"I've lived around here for years, and this used to be the sort of place where you got what you paid for. It was not flashy or high-quality, but it was a solid, old-fashioned boozer where you could get a cheap ale and some pub grub while watching the football. Now you don't even get that. In the last few months, new management has wrecked what little quality this pub had. It's constantly understaffed (sometimes just one person serving a full bar), the kitchen has been permanently closed, they have barely half the drinks on tap most days, and it seems like you need a degree in electrical engineering to use the speaker system, because not one member of the team ever knows how to change the feed. It doesn't help that staff turnover is turning over like a washing machine (obviously they're as unhappy as we loyal customers are). It was never fancy to start with, but now it has really gone down the pan, and it shows because people who used to come here all the time now go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the prices just go up and up. I know this isn't the fault of the people who do their best working there; it's the management's problem. Sadly, if you're after anything more than your third-choice drink served very slowly by underpaid and undervalued staff who don't want to be there anymore than you do, then go to the Chequers instead, a great pub on Walthamstow High Street. It's a bit dearer, but they do good food, it's cosier, the atmosphere is always fun, and they have multiple screens where you can watch live sports with commentary. I waited a long time before posting this review, because I wanted to give the new era a chance over several visits, but it just ain't working."
