"We were never informed that we needed to order food and drinks at the bar, but we eventually figured it out and waited in line. After 20 minutes, we returned to our table with drinks and then waited…and waited. After 40 minutes, our food still hadn’t arrived, and we noticed other customers leaving without eating. The kitchen was overwhelmed, and the poor staff were left trying to figure out who ordered what, leading to a chaotic mix-up of orders.
When we inquired with the beleaguered bartender—who was juggling drink orders, taking food requests, and even running the pizza oven—he informed us that the fish pie we ordered was “still in the freezer downstairs”! He mentioned that they had some curry and noodles available since others had walked out. So, two of us ended up eating that, while the other two waited for their pizza. This meant we didn't eat together, and I only managed to get two bites of pizza in before we had to dash off to the concert.
In total, we spent just shy of two hours there and received our unsatisfactory food five minutes before leaving. It was an incredibly disappointing experience. The staff did their best under the circumstances, but there was no manager in sight, no system in place (or possibly no training?), and the restaurant was clearly unprepared for the demand. We later found out that Arnold’s is part of the Ibis chain, and they should really be embarrassed."
