The Old Clubhouse Pub & Restaurant — Restaurant in Scotland

Visited this restaurant on 29th July and was extremely disappointed with the attitude of staff and their lack of compassion. My partner called the restaurant 2 days in advance of our visit to book a table. We have a dog and the restaurant advertise they are dog friendly. My partner was informed by a female from the restaurant that we could sit outside for food with the dog and was no requirement to book in advance. On the day of our booking we attended the restaurant at 17:50, I waited at the door for around 5 minutes before someone eventually acknowledged me even although loads of staff were milling around and walked past on a number of occasions. Eventually a very grumpy lady from behind the bar asked if she could help me, I proceeded to tell her that my partner had called up in advance and we were looking to order some food for outside on their benches however I was cut off before I even got to finish my sentence with the grumpy lady stating “we don’t serve food outside on bad weather days” so again I tried to explain that we had called in advance, we had walked to the restaurant and was told by staff that we didn’t require a booking, much to my dismay she didn’t care. I then pointed out that the weather was dry, sun breaking through the clouds and with only a moderate to light breeze, still this was unacceptable for dining outside. The ladies attitude was nothing short of appalling, she offered no apology and proceeded to continue walking away and working behind the bar. My partner then went into the restaurant to speak with the staff and explain that she had called up in advance and we were told to come down with the dog and sit outside (please note, the tables were empty) for food but once again my partner was met with the utmost disrespect and unprofessionalism with the female member of staff not showing any compassion nor apology but this time the excuse was the kitchen were too busy to make food for outside. A male member of staff also intervened asking my partner who she spoke with, he was informed it was a female and he very sarcastically stated “ohh I’d love to know who that was you spoke with” almost accusing my partner of lying. As much as this restaurant looked lovely, the food that I saw looked lovely but the service and staff appear very incompetent and nothing short of rude. Are you dog friendly or are you not? Perhaps advertise correctly and train your staff in...

We just popped in to checkout the menu & the pub was empty - it was only 6pm & a very wet November outside. We asked about gluten free options & the chef not only offered to make me GF fish & chips but also to clean out the fryer once I asked about the oil... wow !. They then had Gf Peroni. Needless to say we stayed put & I am glad we did.

My sister had the burger which was fat & juicy, on a good bun with good relish.. & on both plates the side salad had a delicious "French" dressing - who dresses a side salad in a pub in the UK ? ..Next to no one.

I would not expect the chef to be so kind on a busy shift but + 90% of chefs would never offer to do this in a similar scenario.

Faultless food, faultless staff, cosy old pub. Why is this pub empty ? Don't you know a good thing when you've got it ?

Thanks a lot. Angela & Stephen (Brummies...

Right, my experience is purely personal to our visit, as is our opinion of said visit. We had arrived at the campsite late afternoon. After sorting out our pitch & campervan, we decided to venture into Machrihanish for something to eat & drink as we had been on the road for nearly 5 hours. We were warmly welcomed into the Old Clubhouse restaurant. Drinks & and menus offered. We were very hungry & and chose the buffalo chicken / cheese loaded fries. OMG! We wished we'd ordered to share. They hit the spot, but they were just too much to finish. They were yummy delicious & we couldn't do them justice. Lovely atmosphere, wonderful staff & great food, with 2 rounds of drinks for under £35. A great first...