Miller & Carter Cannock — Restaurant in Cannock Chase

AWFUL EXPERIENCE AND POOR MANAGEMENT OVERAIGHT. Abit delayed as i have been busy with a 6 month baby which adds to this whole awful experience. Appaling management oversight Behind on schedule

Arrived 12.15 for a 12.30 booking. 12.45 still waiting stood up in bar which was packed with waiting customers with a baby im my hold. I apprpached manager to ask explaining we had a booking for 12.30 and also needed to leave by 2.30 as we have an event. She didnt even turn around to speak she said u will be soon too we giving it in order of who arrived first(keep in mind we were here 15mins before hand and qeued to be booked in at 12.20) Almost 2 hour wait for food- manager suggested i should have been prepared for this wait due to fathers day, and when challenged she then said it was due to us ordering a starter i was asking if her excuses are serious and asked why she couldnt just apologise for poor management of the situation and low staffing as our starter was cheesy garlic bread for the baby (6months old and weaning) given we werent seated until after 45mins of waiting and 15mins past our booking time so he was hungry. I got up and went to staff 5 times atleast for something or another, knife and fork/salt and vinegar- when meal was finally given it was placed on table and they were gone no question if we needed anything else and no sides had comr so again i had to get up and chase/ to chase food/to ask for dessert menu whilst still waiting for main concerned of time and my partner saying he wouldnt have a starter as saving himself for dessert. The lady left a menu and although I explained the delay and why im asking she never came back to take the order. I flagged down the manager who was full of excuses rather than just apologising and suggesting i should have known this would be the experience as its fathers day she said the busiest day of there year(what about christmas, mothers day, valentines) and due to having 300ppl to see to. No table service or check in at all even to apologise for delay until after i complained then they kept coming when it wasnt needed. Several check ins from different people and even the arsey manager so no consistency. Alot of staff rushing around and waiting by kitchen- should have had oversight so some waited for plates while others saw to tables. Food was cold on arrival especially chips and onion load, whilst the sides didnt arrive so i had to again ask and then wait- these were then piping hot which i needed to cool to give baby (veg and mac and cheese) so my meal at this point was just eaten due to the cost and beinh hungry.

There was a closed off area of tables they did let people in after ages but again poorly managed. Managers were attitudey, not helpful and were of a blame the customer attitude. Staff on the floor were actually nice when i went to them they just seemed unmanaged and like deers in headlights.but if i did get up and ask they would then help. We never got to desert as the whole delay left 15mins before we needed thats 2.25hrs hours later from arrival to leaving as we had a booked event to travel too...to note we gave time for the table time in line with how long the restaurant says u can have the table for, it is not like we left after only an hour etc. The manager i directly told she was frustrating me as she was blaming it on the day and making comments like what did i expect, no all restaurant manage many busy days but they have clear planning,staffing and management to oversee and support the staff who were left whilst managers stood at reception.

the lady behind said they have waited over 1.5hrs and just got food and her son was still waiting after 2hrs. Another lady with a baby saying it was disgusting as she kept waiting for someone to walk down to get help. Anyone walking past didnt give eye contact im assuming to avoid more tasks as they were already on the go. So this wasnt just me although i was more vocal about it.

My partners 1st fathers day, only 1 main meal, a day i can...

We both have been to Miller & Carter a long time ago. I booked a table online and a confirmation came through within minutes. They mention a strict dress code not to wear certain clothing and a reminder is sent on the day of your booking. I don't see the point , because people were dressed casually in trainers and pimsoles. I do think people don't make the effort anymore to look smart and get dressed up.

We were shown to our table and asked if we wanted the wine list. We had a dedicated waitress. I had a glass of rose wine, my husband had a non alcoholic beer. For starters I had sticky chipotle chicken with chilli jam dipping sauce my husband had wild scallops with chorizo (photos of the menu below). My starter wasn't hot, but the plate was, I got to the last few pieces of chicken and they were hot. My husband said the ripened tomato over powered the dish, it needed just a bit not the amount it had on the plate.

We both had the 30 day old, 8oz fillet steak, it comes with parsley butter, beef tomato and an onion loaf we both ordered seasoned fries, three black peppercorn sauce and sauteed greens to share. Neither of us had the lettuce wedge, I saw it arrive at the next table and it was too big for us to eat with a steak. My steak was cooked medium to well my husband's was medium. We didn't wait long for our mains to arrive. Overall it was hot and tasted well. My husband said his steak was over cooked. I didn't eat the onion loaf, I don't like anything that consumes too much oil.

We ordered dessert, I don't like chocolate cake and most things looked very sweet. I asked about the sizes, which are for one person. I decided to have the caramel biscuit torte and my husband had the sticky toffee without vanilla ice cream. I didn't taste any cinnamon in the caramel torte, that was why I had it. I didn't like the coconut base, which was bigger than the biscuit and it tasted sickly. I left all of it on the plate except the strawberries. The topping was very sweet in comparison to the rest, no balance between the biscuit, topping or the coconut filling. Not for me my personal choice. I tasted the sticky toffee pudding, very sweet for me, but my husband ate it all.

The prices of the steaks increase according to size and age. If you've never been to Miller & Carter it's okay for a first taste of a 🥩 steak. I would definitely book in advance, it's very busy and gets booked up quickly.

I've been to other steak houses, hence...

Have dined here a handful of times and sadly our experience is always blighted by where we are sat, so we are now reluctant to return, despite living locally.

As it was often just my husband and I, we always requested a quieter table if possible e.g in a corner, on the outskirts, away from larger parties. However, this always fell on deaf ears and we have always been placed smack bang in the middle of the restaurant, often next to larger parties, this in turn makes it difficult for us to talk without shouting across at each other. Last time I actually left with a banging headache on my birthday, and it wasn't the drink! We were sat next to a table of 14! We did ask to be moved, but was told it wasnt an option as they were busy. The tables for two that are dotted about still look way to close to each other. I understand it is a family restaurant, but it would be wonderful if you catered just as much for couples whose children have grown up e.g not force couples to have to shout across to each other to be heard, ruining their whole dining experience. Perhaps a small section dedicated to "tables for two" with a little more space between these tables would be great, though I imagine they are more focused on how many can be packed in by the looks of it. We would love to return as the food is actually the best part. Sadly, where you are sat as a couple can make or break your whole evening, especially if you have spent over a hundred pounds for the experience.

EDIT: Thank you for your comments, however our last visit was not in recent days so looking for the large table booking is pointless. My feedback is for the several times we have visited over the last 18 months in hope things improve, but sadly we have always left disappointed by the tables for 2 and where we are sat and the inconvenience of having to ask to be moved. For this reason, as mentioned above, we are reluctant to return and spend over £100 a visit only to be let down by poor seating arrangements for couples, which is a pity as the food is truly great. Couples do not want to be sat on top of another couple and certainly not next to larger parties where they can't hear each other speak, especially if celebrating a special occasion. Maybe the layout/tables for 2 could just benefit...