Grand Central Kitchen — Restaurant in Birmingham

Update I've received no response from the owner on what is quite a serious matter.

I also left the same review on TripAdvisor, which has been completely ignored. Interestingly they have since received 10 yes 10, 5 bubble reviews on TripAdvisor from accounts with multiple previous 5 bubble reviews for this business but, no new reviews on Google 🤔

Disappointing Visit. While the restaurant seemed clean, there were several issues that detracted from the experience.

Obsessive Focus on Reviews: The excessive use of stickers highlighting TripAdvisor reviews felt off-putting. It seemed the restaurant prioritised online reputation over customer experience.

Uncertain Vegan Options: When inquiring about vegan options, the initial answer of "veggie" was concerning. Although vegan options were confirmed, the lack of clear knowledge was a red flag.

Uninformed Staff: When questioning the sausage ingredients due to a Quorn allergy, the waiter's uncertainty was alarming. Despite expressing the severity of a potential reaction, the response remained vague and unconvincing. This highlights a critical gap in staff training regarding allergens and ingredients.

Overly Frequent Greetings: Being greeted three times within a short period felt excessive and disruptive.

Missed Opportunity: The inability to confidently answer a basic ingredient question ultimately led to the inability to dine there.

It is concerning that some staff members seem to downplay food intolerances. For those with severe allergies, this could be a safety hazard.

I hope this feedback is used for improvement, particularly regarding staff training on allergens and fostering a more customer-centric approach. It would also be beneficial to address previous reviews with a professional and...

When we got to the restaurant there was a large queue outside. There was a few photos of the food on a board outside. It all looked fresh and clean. Were were given menus and told there would be a 10 minute wait. 10 minutes later they came out and asked us to order whilst still in the queue and we could not order inside so we couldn’t see how the food really looked. Once they took our order they went back in and left us outside a further 10 mins. They then came back out and took us to our seats. We had to climb over other customers disturbing their meals to get to our seats, as there are no gaps between tables. When we sat down we could see the staff moving cooked food to a tray and putting it in the microwave to heat up and serve. There was a pile up of dirty plates on the counter restaurant side.

When the food arrived it was bland, cold and very soggy. We left the whole plate apart from the tomato and toast. The staff then asked if we had finished and took the plate away. They didn’t seem to care we didn’t eat the food or didn’t care to ask if there was any issues or if it was okay. They just wanted to clear the plates away to hurry us along. When they brought the bill over they stood over us and waited for us to pay. Everything about this experience felt rushed and they just wanted to get us out to get the next in.

I would not recommend Grand Central Kitchen to anyone. Overall lack of space and moment in the restaurant, poor quality of food and...

Food is fine, nothing spectacular. I've only been once and last time I went, there was a queue to get in. When we got in, it was very rushed and a member of staff, I believe she was the manager cleared our plates away before we even finished. Having said that, it was a while ago and I'd be willing to give it another go.

We went on a Saturday morning, so I'm sure it's a more pleasant experience at different times and may have just been a very busy day which led to a tainted experience.

Edited to add after response: I explained exactly what I meant. The service was poor and we were rushed through our subpar meal and out of the restaurant. As I mentioned in my review, the manager cleared our plates away before we were finished. Feel free to comment on that. Regardless of whether it was 2 seconds ago or 2 years ago, that is unacceptable and ruined my experience at your establishment.

I take back what I said earlier. I wouldn't give GCK another go and I wouldn't recommend anyone go here. For any customers reading, after recently visiting Cosy Club, I would much rather recommend you go there for breakfast if that is an option for you. The food is delicious, the staff are kind and the atmosphere is very warm. Everything that GCK is not, from my experience. Just read how they respond to their lowest reviews....