Fat Hippo Glasgow — Restaurant in Scotland

Myself and my partner visited on Saturday 28th June just after 19:10 as a walk in but were turned away due to the restaurant being full. We were told we would have to wait at least half an hour so we went outside to decide our options but checked website and could book a slot for 19:30 which seemed a little at odds which what we were just told but booked the slot anyway and hung around.

Now before I get into why this restaurant visit was poor I do want to say that in general the staff were very friendly but clearly quite busy which has maybe contributed to our poor experience but the main issue was we ordered our drinks and food about 19:40 and got drinks quite soon after but did not get the food until after 8:20 which considering it’s a burger restaurant felt like a long time.

I ordered an “American burger” which is a double cheeseburger with fries and my partner ordered a vegetarian burger with waffle fries and we also got a side of onion rings to share.

The double cheeseburger was very good and tasty however I’m being very generous by saying my fries were luke warm. Not only were they bordering on cold but the texture of them was awful and chewy like cardboard. They tasted like they’d been cooked hours ago and been sitting which I suspect was the case.

The absolute worst thing was my partners veggie burger was cold to touch although her waffle fries were hot and tasty and the onion rings were nice.

Cold food is something that we would have mentioned to a server if we had seen one for the next 30 minutes. Nobody came and asked us how our meal was, did we have any issues etc and there wasn’t really any servers walking about close for us to grab. Not only that but we were waiting so long for the food compared to drinks we’d almost finished them and would have ordered another each but didn’t get a chance as nobody came to the table.

On a side note we had just walked 10 miles around Glasgow so we were very hungry so ate the cold food anyway and then when server eventually came to clear our food about 10 minutes after we’d been sitting with empty plates we got the bill. We could have mentioned the issues there and then but I always find it awkward moaning about issues at the point of paying as it can come across as insincere or that you are trying to wangle a discount so we just paid up and vowed not to return.

Now maybe my expectations were too high, I thought this was a proper restaurant that served burgers and not what the experience turned out to be which was basically McDonald’s with cutlery so maybe I’m the one at fault and I should temper my expectations however I do not feel paying £44 for a burgers with fries and one drink each plus a thing of onion rings that half of it arrives cold is good value for money in the slightest. It definitely feels like if you get sat downstairs you are abandoned by staff and an after thought compared to the tables upstairs next to bar where it appeared customers got much more attention.

I only give places one chance to win me over as there is so many restaurants in Glasgow to try so I will not be back, maybe we caught them on a bad night as generally reviews are positive which is why we wanted to try it but our experience...

A Disastrous Dining Experience: Terrible Service at Fat Hippo (Glasgow)

My recent visit to Fat Hippo in Glasgow has left me utterly disappointed and frustrated, turning what was supposed to be a special occasion into a complete disaster. The evening was marred by abysmal service, a lack of communication, and an overall disregard for customer satisfaction.

From the moment we stepped into the restaurant, it was evident that something was amiss. The atmosphere was chilly, not just in temperature but in demeanor as well. The door remained constantly ajar due to Uber Eats drivers loitering outside, smoking without any intervention from the staff. This not only made the dining area uncomfortably cold but also compromised hygiene standards.

Despite enduring the freezing temperatures, our patience wore thin as we waited over an hour and a half for our food with no updates or apologies from the waiting staff. It wasn't until I approached them to inquire about our order that we received any semblance of acknowledgment. Even then, the response was lackluster and indifferent.

To compound matters, it was evident that the kitchen staff were overwhelmed, as we witnessed numerous Uber Eats orders being dropped and hastily packaged for delivery, compromising the quality of the food. When we attempted to request additional items such as sauce or drinks, we were met with blatant disregard and treated as though we were inconveniencing the staff.

When the bill finally arrived, we were incredulously asked if we intended to leave a tip, despite the deplorable service we had endured. Unsurprisingly, our entire group unanimously declined.

As for the food itself, it was nothing short of disappointing. My chicken burger arrived cold, with the batter tasting stale and old. The accompanying chips were equally cold and lacked any semblance of freshness.

In a final act of frustration, we decided to cut our losses and seek refuge elsewhere, opting for Five Guys instead. The contrast in service and quality was stark, serving as a painful reminder of the dismal experience we had just endured at Fat Hippo.

In conclusion, I am utterly dismayed by the appalling service and overall experience at Fat Hippo. The staff's lack of professionalism, communication, and basic courtesy left much to be desired. It is evident that significant improvements are needed, not only in the operational aspects but also in fostering a culture of customer-centricity. Regrettably, I have no intention of returning, and I would caution others against subjecting themselves to...

Nice friendly burger place. Great selection of burgers, both beef and chicken options, never tried the veggie stuff, would have been good to see a chicken fillet burger option.

We got there on a Saturday afternoon and sat downstairs, the staff were really fast and friendly. We picked our burgers from a vast choice of options. The food and drinks came quickly although our onion ring were missing, when we asked, the waiter noticed he had put them down on another table. Rather than get us new ones, we went and grabbed them from the other table. Fortunately we had seen him putting them there, and no one had touched them, but for hygiene and customer service, I would have thought, rather than run the risk, just get us a fresh portion. However they were pretty spectacular!

The burger themselves were pretty good, the American beef burger had great pickles and nice sauces, albeit slightly overcooked burgers. The Semi-parked life chicken burger was really good. We got a portion of both the fries, simple, nice and crispy, and a portion of the dirty fries, these were nice, but you really need to love the Fat Hippo sauce for them. As I said earlier, the onion rings were spectacular, brilliantly crispy.

All in with mains, the sides and couple of beers and a cocktail, the bill was really good.

Definitely one of the better burger...