Orbital Brewers Fayre — Restaurant in Cannock Chase

Unbelievably Disgusting service...... I'm stopping for 4 nights and everything went perfect at check in in the premier inn next door. Lovely, courteous receptionist named Louisa. Sadly that's where it ends, seated at a table on the first night with no explanation of service style even after I asked "Do I order at the bar? To be told "No Nancy will take you to your table". So i sat there trying to get attention for 30 minutes only to see staff using their mobiles msg people. After 30 minutes i got up and left not one member of staff queried, nor acknowledged why I left!! I spoke to reception who kindly refunded my pre paid residents meal deal, the following morning i spoke to the reception manager who was very helpful and went with me to the restaurant for breakfast to speak to the duty manager who assured me it wasn't their usual standards and from today on wards it would be perfect. Foolishly i believed her. My second evening i was stood at the bar waiting my turn to be served with only one gent being served. when i was again totally ignored whilst the bar person served another woman who walked up 5 minutes after me. then i was left stood there again as if i was invisible. Once again i walked out, spoke to reception who politely convinced me to try again. Huge mistake i was met with a Chavy attitude of a wannabe gangster who was mumbling about there being a queuing system as if it was my fault for not being physic and knowing that. Again asking him an intellectual question was a huge mistake! I asked " How can there be a queuing system when there was only one person being served before me?" To which he replied" there is " gesturing to an empty bar area!!!!! I stop away on business every week and have never met nor stayed in a stunningly unprofessional establishment. You would think they got it so badly wrong the first night , me walking in the next night you would make sure everything was perfect? But no it was 100% worse..! I'm well aware premier inns and the various pub attachments are budget accommodation and Informal dining as i worked for them when they were a small company 1990 through to 2013. The only thing that sets the budget style Pubs apart is the Service, great service will always make a budget place stand out as the place to go above a 5 star establishment with mediocre service. Again i walked out and rather than go hungry again ended up eating at KFC, I'm supposed to be speaking to the GM here tomorrow morning as all I received today was a duty manager offering a 3 course meal instead of a 2 course meal. I'm not interested in a "Freebie" , I just want to be able to hand over money for a meal, surely that's why the doors are open? I'll update tomorrow as to...

Where to start. For the last twenty years I have always been the one to cook the Christmas day dinner, this year I wanted to try going out for the meal.

After some phone calls we settled on The Orbital, phoned up and paid our deposit, later that week we collected the menus and paid the balance.

The menu was straightforward showing you your options for starters, mains, and deserts.

Getting closer to the date we went for a meal at the venue, we find it's better to do this as my partner is in a wheelchair and getting the lay of the land for accessibility usually pays dividends.

We located a table that would be perfect, for the two wheelchair users who would be there on Christmas Day and even asked if we could ensure this table for our 15:15 booking.

Fast forward to the day, when we arrived we could see the staff were busy. The table we had requested was not available and the table offered was unable to accommodate the two wheelchair users together, one had to transfer to a normal chair.

The table itself had clearly been redressed in a slap hazard and fast manner, unlike the tables around us, we had no crackers, no candle and only 3 sets of cutlery, even though there were four of us.

We had been told when we booked that it would be table service, this was not the case. Drinks had to be purchased and collected from the bar. After sitting and waiting for 20 minutes a member of staff asked if we had had our starters, we hadn't and they were brought out, my partners brie bites were so solid you could build a wall with them.

Then to my surprise, despite being mentioned no where on the menu or booking form or anywhere else, we were told that the mains we had ordered, were in fact just simple carverys, something had we known we would not have booked, trying to get a wheelchair down a carvery line is a nightmare at the best of times. The icing on that particular course was that the plates were very small, you could barely fit all the veg on at all.

The dessert came out without any issue for us, though the lady at the table over from us was not as fortunate having to request and send back her desert three times as each time they brought it with ice cream and she had requested custard!

As to the coffee and after 8 that was again meant to included, this was no where to be found.

Overall you could clearly see the staff were running ragged, perhaps they had half call in sick? But when you pay £200 + drinks for what was essentially below par carvery, even if it is Christmas Day, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, next year I guess its back to...

Myself and family visited here yesterday for a meal. Very disappointed. Seemed to be ongoing issues with our meals. Children cannot have chips, mash or jacket potatoes with the majority of the meals on the children's menu. My son could not have Pizza with Chips. This is a rule by brewers fayre, no carbs with no carbs?? At least half the menu out of stock. Masala ordered and it was like thin soup. So watery, and looked disgusting, with 3 pieces of chicken floating at the top. Complained and brought out another. To be honest it looked like gravy granules had been added. Meals did not come out together. Mine came out first and I'd finished mine way before the others came. Ordered extra chips with the curry and the children's meal, they never came out. We told them and they then brought them out when we had finished. Ordered puddings, again the favourite ones out of stock. Waited 30 mins for pudding, with kids at this point getting bored. Went upto a member of staff and asked where our puddings was. He came back and he told me that the order had been mislaid, and that he would personally see to it himself. Puddings came over, and mine had a long hair on the top and was the most smallest burnt pudding I've seen, on a plate with a small bowl of custard. Took pudding back up to the same man, he apologised. I spoke about the size of the pudding and the cost of 5.99 for it. He then explained that the stock they usually have did not deliver.

I then complained about the whole experience and that I would not be revisiting. The gentleman apologised. The only reason I haven't given 1 star is because the gentleman refunded us £15 and he was a genuinely lovely man. Service at the bar also...