"The whole ethos of being in the hospitality trade, is to cater wholeheartedly for the needs of your customers and to provide them with the best experience possible; for without them, you don't have a business and indeed, if you can't manage to do that, you shouldn't be in the hospitality trade. We wanted a table for about 7pm but were told that the kitchen closed at 6pm on Sunday, so that a deep clean could be carried out. We therefore booked a table for 5.30pm. When we arrived, at the same time as another two diners, the place was deserted and the dining room was empty. Clearly no warm welcome here. I had to ring a bell to attract attention. The dining room had bare wooden tables and only three of them had cutlery. We were eventually greeted, seated and told that there was no steak pie and only one burger left. The starters were few and uninspiring and the mains were equally so, with the exception of the non existent steak pie. We decided to have the fish pie, which was piping hot and very tasty. It was also very filling. So filling infact, that they decided that we wouldn't want a dessert afterwards. We are still waiting to see the menu and I actually had to ring up to ask for the bill. I can't criticise the waitress, who was running around and trying to do several jobs at once. Several customers came in whilst we were there, then walked back out. A table for four walked out because they were waiting for one guest who wasn't arriving until after 6pm and they hadn't been told that the kitchen was closing down. The whole place was devoid of any atmosphere. There is no point buying a business then doing your best to run it into the ground. You cannot afford to turn customers away, particularly when there is an exemplary establishment, a few yards away. You book your restaurant full, serve a full selection of dishes, in a professional manner with a nice ambience and then deep clean your kitchen, even if that means working until after midnight."
