My boyfriend and I visited The Longhorn on a Sunday afternoon and the best word to describe our experience is disappointing
We ordered a roast chicken and a roast beef dinner along with two puddings at 3.10pm and by 4.40pm we had left as unsatisfied customers.
The dinners were served by a waitress who casually announced that we did not have Yorkshire puddings with our meals as the pub had “run out”. Run out - on a Sunday lunchtime?
If a pub is going to allow itself to run out of key ingredients during a busy period, the least it can do is bend over backwards to keep customers happy.
It seems quite basic to me that a member of staff should have told diners this fact, preferably when they ordered their meal or at least before putting the food on the table.
Paying customers would then have had the choice to order something else or accept an offer, that was not made, of extra potatoes/peas/beans etc. It is not the Yorkshire pudding, it is the principle of good customer service.
The roast dinners were tasty, apart from the cauliflower cheese being stone cold. And we were not the only ones to notice this as I heard a couple sitting at a nearby table complain that the veg was cold.
Stu and I finished our dinners and the plates were cleared. We waited for our puddings, a vanilla panacotta and chocolate brownie, to arrive, as did diners at a neighbouring table. And we waited some more.
The couple asked twice for their desserts to be brought out and when they finally arrived the woman sent hers back as the side scoop of ice cream had melted, indicating, she told the waitress, that it must have been served and left to stand for too long before it was brought to her table.
She asked for a fresh slice of cake and scoop of ice cream and the plate was taken away.
Thinking that the staff would surely not repeat the mistakes made with our neighbours’ puddings, we naively expected out sweets to appear any minute. How wrong we were. We finally got fed up waiting and left, without having eaten, or even seen, the puddings that had cost us £4.
I hope staff at The Longhorn read this and improve their service.
The Sunday roast costs £5.99 or £7.99 with a pudding.
Lyndsey Hunt
Sutton Road
Walsall
Tel: 01922 625065
22 Comments
Thanks for that. We had considered going there for a Sunday lunch soon.
Now I think we’ll give that place a miss.
I have eaten there many times with family and friends this year and not once have we had a bad meal or poor service or a reason to complain. The meals have always arrived hot and the deserts have always been fine. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. No one ever writes if they have had a good meal only when they have had a bad meal.
What on earth do you expect for 5.99 or 7.99 all in? I have never been there but these kind of places will have to work exceptionally hard to make a roast for that kind of price pay at all. So it gets a bit sloppy around the edges - thats the trade off you make when you go there!
What the hell has price got to do with good service, girls? Typical of our attitude in this country.
I’ll be giving this place a miss.
well when i lived in walsall many years ago the longhorn was a great place to eat but theprice you people pay is unreal i have lived in canada for 20 years now and for that price you can all you can eat at a very good restaurant back too the longhorn i was there 7 years ago and i did not think you got value for money there still the british beer is still the best in the world
Ian, price has everything to do with service. If your prices are low then you cant afford overhead and you end up with overbusy and overstretched staff as a result. Service, and services for that matter, cost money. If you want good service then you have to be prepared to pay for it.
Jake, that’s nonsense.
Jake, your wrong.. the price inconsequential, good service and a friendly helpful attitude costs nothing, abroad you can get a damn site better meal, cheaper and 200% better service!
i eat in the longhorn most of the time its a good place to be in the staff are friendly 100%all these people that says that they will never step foot in the place is mad
From what I read of this article the complaint was mainly about the service and attitude. My partner and I have used the longhorn for years the service and decor plus the food was always quite good. That is until recently when we called on a friday lunch time, the girl behind the bar was blatantly rude when I gave my order, and when I asked if she had a problem she got possitively agressive. I chose discretion rather than create a scene, returned to my seat only to wait 40 minutes for our light bite meals, there were no appologies. Several people sitting around us witnessed the event. I e-mailed Ember inns with my comments, I have never recieved a reply. My partner and I now frequent the Hardwick Arms where they treat you with great courtesy and you dont have to wait forever for your meal. The price is not the issue it is the attitude of those serving you that is the important thing, we have a drink and a meal out to enjoy ourselves not fight a battle.
Toby
We had spaghetti at our house three times last week just to avoid having to eat there. I too, now frequent the Hardwick Arms where they treat you with great courtesy and you dont have to wait forever for your meal. The price is not the issue it is the attitude of those serving you that is the important thing, we have a drink and a meal out to enjoy ourselves not fight a battle.
Ian, can you elaborate on why its nonsense?
Jake - others already did!
stop moaning,eat at home cheaper n healthier !!!!!!!!!!!!
Ash - this is the restaurant review section ya nit!!!
Thanks all for the warning. It is my girlfriend’s birthday at the weekend and I was going to take her for a surprise treat. I will definately give it a miss.
Does anyone know of any other pubs in the area that might be suitable, ideally keeing to a similar budget? I have heard that the Stein Bar might be a good alternative, can anyone confirm if this is true?
Tom, I’d give the Stein Bar a miss for a romantic tryst. The sophisticated swiss ambience can be let down somewhat by the customers. Also, despite what is commonly believed, the Stein is not a fancy dress venue as I found to my cost when turning up in reindeer knitwear and moonboots a few years ago. It was August, mind.
Try the Broadway chap.
Tom,try King Balti,near the Rising Sun and just a few minutes.
Take your own Kestrel Super,and a glass if your lass is a fuss pot.They only serve cans of Carling.
Bah,curse my arthritic fingers.
What I meant to say was that its just a few miuntes away from the local cinema (walking at a brisk pace or indeed,in a car).
Take her to see a nice flick first, the ladies love that. I hear the Lion King is very good.
Great advice thanks ‘Top. Saturday night was birthday night and it went like a dream.
King Balti are cetainly worthy of their crown and whilst Cut Price couldn’t supply us with Kestrel, Kingfisher was was the perfect complement to the meal.
The only cinema I could find evidence of though was the Canon and we were 15 years too late for the last show.
Thanks for the food advice though - it was a birthday she will never forget.
If you want to complain, speak to Esther the Landlady, shes wonderful