Jim
03/01/2024
This pub looked very nice from the outside, but we left (not staying for lunch and a drink as we had planned) due to a less-than-friendly reception. It was a real shame from our perspective.
The owner had stressed that we should book, so we called from the rail trail (not actually easy given the coverage) and booked before arriving. When we arrived the place was totally empty. A woman (the proprietor) was standing outside talking to a truck driver. My girlfriend and I approached with our bicycles, in a good mood and looking forward to a nice lunch and a cool drink. We had been able the see the pub from the track as we approached, and it looked lovely - anticipation was high.
The welcome, however, was not warm. Instead of a nice hello or some such thing we were simply told where we must leave our bicycles (outside the fence, right next to the road). I was not keen on this as I had a pannier stolen when I left my bicycle by a road for just 60 seconds once before. People driving past here could be from absolutely anywhere even if the locals are honest. When I pointed this out the owner relented, but it was very grudging, and unfriendly. This was all inexplicable. There was plenty of space for us to lie our bicycles down on the grass in the beer garden under a tree (where no one would be sitting). I then went to the toilet and was greeted by a sign that said "no purchase, no pee". And another one informing me that the toilet brush was "not a decoration". I then noticed other A4 sheets/notices posted up around the pub directing this and that, and I realised that our reception was no accident. This was someone who likes to tell her customers what to do, rather than spending time thinking about how to make them feel welcome. Also, I'm the first person who will make sure he buys something if I need to use a toilet at a pub, etc, but I don't like places that are mean-spirited about this. I can imagine people for whom the money is an issue, and I think they should be treated with kindness.
So we left, and I won't be going back. We were initially feeling very sorry for ourselves (given how excited we had been about the lunch), but then had a lovely picnic by a stream near an old trestle bridge, and forgot all about this little blip on an otherwise brilliant cycling trip. If you are in the area we found the people in Tallangatta super friendly. Go there for lunch. You won't be disappointed. (Also nearby, the Cudgewa Hotel is beautiful and has a very fun atmosphere.)