Rowing Machine — Restaurant in West Oxfordshire

I am a carer and usually come into the Rowing Machine in Witney with people I support, this is because I've always been really pleased with the service by Louise and Hayley in particular. I have also previously reviewed on Google 5 for that reason and the food was nice.

I went in recently with someone who is severely disabled and due to the current eat out to help out the place was booked up so we were offered the garden which I was happy with.

The person I was supporting sat in their usual spot and didn't understand that we were having a change of seating today, so I explained to them that we are sitting outside today but because they are disabled sometimes change can be tough for this person to understand and on this day usually my kind and lovely person had a melt down and really got upset. To diffuse the situation I calmly told them that its okay and we will be having something to eat. I saw the duty manager walk past and thought this was an opportunity to explain the situation and ask if maybe there was a free table due to a cancellation. So I approached her and said hello and that I was a support worker and that the person I was supporting is a very regular customer and usually sits inside and shes sat in her usual spot and is refusing to move, could you possibly see if there is a free table inside.

WELL.... she said something along the lines of " no, im not having you speak to me in that tone" I was quite flustered by the situation at hand already and this had completely confused me so as she walked away I said " excuse me, I wasn't speaking to you in any sort of rude tone." I tried to explain what I was asking and the duty manager walked off 😲.

Completely shocked I said to the manager about it and she just said she was going through some stuff, i mean aren't we all !?

I ended up outside with the person I support and the person I support got their lunch, I usually bring food with me because I can't afford to eat out every day. I asked if it was OK to eat my salad and the manager said no not really so I put it away 😳.

Then low and behold it started to rain and the family next to us went in and sat at a table and me and my severely disabled client ended up sitting under an umbrella eating lunch for the manager to come out and sit next to my client not opposite because of covid ( their wasnt anyone in the garden except us because the other people were offered seats in doors, except us) . I am so disgusted that we were treated this way and will not be taking anyone there again. My client didn't understand, she just wanted something to eat and has limited verbal communication which was very obvious and that person visits sometimes twice a week so I'm confused at why the staff that day didn't at least try to accommodate this person. We usually see Louise and Hayley and they have ALWAYS said hello to this person despite there lack of communication and most importantly treated them...

Update after my last review 2 years ago (see pic).

Arrived at 4 pm and it was quiet with more than half of tables being empty. I've placed an order using the app of 20 Onion Ring° Horseshoe Stacker as a starter and 1x BPS - Full Monty Mixed Grill as Main. The onion rings took about 30 minutes to arrive despite not so many customers about. They've apologised for the waiting and we all moved on. It took me 5 minutes to finish the onion rings and I was waiting for the main course to arrive. After another 20 minutes of waiting, the main course arrived and I was getting ready to eat when I've realised I have no fork and knife (except for a sharp knife). I assumed the lady who served me went back to bring me some so I've waited some more and more and more until another 15 minutes passed and I still had no fork to eat my food. At this point the place was full, waiters running about being busy. I tried to catch someone's eye to ask for a fork but no chance of that so I got up and went to speak with someone about it even though there was no point of getting a fork as my food was cold at this point and I haven’t spent £18 to eat a cold meal. Went in the queue to the bar with the intention to speak with a manager but the queue was long (about 7 people) and couldn't spend my whole evening waiting some more in that place, hungry. I left without eating, one hour of waiting for nothing and £18 out of pocket.

For the past few months I've been spending on average of £300 / month there on food. Staff on any shift can confirm that as I was there during weekdays and weekends, eating. I feel really disappointed for my experience tonight and I won't be...

We really love the Rowing Machine. The food is always fresh and piping hot, great quality, good portions.

The prices are ridiculously so low for such amazing quality. We usually eat here twice a week, meals and drinks for 2 usually come in around £20. You can't beat that nowadays!

I've also have had a takeaway meal (scampi & chips) and that was brilliant. Served in naan bags, still piping hot when I got home, way better than the chip shop (and a lot cheaper)

We've also been in for Sunday roasts, again amazing. Great quality and huge portions

Recently visit was for 4 of us, meals and drinks followed by coffee, so reasonable and makes a family meal out affordable

Not only is the food top quality but also all the staff are fantastic. Over the 3 years we've been coming ALL the staff have been so lovely. A really warm and friendly welcome. We love Kieron, Hayley, Chloe and of course our lovely favourite, Benji, who always looks after us so well

I hear people talking it down being a "chain pub" but when the food is so good and freshly cooked and the prices are so low, why? Pure snobbery. Yes the building is a little tired (it's old) but the general ambiance is what you make it.

We've never been into the other bar area but I understand there's a huge TV and pool table. Lots for sports fans. During this summer I intend to come in in the evening and I'm confident it will be a lovely evening

Shout out to all the lovely staff, every single one of them are so friendly and helpful and it's always a pleasant experience and we look forward to coming in again

Well done everyone involved in making our visits so pleasant and for cooking such...