Stansfield Arms — Restaurant in Bradford

Went to the Stansfield Arms for a meal out with my fiancee, we arrived early so we could enjoy a drink before we ate. First impressions were that all the staff appeared uninterested and miserable. Not a single smile on anyone's face.

We were seated at a table for two where the two seats to the table were side-by-side, and not face to face as you'd expect. Even though we had booked a table, I felt we were fobbed off into a corner.

We asked to be moved - the waiter reluctantly moved us and it appeared that he began gossiping about us to a colleague. Could be mistaken, but you know and get the feeling when someone is bad-mouthing you.

We ordered our food all in one go - wine, starter and main. The waiter who brought the wine simply put the glasses on the table with the UNOPENED bottle and left us to it.

We asked about a dietary requirement, the chap who took our order asked a colleague to see if They knew about the dish, and she simply shrugged her shoulders, smirked, and said that the waiter was asking the wrong person. If this was my pub/restaurant, i'd be embarrassed by this type of attitude.

The starters were very tasty, and worth the money. The belly pork was delicious and a highlight.

Our mains arrived - I asked for rare ribeye steak and my fiancee had a seafood linguine. The steak arrived with chips which seemed as though they'd been sat a long time and reheated. The steak itself was mediocre at best and not worth £20, when other establishments provide steak twice as good at half the price.

We had dessert and then went to the bar to pay. One of the waiters addressed us, we asked to pay and he just carried on his conversation with a colleague before dealing with us.

We both felt the staff were lacking any personality and charisma - all the staff looked miserable. I've seen more smiles in KFC up the road in Greengates. The level of service was poor - everything seemed quite robotic and just going through the motions.

I personally feel the management have a lot to do to get the staff to engage with the diners more and to get the staff to work with a bit of gusto and with more pride. It seemed that most of the staff were unhappy and not really wanting to be there and deliver good service.

Some of the attitude we saw was quite shocking and we probably won't return to eat. There needs to be an improvement in service to warrant the prices for the food and drink. The service was basic at best, the food was mediocre at best and the cost was aiming much higher than what was...

Absolute shambles. Arrived at 7pm for the marquee event - ''cancelled due to unforseen circumstances''. I was informed that the cancellation was due to the lack of security and that the cancellation itself, happened only ''two hours earlier''. I had bought the tickets some two weeks ago. It was my wife's birthday. What upset me was the fact that members of staff were falling over themselves to blame a third party. I didn't book the tickets online with a third party - I booked with, and paid, Stansfield Arms. And this very evening your sorry was so disingenuous that it bordered on comedic.

A week earlier I had booked a table for me and my daughter at 4.30pm. I arrived and could not find one member of staff. I honestly believed they'd walked out en masse. I later spoke to one of the manager's, Nick and he kindly told me that they were ''reviewing operations'' in the light of my experience. Did it really take an insignificant, unassuming, middle aged man, and his daughter to bring you to that conclusion Nick ?

You have very young members of staff, who carry with them an air of indifference. They lack the maturity needed to see the wider picture. I am not saying they don't work hard, they do. But you also have managers who are so clealy out of their depth, that I do feel sorry for the place I once knew.

Circumstances happen, not always favourable. Only then, when the tide has gone out, do you truly discern, the good from the ordinary. The Stansfield Arms used to be good. Now it is very ordinary, and anyone who has purchased a meal will soon come to realise - their ordinary doesn't come cheap.

I genuinely hope matters change. I am also sincere in wishing everyone a happier 2024. Let's hope it's a little kinder to...

The Stansfield put on a wonderful spread for my late mother‘s wake last month. There are various buffet options to choose from depending on the price per head you wish to go with. There’s lots of delicious options like mini roast beef Yorkshire puddings, chicken and/or mushroom vol au vents, individual pork or other meat filled pies, potato and pasta salads and not just sandwiches. I was able to swap out items to suit our needs. For instance I swapped out one of the savoury options for a sweet choice which the pub are more than happy to do for you. For the price paid our buffet was excellent value for money. The food really was of high quality, very generous in quantity and so many of our party commented on how delicious it all tasted. Any leftovers can be stored in their fridge until you’re ready to leave and taken home in takeaway containers. We were allocated the raised seating area at the far end of the pub which gave us plenty of space to chat and mingle between our party. The pub has a warm atmosphere and was the perfect place to celebrate my mother’s life. There’s plenty of parking available and it’s well located in between Leeds and Bradford. It was the top choice for us as we already knew first hand that the Stansfield had an excellent reputation and my parents loved their regular visits to the pub for many years. I can’t recommend The Stansfield highly enough as their hospitality is of the highest standard. They went above and beyond to ensure all our catering needs were more than fully met and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you so much Matthew, Nick, Paul and all the staff who did our family and friends proud...