Bear Feet Playcentre Newton Abbot — Attraction in Teignbridge

Went here for the first time today with my 4 and 6 year old's. The play area was great and clean and my kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves but I am absolutely appalled with the state of the sitting area and service. The staff were running around like they had no idea what on earth they were doing. They could really have done with certain staff members in certain areas of the place, absolutely no organization!! At first I felt sorry for them as they looked extremely short staffed but then when I looked around, there were constantly different staff members walking in and out of the kitchen area! So they actually did have a lot around.

It took about 20 minutes just to order some food as the lady was doing the till, then taking food to customers, then letting people in the gate! 2 things I ordered they had ran out off! Then waited half hour for the food to come out and 3 out of 4 meals were wrong!! But we kept them anyway as the queue for the food was massive again and the kids were getting grouchy because they were hungry. Then we went up to get cutlery and there was none so we asked a member of staff to get some which took ages, by then our food was almost cold. Also for the price of the meals, the food was very small portions!!

The worst bit about the place was the filthiness of it!! Inside the play area seemed OK but the sitting area was appalling. There were tons of empty tables still full of rubbish, one table was dirty from when we went in and the same when we left 2 hours later! Which I'm surprised we even lasted that long but after paying £5.50 each to get in and the kids were enjoying themselves, we stayed longer. The floor was horrendous, everywhere you were walking you were stepping over rubbish, crumps, empty bottles, etc!! You expect a bit of rubbish around being a kids play area and kids throw stuff around, but honestly this was disgraceful!!

We were sat close to the door and they have a gate to come in and a gate to go out then the door to the road wide open. I watched two small children run and push the gate and it fly open and another lady sat near us rushed over and shut the gate and pulled the children away (the children weren't her own) but it panics me to think what could have happened if an adult didn't see!! So the gates aren't very secure at all!!

There was so many staff around and they defiantly need to be WAY more organised and sectioned in certain areas. One on reception, one on the cafe tills, one/two cleaning tables and cleaning the area, one/two taking meals out, then the kitchen staff. But there were staff just wondering what seemed to be with their eyes closed and seemed to be one member of staff dealing with 3 things at once, like the lady who served me when ordering food.

It was my first time visiting today, and I will defiantly not be visiting again!! The only reason we come was because it has been recommended so many times by friends, so unless today was a complete off day, I have no idea what they are recommending!! We defiantly won't be...

Please share as received an awful customer service at Bearfeet Newton Abbot. share share share and show that you care: Horrible place to go, I accidentally took lunch and my kids were half way eating lunch and the staff was very rude and was asked to leave and go outside to finish then come back in. When asked why she said you have to buy and eat food only supply from them. Never took food there before and was my first time as didn't know. I would totally understand if she explained the reason properly but she didn't. I took my kids and went outside and sat on the pavement to finish their food and on the way back in she gave me an awful look and was very uncomfortable the way we were treated. When asking nicely about a refund because we were only there for a short time and we came to the place to stay for a good few hrs she declined and said it was my fault that I took food to the place and that she cannot give any refund. I told her politely that we felt so uncomfortable and don't want to be here anymore because the way she talked to us so loudly and everyone could hear what was going on. She didn't appear to care to be honest and said there is nothing she can do and event her manager said no apparently. I understand that they have to be commercial and sell food to make profits but that not the way to treat your customer and Bearfeet you have lost me and lots of us I'm afraid. Good luck in making a profit and care for people. :(

Update 06.07.21

Revisited the place again today

Awful place, chef gone out at lunch time, massive queue for food. Would have been told before paying to come in for lunch. Chef came back after a while. Ordered food and very greasy and cutlery need to go in the bin and buy new one as the one we had was chewed and broken, looks like from a nightmare movie. Not recommend for food, I'm afraid. Very poor. Not...

Only giving 2* because I felt so sorry for the girl behind the counter today. Otherwise it would be 1! We got there. Took a while to get in but was obvious there was only 1 member of staff. We then queued to order food. 25 minutes we stood there and then the poor girl told us she would have to leave the counter (she's already on her own there) for 10 minutes to clean up feaces in the play area. She did that and then came back to serve again. She was under so much pressure. One of the other parents rang Exeter to speak to a member of staff there to ask what was going on. She was told that there was only 1 member of staff there also! Manager was apparently at Newton abbot branch (no manager was there.) We ordered food. 2 breakfasts (apparently suppose to come with tea/coffee but we never actually got our teas) and 2 kids meals. About 20 minutes after our order another member if staff turned up, whom I am told was the owner. She came over with our food. 1 breakfast, 2 kids meals. She said - and I quote "I'm so sorry. I see there were 2 breakfasts on the order but the chef has only done one. He's autistic you see, although I know that is no excuse" 😳😳😳 Why in the world she needed to say that is anyone's guess! The poor chef and the 1 member of staff out front had worked their socks off to keep up with the demand! We had our food -(mostly cold) and then we left. She thanked us for helping clear up a bit whilst the young girl was on her own. (We hadstarted clearing tables to help!) Absolutely awfully run but the girl who was front of house...