Do you think UK pub restaurants offer a good quality of service?

Question

The last six pub restaurants I have visited have been either average to poor. As each year passes, the level of quality and service seems to be slowly diminishing. What's going on, do you agree with my views on this issue?

Answer 1

hi tango, yes i do, some of the standards are very poor for the price you pay

Answer 2

I agree, the standard of UK pub restaruants is very poor. There was a time you could go to a pub and get a decent fairly priced meal. Now all you have is the Harvester and the like.

Answer 3

Private pub resteraunts are usually ok, the big chain pubs just sell crappy cheap food from a box.

Answer 4

yes i think they need more staff and better chefs i hate to wait when im hungry lol

Answer 5

I think it depends on where you go. In general, I think you should expect lower quality in pub restaurants than in a nice, expensive sit-down restaurant.

Answer 6

depends really.  the major chain pubs generally do have good service as they are more subject to mystery shoppers etc.  but their food is overpriced and sub standard.

smaller pubs are the real gems.  some just have a food license for the sake of it though, and everything is a la microwave!

the best bet is small family run pubs in areas outside the major cities, ones which rely on more than just passing trade and office lunchtime crowds.

personally service is a big thing for me and though the food may not be good, it is easily spoiled by bad service.  it doesnt take much for a waiter/waitress to smile, be polite, ensure your meal is served at a reasonable time and know the moment to check if everything is ok.  being able to advise on a nice bottle of wine or pint of ale is always good too, especially if the place has a good selection.

but yes it is sadly missing these days.

Answer 7

On the contrary, I have found that standards have been increasing over the last few years and I have been to some very good pub restaurants with good food and good service.

I have to admit that there are also some which are on the decline but so much depends on the management & chef that if either isn't doing as good a job as they ought to the decline is only to be expected.

Answer 8

i was in the pub trade for years during the 80s.

then the customer was  most important,,,

nowadays staff seem to think they are more important.

Answer 9

yeah your right, Hungry horse, big steak, weatherspoons, harvester,they are all very inconsistant with quality, i look for a good calvery now you can see the grub before it goes on your plate

Answer 10

I agree with you slightly. it is rare that you get a great pub with excellent food. This is more likely to happen outside of London where that haven't been so commercialised and aiming for tourist and mass production and more family run.

I prefer to go to Gastro pubs, they have a rustic feel and the food is amazing. The Eagle in Farringdon and the Anchor and Hope on the Cut in Waterloo are brilliant.

Answer 11

eating out can be quite a dissapointment nowadays the problem i think is alot of the staff are underpaid and overworked,i used to be in the hotel trade and ive seen it all to many times my niece used to work around 60 hours a week but managed to be polite.also theres the inhouse fighting between the staff,my hubbys a chef and he knows all too well the fighting that goes on between chefs and waiters.my advice to you is actually try dining out in a hotel as apposed to a pub you may get what you want as these staff have alot more training than those who work in a pub.

Answer 12

AROUND here it is a matter of "you get what you pay for"?

some places though are a lot better than they look

like the Seacombe ferry, or the New Inn at Pontblyddyn?

Answer 13

I agree that most are sub standard and I'm afraid this tends to boil down to the quality of staff these days. As an ex publican, I go to some of these places and am amazed at how badly run they can be. I always paid my staff above the odds and looked after them as it provides loyalty and honesty but unfortunately the proper 'guvnor' is a dying breed being replaced by young college graduates who are good at book keeping but about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike when it comes to running a pub. Hence, they usually last a few months as their tenure lasts for 3 bad stocktakes and bye bye! The old saying applies here; 'If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys'. The difference now is that they are frequently from Eastern Europe so the language can be an issue too.

Answer 14

if u fancy somthing good try THE GEORGE in Cottingham

Northhamptonshire,   you won't be dissapointed.

Answer 15

In general I believe that food standards are improving out of all recognition. I have been in the pub business for over 40 years, and believe me in the 60's everything was boil-in-bag.

Standards improved when Beefeaters started and have continued to go up. Of the big chains Chef & Brewer have got it about right, whereas the likes of Wetherspoons are really a selling operation rather than a service lead operation. The nicest pubs are often to be found outside towns, where the landlord or the bar staff greet each and every customer as they arrive. Publicans should ask themselves "when a customer enters my pub - who speaks first?" It should be the staff. In general- be fussy - if you don't like what is on offer then go somewhere else, but please tell the staff at the pub you are leaving (politely) why you are not staying, otherwise they will never be able to correct their faults.