What times do you serve food?
The full menu is available during the full opening times. Check opening times by clicking here.
Why isn’t the food pre-cooked and ready when I order?
Harold’s is a Hamburger restaurant. We do not consider ourselves a Fast Food in the MacDonald’s sense. Fresh cooking means hot crispy fries, burgers cooked to your specifications. Pre-cooked means sacrificing quality, and we prefer to serve quality.
How long does it take to prepare my food?
That depends on what you have ordered and the number of orders we are having to deal with. As a rule, Hot-Dogs, ChickenBurgers, and French Fries take 3 to 4 minutes, whereas a burger takes just under ten minutes to cook. If for some reason and on a rare occasion it takes longer, please bare with us: we are doing are utmost to get things out as fast as possible, but we are very, very busy right now.
Can I reserve?
No. We turn around our tables so fast that it is impossible for us to accept reservations. There should be no problem in finding space to sit.
Can I order by phone?
Yes. Call us at 027/771 62 43. Please prepare your order by checking out the prices. Don’t forget to state which sauces you want on your food. If you prefer sauces on the side, that is no problem.
Can I take away?
Yes. The full menu is available for take away. Please specify before you order that this is a take-away. It is especially frustrating for the staff to serve the food to the client only to be told that it is to go. We have yet to master the art of telepathy.
Is it cheaper to take away?
No. The price is the same as eating in. Take-aways involve extra packaging costs and added work for the staff.
Do you accept credit cards?
We accept Visa, Mastercard/Eurocard, American Express, Diners, and JCB.
Do you accept foreign money?
Yes. You can pay in any major foreign currency, including all Western European currencies, American Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Australian Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, and Yen.
Can you change money?
Yes. We will change moderate sums of money to tie you over until the banks open. We charge a 3% commission based on the current UBS exchange rate, but without the flat-fee frs 5.- the UBS charges for changing money. That makes us cheaper for smaller sums.
Do you serve vegetarian food?
Yes. But the choice is limited. We have VegeBurgers that are cereal-based with fresh cucumber, tomatoes and onions, green and mixed salads, omelettes, onion-rings, as well as FishBurgers for non-vegans. The Spring Rolls have a very small amount of chicken. We would also like to inform you that the oil we use for the fries includes animal fat.
Do you have specials for children?
There is also a children’s menu for burgers, starting with the JuniorBurger and small fries. See the menu for details. The 80 gr, burger is still slightly bigger than the MacDonalds burger. We also have a baby chair for the very young.
Do you have facilities for the handicapped?
There are no steps in Harold’s, so access is easy. However, there are no handicap-specific toilet facilities.
Do you have a car park?
No. But the public car park is only about 100 yards further down.
Do you charge for extra sauce?
No. Sauce is included in the price and is self-serve on tap. This does not mean that it is free, and clients that take inconsiderable quantities of sauce are frowned upon. At least 30% of sauce taken by clients goes down the drain. If clients were more thrifty, it would help enormously to keeping the prices down.
Do your menus include drinks?
No. We had to stop including drinks in the price of menus as clients wanted to alter the offer all the time, either to pay more for a larger or more expensive drink, or wanting a rebate if they didn’t want a drink. Coupled with the fact that we serve alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, etc), it makes it almost impossible to have an all inclusive offer.
Can I order in English?
All our staff speak English, so don’t bother to struggle in broken French unless you prefer to!
Do you serve at tables?
No. Harold’s is a self-serve. Order at the bar. You pay when you order. You will receive a receipt with a number. We will call out your number when the order is ready. Collect your order at the bar and help yourself to sauces. Enjoy your meal. While you are waiting, please check your receipt that your order is correct. Errors and misunderstandings do occur. Typically there is sometimes confusion between CheeseBurgers and ChickenBurgers due to pronunciation, or between ChickenBurgers and Chicken Nuggets.
Can I pay when I leave rather than on order?
Yes, if you request it specifically and especially if you are paying with a credit card. We may, however, request that you leave your credit card at the till.
When is your busiest time?
Unfortunately, there is no particular rhythm in our work, and peaks often happen at odd times. Typically, noon to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. are our busiest times, but these could easily be quiet whereas the normal 3 p.m. or 10 p.m. lull could be very busy. But we can almost guarantee that 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night is packed as we have our regular late-arrival of Scandinavian tourists. Bad weather days are also an assurance of non-stop business, especially in high season, though we are confident that you will find space between the time you order and the time you get your food, even when it is very busy. The average time per table is between 20 minutes and half an hour, so a table should be available within 5 minutes.
Can I eat at the bar?
We allow people to eat at the bar except where we take orders, though we discourage it as it interferes with handing out orders and cleaning up.
Can I leave my children unattended?
By all means. However, we take no responsibility for their behaviour. We will also not hesitate to bring them into line if necessary. We are very good at educating them! Parents often leave their children in Harold’s, as they know they are in good hands and can play on the games (frs 1.- per game per player).
Why aren’t you open later when the pubs and discos close?
Three reasons:
1. Our license does not allow us to serve after 1:30 a.m. Even if we were able to obtain a special license, this would probably be too costly to be profitable.
2. Even with a license, we would require a whole third shift of staff. The turnover would have to be high on a nightly level to pay that shift.
3. We have more hassle as it is with drunken clients between midnight and closing than the rest of the day put together. It is for this very reason that Le Bouquetin stopped opening at 4 a.m.
