Waterwitch — Restaurant in Hart

I've posted several glowing reviews for the Waterwitch, Odiham, before but sadly this is not going to be one them. The pub has had it's UPS and DOWNS in recent years and seemed to be on the UP with the current management team but the family meal we had there yesterday was nothing short of a disaster. There were 9 in our group, 7 Adults and 2 young children. As we were walked to the table the waitress explained that two items were no longer available, which was fine. Drinks were ordered and delivered and eventually our meal order was taken. A further 30+ minutes later we were informed that they had run out of one of the main menu "Specials" items that had been ordered, forcing a late and difficult change for a picky eater. Then after a further delay were were told that there was only one child's pizza (we'd ordered 2) causing my grandson to burst into floods of tears. That was eventually resolved by ordering a further substitute meal. Then there was a mix up over the two Sea Bass orders, resulting in a new dish having to be prepared and finally, just to add insult to injury, three of the Mains Specials were served up without one of the specified accompaniments (crispy bacon), resulting in me having a further discussion with the staff. All in all, when the meals were finally served, close on 75 minutes after we'd arrived, they were tasty but how shambolic were the front of house and kitchen staff? To give them their due, the waitress helped redeem the evening by offering a hefty discount on the price of the meal but, to be honest, I would have preferred that everything "ON THE MENU" was available - no excuses about having had a busy weekend and not having been resupplied - and that front of house and kitchen crews got food out promptly and with all sides and accompaniments. I'm being as positive as I can be because this my "local" pub and I've enjoyed many good meals and great service here before. I just hope that this criticism is viewed in a...

Visited here for lunch as had intended on having a walk along the canal. Service on arrival was cold and unwelcoming - felt like I was hassle rather than a valued customer. Asked about eating outside, I was told I couldn’t because of wasps (despite seeing food being taken out for over an hour after I arrived). Rather than asking if I’d like to eat inside instead, I had to ask if that was an option, only to be treated like I’d asked the most unthinkable question ever. Member of staff reluctantly placed me in the corner of an empty section of the pub by the toilets (there were only a handful of guests inside the whole pub), with heat pumping out of a vent behind my head, where I sat forgotten about, with my pint, being ignored by all the staff who frequently walked past. Eventually managed to get one of the team to take my order, which I then waited over 40 mins for, only for the wrong item to arrive eventually. The wrong order was taken away where I then had to wait in excess of 25 mins for the right dish to be prepared. Even attempting to pay the bill was painful, and needed correction as the wrong meal had been charged for too.

The food, when it eventually arrived, was tasty and hot (hence the 2 stars), but the service let my whole visit down massively. I don’t know when the pub was last decorated, but it’s currently shabby and tired looking.

Being a frequent customer of my local Chef and Brewer pub, I’d wrongly assumed I’d get a similar experience at one of the other local pubs.

I know the hospitality industry is struggling follow Covid, and pubs and restaurants need to be supported, but service being this bad is inexcusable. There were plenty of staff around, they just weren’t paying attention to guests. With this pub being in such a great location for the canal footpath, this place will always get plenty of visitors, but I certainly won’t be one...

We arrived at 12:30, so ahead of the main lunchtime rush. The place itself is nice looking, parking was easy etc. I wanted a light lunch so ordered a Caesar Salad, the young lady came back and said that they didn't have any Caesar sauce, would I still like the salad? No thanks, then it wouldn't be a Caesar salad would it! In the end I ordered a burger and chips, just to have something. The burger was OK but the chips were overcooked, the whole setup seems disorganised on the day I visited. I was primarily there to meet an old friend, so thankfully the meal was secondary. If I wasn't there with my friend frankly I would have left after the "Caesar Sauce" fiasco. To a degree I can understand running out of something fresh like lobster, but not having a common sauce is just silly and poor customer service. ........... Update: Firstly The manager Morgan contacted me right away, as you can see below, I called her back, she apologised and explained what had happened. She invited us back for a second visit. We called by again on Thursday the 24th September and were met by Lindsay who made us very welcome and knew our circumstances. This time we were delighted with the beautifully cooked and presented Fish n Chips x2, washed down with iced water and a lovely pint of beer each. Morgan, you and your staff are a credit to the group, very well done! There was also an incident in the Car Park where an elderly driver in an automatic had chosen the wrong gear and crashed into another car. The staff were all very supportive with everyone concerned. It is lovely to see caring people, very well done Morgan and all of your colleagues! As you can see, I've changed my 2 stars to 5! To paraphrase Arnie "We'll...