Thetownend.com

Went to the Kembrey Inn last night for a birthday celebration meal (sadly I am another year older) and had a poor experience.  A manager who couldn't give a fuck, massively over-booked and a lack of staff to serve the never-ending stream of customers.  Guess the kitchen staff were out as well as food was poor!  Used this place many times in the past, a couple of dodgy meals but basically a decent meal for a decent price but last night was appalling.  The floor of the restaurant was dirty, we were served our meals with no cutlery on the table, and when we pointed it out four knives and forks were just thrown down, no attempt to place them out.  The body language of the manager was appalling, he was obviously pissed-off and his staff appeared to follow suit!!  Due to go back in a fortnight for another person's birthday but will give it a miss until they sort themselves out!!

Not been to Kembrey for ages, you don't expect much from a Brewers Fair, sounds like they didn't even provide the minimum.

I'm still avoiding the Weighbridge Brewhouse, who provided the worst customer service I've ever experienced, though it was a couple of years ago. Presumably it was too much effort for the waitress to actually do anything other than carry the food out. Which wouldn't be so bad if it hadn't taken so long to arrive. They have a microbrewery, you'd think they'd at least ask if you'd want another drink to someone who'd specifically said they wanted to try a few. Rather than just keep on walking past the empty glassed on the table. For 45 minutes. I'd honestly rather go to McDonalds than this wolf-in-sheeps clothing 'premium'  restaurant.

The Weighbridge has an awful reputation for customer service, and with regards to The Kembrey it sounds as if you get what you pay for? I tend to use the Beefeater or small pubs for decent meals.

Fayre, it's Fayre.

FWIW, I stayed in the Tewkesbury Premier Inn last week for two nights. Drove into town for a decent ruby at the Raj. When I stay away I avoid the chain pubs attached to the likes of premier inn, ping food that I can do better at home. As for Hungry Horse they are nothing more than McDonalds with knives and forks and some patrons struggle to use them. That said I can recommend the Bell @ Ramsbury superb meal last night. You do get what you pay for. Lastly, now the trendy set have opened up at the circus the other places like Frankie's will have to raise their game.

Had nothing but good food and excellent service at the Kembury.

Maybe it's just you?

We had crap service at Wagamamas a couple of weeks back, while popping in at a lunchtime.

First time I have been to the Swindon one and probably the last. Our lunchtime meal took nearly 2 and a half hours from start to finish.

That's ridiculous Wiggy.

FWIW we went on Tuesday evening and it was fine.

shameful.

Some of these places should pay the waiting staff like they do in the states, next to nothing and let them make it up on tips. Though for a while most waiting staff in this country would earn fuck all, though our labour laws would not allow that.

This isn't an uncommon event, although in fairness to the waitress I think it may actually be their policy that only the duty manager can take orders- when I was there we collared a waitress who told us she wasn't allowed to take orders.

For me, I think the food is good enough to make it worth it anyway, but I can understand the other opinion and my dad similarly won't go until the service is sorted out. I just can't see how they haven't fixed it yet, it really wouldn't be difficult.

she took our first drinks order and food order ;) in any case it's her job to advise on excessive waits for food ..

food was good. not exceptional but better than most places in the immediate area.

was hoping they had sorted out given the issue has been around since they first opened.

These type of places(two for one,brewers fayre,hungry horse etc) are pinged meals so it's never going to be great.

I really hate Wagamamas. Have only been there three or four times but have found their food unappealing at best and an insult to proper asian cuisine at worst. And their staff are universally disinterested as well.

Plus I don't know if it's the same at all places, but every time I've been there I've been told 'your food will be brought out when it's ready'. So you get your food in minutes and your friends can wait half an hour, an hour, more. What a ridiculous way of running a kitchen.

Couldn't agree more. I've some how managed to eat in a Wagamamas quite a lot and it's simply shit overpriced food. To be fair, chains rarely serve anything better than average grub.

Anyone tried Rios Brazil in town yet? Hearing good things and might try it out this week

Yes, agree with that comment, but you can expect it to be clean, cutlery supplied and take less than 2.25 hours to eat two courses - which is what happened to us last night!  And staff who actually gave a fuck, the manager sets the standard and he was crap!

I've tried the one at the top of town. Very good. Best rodizio I've had in fact.

Had our christmas do in their. It is great if you like steak, but I dont. Not sure about prices

Yes.
Gorgeous food, my only complaint is I'm not fat enough to eat enough of the different meats!!! The garlic chicken was easily one of the nicest things Ive ever tasted.

Woah woah woah woah. Cannot let that slip past unnoticed.

What.

The.

Hell.

(Personally I'll forgive you if you're a vegetarian/vegan, but I can't say the same for most of the others on here)

Some of us got "Shit bacon" added as their subtitle for less...

People that don't like steak can't really be trusted.

On the subject of 'chain' restaurants, I generally try and avoid these as well, but I have to say that Pizza Express (yeah I know they are quite pricy but I like the pizzas) and Yo Sushi are ones we sometimes go to and have no problem with either food or service, especially Yo!

