White Hart Inn, Chelmsford

Official site of White Hart Inn - whitehartessex.co.uk

Official site of White Hart Inn - whitehartessex.co.uk

Our experience at the White Hart was probably the worst experience we'd had post-lockdown. Not being clear how the pub was operating, we joined a queue for drinks/tables at the bar. After 10-15 minutes of being ignored, we were told to find a table outside and order online. The woman who served us was most unfriendly and quite obstructive in her approach. We'd hoped to eat, but being early evening, it was turning a little chilly and there was no way I was going to eat outdoors. Two real ales were on - Colchester Metropolis & Fuller's London Pride. One of the drinks we ordered and paid for on the website was unavailable. Having waited almost 15 minutes at the bar and a further 5 minutes for the drinks to arrive, we'd been at the pub for 20 minutes only to be told what we'd ordered and paid for was unavailable. An order for an alternative drink was then placed verbally, which could have taken place verbally 20 minutes early. Needless to say, the alternative drink was cheaper and there was no facility to refund the drink on their website. The waiter argued that the price difference was minimal. But that's not quite the point. The whole process from arrival at the pub to drinks being put on the table took 25 minutes and we had been overcharged. Service and organisation was shocking. It was not clear how the pub was operating and whilst a lot of thought had been put into the process, it simply didn't work. As this was the second time I'd experienced a problem with online ordering, I now refuse to comply with any requests to use such technology. Our experience was a shame, as the pub was quite pleasant in appearance. It had clearly been a busy day and the bar/waiting staff were overstretched. An undercover outdoor area adjoining the car park was nicely laid out. Again, it was clear that a lot of preparation had gone into providing this drinking/eating area, presumably for post-lockdown customers. Another family were experiencing similar problems. Because there were more than 6 of them, they were told that they could not all sit on the same table. Bureaucracy gone mad!