Gardeners Arms — Restaurant in Borough of Wyre

THE GARDENERS ARMS RESTAURANT THORNTON CLEVELEYS

To be honest I really don’t know where to start when talking about our family experience at lunch time in the Gardeners Arms, Thornton, Lancashire, but here we go, I feel sick inside just thinking of the place.

My daughter and her family live in Manchester and it was her who booked our table for 7 on Sunday 14th April. My son also came he lives in Warrington they came to meet up with his Mum & Dad for what we expected a lovely meal, nice staff, and great service, WE NEVER GOT EITHER.

We where the first or second customers in the pub and we was given a table that look very much out of Oliver Twists days, there was so many spaces when we got in we could have been offered one of the descent tables?

As time went on the pub and restaurant filled to capacity and within no time had their meals delivered to them we just had a napkin and knife and fork. ALL the customers in the restaurant where pretty much finished their meals when we got our meals over an hour of sitting waiting.. (after several requests to them). Bye now the place was emptying.

Once again we had to go find a waiter to get spoons, salt etc, it was a case all afternoon of help yourself or chase a waiter for service. Three of the 7 ordered sweets, once again we waited and waited the looked for a waiter who where not bothered with us at all till one lad said I’ll go and have a look, he came back with three COLD sweets, they must have been on the chefs table for at leat 30 minutes waiting a waiter? At that stage. With. our family all together for the occasion we found it embarrassing to complain with customers listening so just had to grin and bear it.

Although my wife ,me, and another husband had all chased our food for a couple of hours at the corner of the bar where it was a bit more private. Later the restaurant was now totally empty and just three people in total watching Liverpool playing football and us still eating.

There was no point shouting or complaining re the service because we where ALL fuming and kept our cool so after eventually cooling after a couple of days and getting away from your unfriendly, unhappy, miserable staff cold food and having to hang around in the café The word Restaurant is over rated in the Gardeners arms case.

The one thing that sticks in my mind when we had been waiting and looking at the Menu the lady waiter came along and said you can’t have most of that and I will bring you a list of what you can have, she came back with a small scrap of paper with scribbled food listed what we could have, remember we where first in the place and people were eating food we were told we couldn’t have , YES-they ate it. Reserved for them !!

All our family had travelled a round trip over 100 miles to have our celebration at your place, boy what a bit mistake that was, we never one minute felt welcome or at ease.

THAT’S THE LAST TIME WE WILL EVER SET FOOT IN YOU ALEHOUSE, WE HAVE LEARNT A LESSON. OUTSIDERS NOT WELCOME, YOU GET FED LAST AND WITH WHAT IS LEFT OVER.

Thanks for a memorable...

Death of a good little local. I remember visiting the gardeners with my Dad some 20 years ago as a little girl, I tried my first steak here, had my first sip of a lager shandy, and have continued to visit at least once a week for the past 5 years. Used to be a great space to head after work for a quick drink, a cheap tea out, and the atmosphere was always decent. We have celebrated many birthdays, many cold rainy nights and many sunny days sat in the beer garden watching the old folk bowl on the green. Visiting again today after giving it a wide birth for a while (hoping the new owners were just having teething issues), yet we were faced with the same problems as the last 6 or so visits. Awful quality of food, miserable looking staff and blaring unsociable music. Portions are now tiny, steaks are cooked so awfully I genuinely thought they could have been boiled, and drinks all served in non-branded glasses. Flies circling tables and menus stuck together, dark, dingy and most importantly - horrifically empty. A sun-shining Saturday in May, and around 5 people inside and 2 tables outside. This place used to be buzzing regardless of weather or day of the week. It’s clear that the pub has taken a turn for the worst and it’s such a shame after all the many memories spent here - it’s genuinely saddening. New owners are expected to have teething issues, but we’re several months into change and every single aspect has taken a turn for the worst. We miss the old staff, the old food quality, the old life that lived within the walls of the gardeners. Won’t be a return for...

We booked a table two weeks in advance to celebrate a special birthday — at a place we’ve loyally visited for the past three years. We’ve always enjoyed the food and made the 50-mile journey time and time again because it was worth it. Sadly, this visit made it painfully clear that things have taken a serious turn for the worse.

On arrival, instead of being welcomed properly, we were handed a long, handwritten list of everything that wasn’t available. Not just one or two items — it felt like half the menu was missing. No apology, no clear communication, just a scribbled list and the expectation we’d somehow figure out what was left. A printed updated menu or at least a verbal rundown of what’s actually available would have shown some basic respect for customers.

It turned what should’ve been a joyful occasion into a frustrating experience. We didn’t drive 50 miles to play a guessing game with the kitchen.

To the new management: whatever changes you’ve made, they are not working. You’re riding on the reputation of what this place used to be — and people won’t keep coming back out of habit. Sort it out, or expect to lose more customers who, like us, have better things to do than waste their time and money on a place that appears to no...