To Think Its a shame Harvetsers went down the Pan?

[MrsAidenTurner]

When they first came out they were brilliant, easy eating out, varsity of tasty enough food, the fun of going to the salad bar ( as a child) the sources ( which I loved).

I went to one a few years ago and it was beyond neglected, food took hours, cold, rubbish, swamped with dirty plates all round us, and a few others have awful reps round us.

Thinking of cheap, easy place to take DC, they also used to do early bird which was brilliant.

There is nothing now is there!

we go to the one in Wheatley a lot... It's within a half hour drive for all the family. Salad bar is always clean and topped up, food is always nice... Parking is easy... It's lovely! And there is a lovely Waiter called James who's been there forever (literally like 10 years) we always ask for him...

We have three within 3 miles (classy area this!). One is way better than the others and one is absolutely terrible.

It is what it is. The four of us can eat for less than £40 including drinks. There are nicer places but most cost at least twice that once the DC aren't having kids meals anymore.

(We live closer to the harvester in Aylesbury but the service in there isn't good at all)

Only started going after I had children but haven't been to one in a long time as it was never nice. I always thought the salad bar was unhygienic, people always coughing around it and in summer flies all over the food. I also hated the way the top part of the tongs where people hold on to it got left all over the food....just can never be too sure where other people's hands have been! OCD me! Perhaps I need to retry.

Last one I went in was lovely. Sweet potato fries and sour cream. Suits me sir.

southbucks

You are near me!

one of those you mentioned is close to me and is utterly abysmal, appalling. One I might try, as drive past it on way to WGP.

How funny. We went to the one in Wheatley and had such a bad meal we didn't have to pay. It was utterly filthy too. The table was so grimy the plates stuck to it.

Aylesbury is crap too and Milton Keynes. It's a shame as they used to be good.

The last time we went to Harvester my mother tried to die!!! She has a life-threatening medical condition that can come on out of the blue (as it turned out i think she just got overheated and passed out but the default is always 999 and an ambulance ride). The staff were amazing and really calm, offered the patrons on the adjacent table to redo their meal as they were disturbed by all our drama.

That said, the food isn't what it used to be and you can never get a table and end up waiting in the bar area for ages so we don't go there anymore.

Grimes, sounds awful!

i just find many franchises are crap and run off inital reputation.

Ours has just changed its menu and I'm devastated- they've taken away the goats cheese, broccoli and parmesan pasta.

It was absolutely amazing and only £4.99...

Generally I've always had a great meal there and the staff are always lovely to my little DS.

Agree, the tables were filthy and sticky too.

Thats dramatic The orginal! Your poor mum, my mum lost her teeth at ours, not really comparable. But should have offered other diners a discount .

Your right about the salad bar Kaek, go when its just opened for evening session.

Zennudist the hungry horse near us is not great, seems to have become quite expensive for the standard of food offered. I think with these places it is very much a case of each particular resturant.

We have a Vair Naice Weatherspoons where we live, the ones in the surrounding towns fall short of dire!

One of the waitresses at our local one has turretts syndrome (sp?). DD was really scared by her but the waitress came over and spoke to her and made a big joke of it and explained what she had and now DD loves it there, asks to go there whenever we go out for food.

We love Harvester! The salad bar and bread rolls is fantastic for satisfying hungry children quickly. We use them instead of service stations on long journeys, we look them up before we go and work out where to stop. Have never been dissapointed, but we usually end up in newish ones in shopping centres.

One of the DC's favourite holiday days out is: train to Meadowhall; spend savings in Lego shop; lunch at Harvester. (We are rural enough that we drive everywhere and the train bit is very exiting indeed).

Yanbu I have really gone off of eating at harvesters the food has gone downhill or rather it tastes like it's been kicked down a hill. The chicken is always dry it cuts your throat. The salad has seen better days and the sauces are always filthy. Yuck

One of the last times I went the waitress had a huge filthy bandage on her thumb and when she handed me my food the dirty bandage was resting on my steak. Gross.

It seems to vary hugely from branch to branch, I've had some lovely meals in other branches but our local one.... cold and awful food, sticky tables, the McDonalds and KFC in the same retail park is honestly nicer and classier.

I like ours as well I'm afraid + I live the baby seats which clip onto the table. They even tied on a balloon for the little one.

kaek I hope you complained about your experience sound horrific, your putting me off!

We cant really eat out with toddler at moment and short of £ but I saw salad bar thread and just thought, YES a good old harvester, grab salad, roll, as someone said, keep dc happy esp, toddler, family friendly, tasty fare...and there is nothing really like them I find.

I think they have changed.not as good as they were maybe 9 or 10 years ago and certainly not the same value. Bring back the good old proper early bird that was 1/3rd off the whole menu before a certain time! Makes todays deals shit tbh in comparison.

The food quality is not the same and they have certainly down branded in sauces etc.

I agree there are variations of standards across the board. Sarn near Bridgend always dry crap food. The Mill just down the road much better food. Frenchay Bristol 9/10 very good. There is a nice one in Worcester we use alot when visiting friends that way. Our new localish one (have to bloody miles now we have moved) in Peterborough was pretty dissapointing.

Our local one was shit. Crap service and shabby but the food was always ok. It's been given a big makeover and is much better. 5 of us ate there yesterday for lunch because Miller and Carter were full and the bill came to £35. Miller and Carter would have been double

• Bring back the good old proper early bird that was 1/3rd off the whole menu before a certain time

yes that was brilliant.

I just looked up the menu out of curiosity. It has the calorie content of the dishes. Definitely not a place for dieters!

Quite the opposite - it means I can eat out knowing exactly what meals I should choose (following 5:2 diet so sticking to certain amount of calories per day).

I've never been to a bad Harvesters. Went to one last week and the attention to detail for the children's meals was fab. Sausage, mash and peas arranged artfully on a rectangular plate with the gravy in a tiny metal bucket. Ice cream in a kilner jar! My DDs were enthralled -we are easily pleased in this family!--

I got an email this very weekend, saying the early bird menu is back.

No idea if it's the same as before, but starts at £4.99 for mains.