The Puffing Billy Inn — Restaurant in East Devon

My family and I had a Sunday roast there on 25th May. We live in different parts of the UK, so it was one of those rare occasions when we can all get together for a catch-up. I had already booked a restaurant in Exmouth which I've been to many times, but my mum requested I change my booking to The Puffing Billy, as it's a pub she's visited previously and has enjoyed. Our table was the last booking slot at 5.30pm. There was an issue with the first drink my mum had which was returned and then further problems when we came to order our food. Half of the menu was not available, and with one of our group being vegetarian, this was problematic. As such, two people ended up ordering two starters to make up for the main they were unable to have. The first server was very apologetic and kept repeating how busy they had been. I understand that they had been busy, but if they can't accommodate a booking for 4 at 5.30pm, they shouldn't have taken it. The food I had wasn't too bad, in fact the pork was good, but there wasn't much of it. Most of the plate was filled with a massive Yorkshire, with minimal everything else. There was also an issue where my brother-in-law was told there was no more gravy when he asked. They did reluctantly overcome this problem when they were pushed further. As the pub started to empty, it felt as though we had been forgotten. The servers stopped coming to our table, when I did eventually grab someone to order another drink, the drink never appeared. I had to go and find someone to pay the bill and the staff seemed to be huddled in the bar side having their own conversation. Really terrible service and we probably would have ordered many more drinks had we been asked, despite all the problems we'd experienced throughout. I totally accept all businesses can have a bad day, but the real test is how they deal with it. The staff were definitely aware of our dissatisfaction, so an offer of goodwill on the day would have gone a long way to appeasing us. My sister did call the pub a week later and spoke to the Manager Theo. He was very apologetic and sympathetic, and offered a partial refund. However, as I paid the bill, he would need to speak to me to arrange this. I called on the pub on a Sunday to be told I would need to call back the next day as Theo was not in. I called back the next day to be told Theo doesn't work on Mondays! I was asked to call the next day. I said I would rather leave my name and number and asked if Theo could call me when he was free, since I kept missing him. I left a bit of information for the reason of my call, that we'd had an issue, the date of our visit, and that Theo had already spoken with my sister and should hopefully be expecting to talk to me. Needless to say, I never received a call back and neither did I chase anymore after this. I shouldn't really have to. Overall, extremely poor service and a non-existent...

Date of visit - 25th May We were really looking forward to a family get together at the Puffing Billy, which was highly recommended by my mother in law. Table booked, car parked, let the celebration begin, except……..

A spritzer was ordered, but the soda was almost non-existent…. and flat! very limited veggie menu, and they had run out of them ALL, so two people ended up having starters for main course! Very small ‘large’ portion of pork (just one thick slice!), a few small roasters and a minimal vegetable offering. (Plus an enormous Yorkshire pudding which over-filled the plate so as not to leave much room!) I still can’t help wondering if we were served a regular portion and charged for a large one! Being told ‘that’s it’ when I asked for more gravy! (Apparently they’d run out and didn’t offer to make more initially.) Long delays after we’d eaten and were trying to; (a) order an extra drink (which never arrived) and (b) get the bill. In the end, we gave up waiting and went up to the counter to pay. Overall, an average meal that fell well short of expectations. We did point out the errors and one woman staff member was very apologetic about the problems. The male staff member was less interested in being so helpful.

My wife contacted the restaurant soon after our visit to check prices (so we could reimburse the bill payer for our share) and was also asked for feedback, so she shared her experiences. She was told that the manager was out, but that he’d return her call the next day and would probably offer a free return visit. That call never happened! A few days later she called again and spoke to the Bar Manager, who put her through to the Manager. He was very apologetic, offering a free return visit when ‘we would be looked after’, or a partial refund. As my brother in law had paid the full bill he was passed the details - he’s since called to try to speak to the Manager THREE times without success. Messages have been left but, as of today there’s been no return call.

The poor veggie options, small ‘large’ portions and lack of response, added to the lack of management follow up and failure to return calls has really tarnished their reputation in our eyes. Internal communications and dealing with constructive feedback really need to improve on those occasions when standards slip.

We would have been willing to give them another try when we’re in East Devon again, but the lack of promised responses has made us lose confidence. Perhaps more importantly, they’ve caused embarrassment for a local resident who recommended them, and who, as a result, is now unlikely to return.

Such a shame as it’s quite apparent from reviews that most others don’t have similar experiences - but from our perspective, both the staff and the management...

Having eaten at the Puffing Billy several times, including organising a New Year meal there for ten people this year, I recommended it for a family meal on the late May bank holiday. We booked a table for 1730 and ordered drinks. I ordered a white wine spritzer with soda, but when it arrived it was completely flat. I queried this and it was replaced, but the replacement was no better. When we ordered our food I wanted fish, only to be told it had all gone. My daughter ordered a vegetarian burger, but the last one had just been sold. Therefore my daughter and I had to make do with a starter each for our main courses as we don’t eat meat. With very little choice on the menu my son and son-in-law ordered the pork roast. My son’s meal had just three small pieces of pork, and when my son-in-law asked for some more gravy he was told it had all gone. After he insisted, some extra gravy was finally produced. I was so embarrassed to have recommended the Puffing Billy, but my family very generously said every restaurant can have the occasional bad day, and said they wouldn’t leave a bad review. However, my daughter did phone them and was told they’d get the manager to ring her. He didn’t, so she rang him and was offered a partial refund or a free main course next time. She said she would pass the message to my son as he had paid the bill. He has now phoned them twice and been told the manager was unavailable but would phone him back. This phone call has never materialised. This is what I find unforgivable. Constant evasion, three promises to return phone calls, none of them kept, and still no redress. Too late now to offer free meals, drinks or anything else, because we will never be returning; and I shall be booking somewhere else for my group...