Cooper Dean Arms Harvester

Take a chance here you may well be a winner ! If you lose, you were warned.
Having sampled a number of Harvesters and read reviews on several ranging from, ‘Possibly the worst dining experience of my life.’. and ‘the least customer friendly place I have ever eaten in’, to ‘excellent value ’ with 5*s awarded I think it’s fair to say that pick a mid week lunch or evening and you will probably be OK.
Undoubtedly the cheap but popular menu, particularly the ‘Early Bird’ with as much well prepared and presented free salad just has to be outstanding value. We came here again last week and five us had a good meal with drinks for a total of just over £30 (with a 20% off voucher). It was not bursting at the seams with diners the staff were great and the service was all that you could want. No waiting.
The problem in this establishment will be found on a Friday or the weekend in the Summer. Admittedly Bournemouth is a rubbish place for eating out unless you are staying in one of the trillions of hotels and guest houses. Easy parking, comprehensive and popular menu, easy parking at certain times. You take a chance though.

A typical Harvester, right off one of the busiest roundabouts in Bournemouth. Used to be quite nice, but I feel it has gone downhill over the last few years. A large bar and restaurant, with all the usual Harvester stuff, e.g. Salad Cart, Earlybird deals, Big Meals. Very average, but good for families.

The Harvester is situated at the Cooper Dean Roundabout and has its own free car park. The restaurant is always very busy and it is often hard to get a table at busy times such as evenings and weekends. It boasts a lunchtime menu and an early bird menu which offers excellent value for money. The early bird offers ¹⁄₃^rd off your bill which is brilliant. the staff have been there for years and know their stuff. I love the salad bar and the food is always cooked to a good standard. The staff are friendly and helpful and help you get the best from your visit. The prices are reasonable and you can have only a drink if you want to just visit the bar area. So much better now that there is no smoking inside!

The Harvester at Cooper Dean is a great place to pop out to eat when you want something a bit different. There is no booking process available but a table is usually made available for you. The harvester is unique because it lets you have free unlimited trips to their salad cart. Because of this I find the floor area under the tables can be a bit grubby by the end of the day and they don;t seem to be cleaned between customers which is a bit of a shame. All other facilities are great here however including the toilets which sparkle.
They are child friendly and supply an average amount of highchairs.