Blue Bell — Restaurant in Broxtowe

I moved into the area 5 years ago and the Bluebell is the nearest pub to me just 2 minutes walk away, so I have treated it like my local. We were delighted when your organisation took it over under your Flaming Grill brand having eaten at your other establishments, and so for 3-4 years regularly enjoyed eating there, entertaining family and guests there, even having my daughter’s 9th Birthday party there and it was a consistently quality example of your Flaming Grill brand.

Unfortunately within the last year or so it has consistently come across as a restaurant similar to what you would see at the beginning of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares show.

Today’s incident is not an isolated example of why I feel let down by the Bluebell; them getting the order so badly timed at my daughter’s 9th birthday party this time last year, serving the adults quickly but then taking an additional half hour for the children’s meals to arrive despite requesting the opposite; another occasion, when taking friends there, being told that the all food was off due to the kitchen being flooded.

Today no less than 4 menu items that we requested were unavailable and those dishes that we were served were largely badly cooked, insufficient or otherwise sub-standard; a kids menu curry, a microwave meal (according to your ‘manager’)with 4 small pieces of chicken swimming in a large bowl of insipid sauce; a New Yorker Chicken, the very definition of beige with no signature hint of a flaming grill, with overcooked watery peppers underneath; and Apple Crookie, overcooked (zapped to stodge in the microwave?) and splodged on the plate; chocolate ice cream, more ice crystals than icecream.

Our waitress advised us at the start of the meal, that all meals are guaranteed and that any issues we were to let her know.

Having been dissatisfied with all of the above, we advised the waitress, who immediately advised me that we would get the manager to speak to us.

This turned out to be the young man wearing a team leader’s badge I had taken to be a junior member of your bar staff who had insisted on addressing me as ‘My Friend’ all the way through my order. (Incidently I find that people who address others like this tend to do so in a manner that suggests they regard themselves as ANYTHING but my friend, and this person certainly did.)

I asked him why so many fundamental menu items were not available and he gives some excuse about us coming the day after the weekend, and them being between managers, which presumably is why I had this team leader standing in front of me instead of a manager with any real authority or competence.

The team leader (didn’t recall his name) looked bored and stared listlessly out of the window while I outlined my complaint in line with the promise guarantee of satisfaction from the waitress earlier. I initially outlined my complaint about the food quality especially why my daughter’s meal was so poor, which he dismissed, on the grounds that it comes out of a pouch, so it was ‘on spec’, what a delightfully corporate way to describe my disappointed 9 year old daughter’s meal (it’s was a Birthday meal incidently..the second in a row to be disappointing).

I tend to measure an organisation in terms of not just their quality, but also in the manner in which they handle complaints when they are getting things wrong, and this is the part of my experience I find most apalling,

I asked if there was anything that they would do price wise given that we are regulars and had just spent £30, and were dissatisfied with the meal. He advised us coldly that there was nothing he could and just walked off, and didn’t acknowledge us when we left

I must recommend that if this person is seeking promotion to Pub Management that you carefully appraise performances such as this as he comes across as dismissive, patronising, unapologetic, defensive, and lacks any kind of...

Ok so we went for a meal yesterday and want to clarify a few things None of our party swore at any anyone 2 plate was taken away and the other two were left on the table one was scraped on to the other. We also asked if we could have a plain burger and we were told no even before I had the chance to offer to pay for it. The lady was quite rude and that’s why we got a little upset and took our drinks outside. I have read a few reviews so everyone can’t be wrong. Also when I cut into a burger it wasn’t cooked all the way through. I think some staff could do with a little training on people skills. I will be taking this up with your head office. We won’t be returning as you may be happy to know and if everyone thought the same you’d have no customers. Also may I just add if you had the ingredients for our fist order of mixed grill and steak then we wouldn’t be in this situation now. I thought that after the pandemic we’d use local pubs to help them along but I do wish we’d gone to the tappers as we know we would have what we wanted with great...

We came in on steak night (Monday) to celebrate my daughter’s Birthday and ordered two sirloin steaks. The place was almost empty and we were told no sirloin but only rump. When we asked if it was going to be tender we were told it should be as we were having it medium-rare. It arrived and within the first couple of minutes the waiter asked if everything was ok. We said we had barely started the meal so it was difficult to say! Both of our steaks were as tough as old boots and I had to leave almost all of mine. When he collected the plates we said how dreadful the meal was to which we were told “the meat gets delivered tomorrow, so you’d have been better to come then!” How ridiculous when steak night is advertised as Monday to Wednesday!!! We weren’t offered any money back or free pudding/drink to compensate for a totally spoilt Birthday celebration. He did ask if we wanted another steak cooking, but too little too late and I’m quite sure it would have been just as tough. You really need to change your meat supplier and learn some customer...