Big Trout Motel

I had a lovely stay at this motel. The front desk staff were warm, friendly, and very helpful. The room was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained—truly a great experience overall. If it weren’t for the in-house restaurant, I would have gladly given a 5-star rating. I understand the challenges of running a restaurant, but if the establishment is unable to handle just 3–4 dine-in tables alongside room service, it's worth reassessing the business operations. I placed my dinner order and paid at 6:36 PM. I was told it would take 20–30 minutes and that it would be delivered to my room. After about 40 minutes, I returned to check, and I was politely reassured that they hadn’t forgotten and it would be another 15–20 minutes. At that time, there were only 2–3 occupied tables, with entirely different patrons from earlier. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, I went back again and was told—rather bluntly—that they were overwhelmed with orders and my food would be delivered soon. Again, only a few tables were occupied, all with new guests. I even offered to pick up my food to ease their workload, but was asked to wait in my room. Eventually, I received my order 1 hour and 27 minutes after placing it. What was most disappointing wasn’t the wait—it was the misleading information and lack of transparency. If there were operational delays or staffing issues, I would have appreciated being told upfront. I felt my room service order was deprioritised in favour of dine-in guests, and the original time estimate was far from accurate. Anyone experienced in restaurant operations knows that simple Chinese dishes, which cook quickly on high heat, shouldn't take that long—especially with just four items in the order. That said, the food itself was quite good. The fried rice and noodles were tasty. The mixed vegetables were slightly bland but still enjoyable. The lemon chicken had good flavour but could have used less egg coating. In summary, I had a wonderful motel stay with great accommodation and welcoming staff. The restaurant, however, needs to improve its service standards and communication to match the quality of the food and the rest of the establishment.