A mother who spent more than £200 on a family birthday meal at Harvester says she felt "robbed" after being served a £17.99 chicken dish she described as "more of a snack than a meal".
Birthday celebration disappointment
Louise Reecejones, 48, took her family to the Harvester Derby Pool restaurant in Wallasey, Merseyside, on September 6 to celebrate her daughter Becca's 19th birthday. The mum-of-five claims the skewer she received looked nothing like the menu photograph, and her son Harrison, who ordered the same dish, was so hungry afterwards that she had to buy him more food on the way home.
Louise said the menu image appeared to show two generously sized skewers, while her plate contained just one, served with chips, coleslaw and tomato ketchup. Harvester says the photograph depicts a double skewer rather than a single one, but the menu lists the dish as 'skewers', with the option to add an extra only appearing when customers add it to their basket.
Quality concerns raised
Louise, from the Wirral, said: "It was £17.99 but when you look at the picture, it was very different to what you got. The actual skewer was really thick so you hardly got any chicken on it. My son and I ordered the same. I was quite shocked and I looked at my son, and I knew it wasn't enough for him."
She also criticised the quality of the chicken, describing it as "burnt, hard and chewy". Although she ate her skewer, she says neither the portion nor the food met her expectations.
Family's reaction and warning
Louise said: "There certainly wasn't enough protein on that plate. It was awful. My son was fuming. He was left starving, and I had to pick up some more food for him on the way home. The chicken was burnt, hard and chewy. There wasn't much of it. It was more of a snack than a meal. I feel totally ripped off. We were catfished by the Harvester photo of the meal, 100 per cent. It showed two skewers and I only got one."
After the visit, Louise shared a photograph of her meal online to warn other diners. She claims the family spent more than £200 on the birthday celebration. "I felt robbed," she said. "I wanted to warn other people. It was a lot of money and to pay £18 for a meal and this is what you got, is awful. You expect a lovely experience and food that's going to fill you up."
Louise says the family had previously visited Harvester regularly, but had not been for some time before the birthday meal. She said: "We used to go quite a lot but we hadn't been for ages. After this, I wouldn't go again."
A spokesperson for Harvester said: "We take guest complaints very seriously and endeavour to resolve all our guest complaints directed to us within a reasonable time frame."
