7bone Burger Co - Southampton

We have always enjoyed dining at 7 Bone, but sadly we will not be returning to the Bedford Place location. The vegan burger recipe has been changed and now tastes like a cheaper supermarket version. There are items missing from the menu and the overall dining experience lacks the excitement it once had. It's disappointing to see this decline in quality.

I’ve been an avid 7Bone devotee since the first one opened in Portswood all those years ago. I’ve recommended it to friends and family over the years and it’s been my go to burger chain in the South of England for years and years, I’ve genuinely been 30+ times. Though, I moved away to Berlin a couple of years ago and haven’t been for some time. I’m back visiting at the moment and thought I’d try the new one in Bedford Place tonight with family… and I cannot believe it’s the same company as all the great experiences I’ve had at the other places before. To start with, the price hikes are disgusting, nothing but greedy and you can tell by the impact on footfall in the restaurant. The last time we went to the Bournemouth one, the red basket meal deals were £12… but now they’ve scrapped the all inclusive price and gone for a pricing structure that prices the burger and red basket side separately, which increased what I would usually have up to as much as £16 for the same thing that cost me £12 just two years ago… a 33.3% rise. It also doesn’t seem like a smart strategy to use this model, because the red basket deal includes less fries and costs only £1 less to buying a separate (larger fries all together (without using the “deal” … so me and my partner shared a bigger portion between us instead of getting a £12 red basket meal each. I think my sister’s boyfriend’s also decided to buy the separate fries because the deal would’ve saved him 25 pence … not really the value it used to provide as the so called “deal”. The restaurant is cold and empty and has none of the charm and atmosphere that the other restaurants used to have, especially for a Saturday evening (peak time the restaurant was dead… which has never been the case with 7Bone… we’ve always used the a waiting list and waited (in some cases been texted for a table … and although this space is a lot bigger, most tables were empty… you’ve got to assume that people are thinking the same as me. We were initially given a table of 6 at the back of the restaurant which was against a freezing cold window and bright harsh lighting… we asked to move because it was such an uncomfortable place to sit. Ordered food reluctantly despite, the price hikes that we all remember were a lot better value before. My sister’s food came out freezing cold, they replaced it and offered her a “free drink” because she had to wait 15 minutes for another one to be cooked and ended up eating on her own, and then they tried to charge her for the “free drink” when the bill came… the stairway to the toilets absolutely stinks like mould and damp carpet and everyone had a terrible time despite the burgers that were served at the correct temperature still being pretty good. I really hope this is a one off and 7Bone haven’t lost their touch.

Ever since they opened their does in Portswood we've loved this place. I have hoped they open a branch in Bristol so I didn't have to miss out. Well after today's visit that has changed. Service is awful, customers walked out because of the wait. Trying to get staff attention was almost impossible. Food took ages to come and many tables didn't get it at all. Staff forgetting to give cutlery, napkins or to bring our drinks. On top of that the food was subpar, chips were cold, chicken wasn't much better and things are missing off the menu. The need to balance service with cost savings has been forgotten as this is now nothing more than a glorified McDonald's. The app is a monstrosity of poor design and I'm sad to see how far they've fallen. Please don't try and come to Bristol, we've got much better.

Heard great things however when we arrived they had run out of burgers !! Only had chicken ! Staff didn’t have a clue what’s going on

Visit date: 25th September 2023 Time: Around 20:20 21:20 Venue: 7Bone Southampton Upon our arrival, we requested a table for two. We were inquired about any dietary restrictions regarding allergens and were then directed to seat ourselves. After placing our food order, approximately 10 minutes later, a male waiter approached us and regretfully informed us that they were unable to serve the caramel wings due to a technical issue. They explained that the system kept adding them back automatically. As a result, we were asked to choose an alternative flavor. Since the buffalo wings were too spicy for our preference, we inquired about the gochugang wings. Unfortunately, the male waiter couldn't describe the flavor or spiciness level, as it wasn't to his liking. We eventually settled on the kim wang wings. However, we were later informed that we couldn't have them as part of the provisional order, and if we wanted those wings, we'd have to pay extra for the seven wings in that specific flavor. We inquired if it was possible to have just four wings, as originally ordered, but in the new flavor, yet we were told it wasn't feasible due to stock considerations. Therefore, we opted to pay for the extra wings. Upon receiving the revised receipt with an additional charge of £3.20, the waiter explained the billing adjustment. The food arrived, and while the burgers were enjoyable, they were slightly pinker than expected. Normally, I order the smashed patties, which are cooked a bit more. Additionally, the chicken skins were cold and didn't appear to be freshly fried. I had requested extra bacon with my truffle mac, which was initially missing, and it had to be rectified. However, when they returned, my burger was taken away along with the mac and cheese. They eventually returned with a small amount of bacon toppings on the truffle mac. Lastly, after we finished our meal, our table was cleared by another waitress who passed by three times before attending to it. I have been a loyal patron of 7bone since its inception in Southampton, and this visit marked my return since the reopening of the new venue following the fire in Portswood. It's disheartening to say that, given my extensive experience in the hospitality industry, the service we received was subpar, and it left us feeling undervalued. At the very least, a sincere apology and the removal of the provisional charge from the bill as a goodwill gesture would have been appropriate considering the issues we encountered. It's worth noting that when ordering through the app, we were prompted to provide a 10% tip. While we paid it upfront, had it been based on post service experience, we would have reconsidered.