Frankie B.
Google
We stopped in for lunch with the kids while visiting Yarrawonga and, unfortunately, the experience felt unnecessarily unwelcoming and careless — not because things went wrong, but because of how they were handled. We had come recommended as there was a playground which suited us with kids.
We arrived just before 12 and were kindly let in by a staff member who was setting up cash floats — she was lovely and accommodating, and we appreciated that. But from there, the small lapses and tone of service added up to a mediocre experience.
No menus were brought to our table, so I had to go and ask where to find them. The staff member who helped was friendly, but the menus themselves were wrinkled and neglected, which signalled a general lack of care. Not an issue to me at the time but added to my overall perceptions.
At 11:50 I went to order just the kids’ meals so they wouldn’t be waiting too long. The man behind the bar (cap, beard, tattoos) told me bluntly, “I can’t serve food until 12.” I asked if I could order now and food submitted later. He repeated his blunt statement. That in itself is fine — rules are rules — but the tone throughout our visit was dismissive and unhelpful, with no warmth or awareness of the customer experience. A simple “No worries, I can pop the order in right at 12 for you” would’ve changed the whole interaction.
The kids’ meals included a juice, but we were told they’d run out of apple juice. Again, understandable — stock runs out — but when I asked the gentlemen behind the bar for a splash of raspberry cordial to help my son drink the pineapple juice, I got another flat “We don’t have raspberry cordial,” with no alternatives, no effort to help, no sense of care. A better approach would’ve been something like: “Sorry, we don’t stock that — but we’ve got grenadine or I can offer a small raspberry lemonade instead if that helps.” Tiny gestures, big difference.
My own meal — the “crispy skin snapper” — arrived with skin that was the exact opposite: soggy and limp. Food should be served as described, or at least checked before it leaves the kitchen. I didnt mention this and just ate it, mainly because I felt I wouldn’t be heard or that the guy taking orders at the bar would really care.
When it came to the kids’ ice creams, we were told they’d also run out of vanilla and only had Hokey Pokey left. We accepted it — but that’s another basic item missing. The playground had rubbish on it despite us being the first customers of the day.
None of these issues on their own would’ve ruined the experience. What really let it down was the attitude from the barman — blunt, transactional, and uninterested — especially contrasted with the other staff member who was kind and helpful. The smaller details I mentioned also matter to a great experience, but I would have been ok with them all if I didn’t receive disinterested experience, this is my first time ever writing a Google review