Our local Pizza place fucked up our order recently and as we were hungry went for a Dominos feast type thing. Never again, dreadful food, especially the 'potato wedges'. I would probably have got more flavour from the wedges I use to keep my fucking doors open.

Yo! is alright, although I do have a problem with their lack of tuna rolls and the fact the belt generally ends up with about thirty cucumber or avocado rolls going round and round with no salmon to be seen. And Pizza Express is pretty good. Any chain which is willing to let you watch their kitchen is normally pretty good actually, thinking about it.

Other than bacon and chicken I'm not really a massive fan of meat to be honest. It's not a lifestyle choice

Had a fairly bog standard burger with a small side of fries in Giraffe.

Decent enough - but £12 is a bit OTT

12 quid for a burger and fries? Fucking hell.

A decent gourmet burger is worth that sort of price I'd say.

What's a gourmet burger?

The poncy type, other end of the scale from the shit you get in McDonalds

Fuck nose, but a place has just opened up in the new Regent's Circus development which specialises in them....a mate of mine went t'other day, and was impressed that the waiting staff kept coming to see if he had enough chips, and topped up on request.

Different waiting staff than we experienced at the Kembrey on Saturday then!!

Home made burgers are my favourite,  easy to make too  :I'm a complete mofleakin Deak

Byron!

I bet you get some nice grub at a steal!

Oh yes. Good food can be cheap as chips out here, so to speak. Especially the Thai grub.

There was a report on C4 last night saying the local Thai population are getting pissed off with the amount of Chinese tourists.

What do they do to piss them off?

I dunno, that's news to me.

Although I do know that chinese tourists tend to be very fucking rude, and notoriously tight. That may have something to do with it.

Could be right

http://www.channel4.com/news/the-chinese-tourists-accused-of-bad-behaviour-in-thailand

Honest

They are so fucking rude, and they really just couldn't give a shit. I have a Chinese friend and he finds it shameful watching what his fellow countrymen get up to. (He was educated in Europe).

They also tend to walk ridiculously slowly

Haha! This made me laugh, mainly because I was walking behind a Chinese lady the other day and if she was going any slower she'd have been going backwards!

Stop being lacist.

My daughter, her boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend have come back from two weeks in your neck of the woods.

They said that the Thai's are unbelievably friendly and helpful. However, a visit to Chinatown in Bangkok ahead of Chinese New Year gave the same impression as you - incredibly rude and no manners

Arriba, I would advise a different brush for the tar when it comes to some of them.

Our local, the Woodlands Edge (or Wedge as it is known around here if you want to try and sound cool :-p ) is a Hungry Horse. It has been through good and bad phases but we know this is down to the standard of the chef/kitchen staff. OOB meals can be done well or badly. At the moment we are in a good phase and it really is nice to eat there. We went down to Portsmouth and ate at a Coast to Coast a couple of weekends ago and paid three times as much for something which was to be honest crap compared to the Wedge.

Pick your chain pub carefully on reputation I reckon

Out of interest, what time of the day did you eat at C2C?

I've been for dinner (At the Gunwharf one) and it was really good... I went for lunch and it was shocking..

Yes, the Gunwharf one. Lunch Darlo

I think that says it all about staff preparing ready meals. Different times, different days I guess

It shouldn't be hard to do though, surely? Perhaps the measly wages they pay to keep the prices down has something to do with it. Dunno

Surely it shouldn't be hard to do the job for which you're paid to do?...

I know the wages and (sometimes) the hours are difficult, but it pisses me off that that's used as an excuse...

I hate 12 hour night shifts (and days, come to think of it), but I still come in and do my job as well as I possibly can... if I don't, I get fired... simple...

Yeah certainly speaks volumes for their lunch time prep/care... still, it wouldn't put me off going back for evening dinner..

I've had plenty of reasonable meals in these places along with some awful ones. I've never had anything I could describe as great though.

I always reckon that if you eat in a chain place, then you expect the food to be at least acceptable....but never great.

There are of course times when acceptable, is just what you want, which probably explains why there are so many of these places around nowadays.

Had Sunday lunch in the Cold Harbour, Blunsdon which is now part of the Chef and Brewer chain.

Booked for 1.15pm, got served at 2.00pm and had already complained about the wait and was ready to give them both barrels about the food which we had already decided would be crap.

It was a fucking excellent Sunday roast, though. I'd recommend it

No, I didn't say they were great and as Reg says you expect it to be reasonable.

It is nearly always true that you should get what you pay for. You can't expect Michelin star standards for a main course well under a tenner.

Agreed. My point was it's never going to be great in these places. Reasonable? of course. A paid for meal should represent good value and manners don't cost a thing. I think the pittance the staff are on or the high proportion of students will see a fair few who don't give a shit in the cheap chain pubs, hence the issues people have.

Had a cracking carvey at the Toby last week for £6 and it was superb, both in the service I received and the food quality.

I love toby carvery 8)

Is that your gay boyfriend Tans?

The roast at the Tawny is superb.