 mins, so we went to the bar to get an update, whilst waiting there, the bar staff were serving people who were coming up to the bar... When it was eventually our turn at the bar, the response was 'we've got a backlog of 30 drinks orders to work through so you'll get them when I've gone through them'.

40 mins passed and the drinks finally come over, the wine was not great and certainly not worth a 40 min wait!

The staff (to be fair hard to tell who actually worked there as not clear and was difficult to pin anyone down) were running up and down throughout the 'lounge'.

There is poor management of service, no one around to be the focal point of contact for customers. The fact that they continued to serve people who were coming up to the bar for drinks whilst letting the app orders pile up was just ridiculous.

When you order via the app it asks you if you want to tip, what exactly is it that we are tipping the staff for?! Taking an age to bring our drinks and food over?! Being rude to them?!

The current system of ordering via the app or bar doesn't appear to be working in their busy periods.

It's been nicely decorated and the food is half decent but that's it. We were even chucked a nicely soiled napkin when they put the cutlery on the tables.

Sort the way the ordering system works and get a proper manager in to be front of house and manage the way the...

There is definite potential here, it’s just not quite good enough yet. The staff were friendly but unsure of their surroundings, table numbers were confused, which meant food orders were also confused, drinks taps had to be double checked before anything was poured. They were concentrating so hard they didn’t look up to acknowledge people waiting. There didn’t seem to be anyone running the floor, ensuring that the customers were happy but also importantly that the staff knew what their job was and how to do it. All of these things will improve, I hope, with time. The food was good, timely, hot and well presented. My biggest issue is with what it is, a pub, or a restaurant, maybe that’s why it’s called a lounge! Having to order at the bar, makes it more of a pub, but the extensive menu and the look and feel makes it more a restaurant. Personally I think it should have waitered service, it would enhance the experience rather than I tedious wait at the bar, all it would take would be some one jumping the queue for tempers to fray! I will try again in a few weeks to see if these opening issues have been resolved! Also to see if the rise in energy prices has made them switch some of the massive amounts of...

The offerings of this establishment are not unique, in terms of food choices, drinks or pricing. In summary, in my opinion, there is nothing special to report about Alento from this perspective, and just like other hospitality venues around the UK, they can come and go, and if they are not careful they will go.

However, what is unique about Alento though is Chris, who works front of house. He is simply amazing for any hospitality venue, and Alento are certainly lucky to have him on their team. No matter how busy he is, he makes time to make you feel welcome there, and nothing is too big of an ask for Chris. Chris is not like a typical hospitality worker giving out bare minimum smiles and bare minimum service. He is a truly genuine chap, and you can tell he genuinely loves to keep his customers happy. In my opinion, for him, hospitality is like a vocation, not just a job.

Look after him Alento, or you could lose him, because he is exceptionally highly employable, and gold dust to your business.

This review is from one of your most regular customers.

{Food score based on high quality, but marked down for pricing and...