Mackerel Pate
Franklins

Franklins

157 Lordship Lane London, SE22 8HX, United Kingdom

Pubs • Steak • Drinks • British


"I went to Franklins to treat my Mum to a Valentine’s Day dinner. Staff, particularly the waitress serving us, were initially friendly and we were seated quickly. Our orders were taken quickly but it was downhill from there. We had to wait over 20 mins to receive our drinks and I noticed the couple next to us that were seated a good 15 mins after us were already drinking from a bottle of wine. We waited over 45 minutes for our starters and were only served after we asked (the couple next to use were served their starters before us). Similar to our starters, we had to wait over 30 mins for our main and we had to ask for updates twice. We were told the kitchen were having issues and I was offered a glass of wine. We were finally served our main (again, the couple next to us were served their main before us) to which mine was bland. After over 20 minutes waiting for our desert (during which the couple next to us left after finishing their desert and paying), I asked for an update and I was told the kitchen was busy today. After discussing with my mum we decided to cancel the desert so we could leave as it had already been 2 hours since we had been seated. The waitress explained the deserts were ready but I insisted we leave as it had been over 2 hours since we had been seated. The waitress then brought the bill. It had no discount on the set menu (I expected they would’ve applied this automatically based on the constant delays) and it included service charge. After I requested the service charge be removed, the waitress walked off visibly agitated in a huff. After returning with the new receipt she then asked me “have you ever worked in hospitality?” This is unacceptable. My mother and I were clearly subjected to very poor service and to be asked that question after I, rightly, requested the service charge be removed is quite frankly rude. Being busy is not an excuse for poor service. Accept the number of diners you can handle whilst still providing good service. This ruined dinner with my mother. I would not recommend this restaurant. Update: The owner has since contacted me, apologised, offered me a full refund and an opportunity to return with some drinks on them"

The Inn On The Pond

The Inn On The Pond

Nutfield Marsh Road, Tandridge, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Vegan • British


"Oh Dear! What a difference 2 weeks can make. My daughter (who lives in Farringdon), and I, visited on 21st April and had a lovely meal in a very pleasant environment. Fantastic, we thought, somewhere lovely that we can get to easily from Merstham station, and it accommodates dogs. So, when my daughter and her partner came for a visit on Friday 3rd May, we rushed to get there in plenty of time (kitchen closes at 20.00), and arrived at 19.15 having already read the menu and having decided on our meals. Unfortunately this was a completely different dining experience. No one came to take our drinks order so we had to go looking for a member of staff. We found the staff having a very sociable time with each other but with no one engaging with the customers to ensure all was in order. Our waiter was lovely but clearly inexperienced and getting absolutely no support from the 'team '. Two of our mains were incorrect, and after a 20 minute wait for the missing portions of chips, we decided that we wouldn 't bother because we had eaten the rest of the meal. Our desserts were very obviously micro waved not a problem but were delivered to our table in stages, and the final plate of sticky toffee pudding was returned because it was cold. Desserts that had been specifically ordered with custard were delivered with ice cream. It was now 21.15 and so we decided not to push our luck and didn 't have coffees. When my husband, and then my daughter, approached what appeared to be a more senior member of staff, his response to their concerns was blasé and very unsupportive of his team throwing the chef and the waiter under the proverbial bus, in front of customers, is not the best way to manage a customer service situation. We alluded to Fawlty Towers all evening, and fully expected Manuel from Barcelona to show up, but after a while the farcical humour of the situation wore very thin and spoiled our family get together. Such a shame but we 'll definitely be swerving this 'restaurant ' (unless the owners take control of the situation and engage in a very robust training session with the staff)."