Rock Rose — Restaurant in Dover

On arriving we were nicely taken to our table and told to order at table or the bar this was all very good, Whilst ordering at the bar 4 carvery’s a classic chicken burger we also ordered the starter of bbq chicken strips and popcorn chicken WITHOUT SAUCE, we also asked to swap the rocket and pay the extra for chips to be added the lady explained we could have that as a main we said that was absolutely fine we ordered drink and then returned to table. About 10 mins later a lady came over and asked us to go to the carvery counter and said our other dinner would be there shortly. On arriving at carvery bar we found the que to be quite long, there was only one person dishing up the food with a couple of others returning empty pots for refills, I popped of back to the table and left my partner in que to check the older boys were ok on getting back to table found they had there dinner, the bbq popcorn chicken had come with sauce on, I returned it and found where the lady had changed it to main she’d forgotten to take the sauce, I then PAID for another but just got the starter instead of paying for a meal. I’d used my blue light card on the mains order so couldn’t use it again and we were in a budget. Phew now that was done I could go back to the que to find we had barely moved and they were running out of turkey(oldest doesn't like beef or gammon, hoping that by the time it was out turn there would be turkey, when it came to our turn we were told it would be another half hour and with the other 2 already eating there’s we couldn’t wait so I then went and ordered him a mains dinner instead and again left my partner and other kids in Que. that was then sorted after she told me we had to refund first before ordering yet again. But partner was in the Que with the bank card she then just said she’d do a swap 🤷🏻‍♀️. Finally I get to choose my food, might as well had not bothered the beef was dry I don’t eat gammon and only asked for beef yet gammon was on my plate by this point I’m getting fustatred and couldn’t be d along with any more drama I chose my veg and stuffing and went back to eat…..finally. My two that had been at the table had finished their food and now had to wait for us to eat. The beef was dry the stuffing was raw the only thing I really enjoyed was the Yorkshire puddings. We stayed and had another drink with the oldest as that what he wanted to do but felt quite frustrated that there seemed to be an over booking somewhere or someone had made a mistake in the kitchen. All in all it was quite a frustrating time especially for the youngest who is autistic. Not to mention it was a birthday meal for the oldest. I e eaten here before and never had a problems with the mains but first time with carvery and feel quite...

The food was good, but one of the items listed as dairy free (fish and chips) on the website turned out not to be dairy free once it had been ordered we were informed of this by the manager, after we had placed our order and it had been sent to the kitchen, meaning one of our party had their food delayed, as the chef had to prepare something else. There was no specific dairy free menu available and we had to look on the Marston Pubs website to check, as it is one of their franchises. When the problem arose, the staff quickly provided their own allergens handbook, so we were able to pick something else, but it is not laid out like a menu, so it was much harder to find a suitable substitute meal. I do congratulate the staff for letting us know, though. The vegan dessert was absolutely excellent, however. The layout of the pub is completely open plan, and because it is so big, it was incredibly noisy. I had to inform the staff that one of the ladies toilets was in a terrible mess and instead of cleaning it, they marked the toilet as out of order, so we had to use the ladies at the other end of the pub. The staff member who appeared to be in charge said they were "too busy" to clean the said toilet, but the pub was only about half full. The staff were friendly and efficient, though they did have a sense of being rushed off their feet, even though the pub was only half full. I sincerely hope they have more staff for truly busy periods, otherwise they would not be able to cope. I did get the impression that the manager was micromanaging all the staff and they all seemed very stressed by the way she was hassling them. Overall, I gave a 3 star rating, because although the food was good, it was not excellent and the noise and the state of the toilet let the Rock Rose down somewhat. Moreover the micromanagement of the staff member in charge (bar manager or landlady, I cannot be sure) meant that the staff all seemed very harassed and stressed out, so perhaps she needs to ease back a bit and let people do their jobs, which would give a much more relaxed feel to the whole...

As soon as we walked in, someone was there to greet us which was brilliant. We were early for our booking by about 10-15 mins but this was no trouble at all. We were seated at the end of the restaurant (not realising it was the family area and we were a couple). We were told it would be a half an hour wait for food, but we wanted the carvery anyway. The person who showed us to our seats was very knowledgable and helpful when I asked about my 30% off code. We ordered at the till and that was a smooth experience too. We got our tickets for the carvery and the chef who served us was very welcoming and friendly too. The meat was delicious and melt in your mouth. Some of the vegetables had gotten a little dry because they had been out for a while and were coming to the end of the containers. We enjoyed our meal, but we would definitely ask to sit somewhere different next time because it was our one child free night and ended up sitting next to a very loud table who let their children run around screaming and even threatening to do someone in (though it was clear they meant it as a joke). As a mother, I do love that there is a child friendly zone and play area, but please ask your customers whether they mind being seated near there (especially as we were dining as a couple). We left without dessert (even though I really wanted to try one of the cakes!) because of the noise and the children running around. Otherwise though, a...