Ewe & Lamb — Restaurant in England

Appalling service for our Monday lunchtime group meal.

The Lewsey Farm Art group had made a group booking for 1pm today, Monday 13th August at the Ewe & Lamb, Dunstable, to celebrate a member's birthday. Most of the meals had been pre-ordered. When I arrived just before 1pm, I had to order meals for myself and my Mother, as these had not been added to the pre-ordered list. The bar staff were made aware we were with the Art Group. I ordered 2 off fish & chips @ £12.99. There were 14 of us in total.

There was a very long delay for my Mother and I to have to wait for our 2 meals. All of the other group members were served starters and their main courses before us. A few even received their desserts before our main course was served.

Several people had issues with the meals themselves such as the portions being too small, cold, without side salad or toast. One lady was served Camembert cheese with garlic bread but complained because it doesn't say the cheese comes with garlic bread, which she doesn't like. She also asked where the salad was, to which the waiter replied "we haven't got any cucumbers or tomatoes". There is a Coop supermarket within 5 minutes walk, so they can't seriously use the excuse of not having a basic food item.

After over an hour and 15 minutes waiting for our 2 fish & chips, I went to the kitchen to enquire what was happening. The waiter was standing in the doorway hanging on the frame chatting to the cook. He pointed to a plate with a fish & chips on but no mushy peas. "There's one of them". He told me. When I asked where the other was, he told me that would be cooked next. I asked why two meals that are exactly the same have to be cooked separately. He fobbed me off with "the fish were stuck together".

My Mother received her meal 5 minutes later, and I received mine a further 15 minutes later; 90 minutes after it had been ordered.

A short while later, after we had finished our meals, a middle aged female member of staff was talking to several members of the group, giving all kinds of excuses for the problems they had had with lunchtime "service". I had my back to the lady and was sat the furthest away, about 3 full table lengths away, so I thought it best I turn round and stand up in order to say something. Having stood up, before I had even said a single word, the lady said "you're being confrontational". I replied "I haven't said anything yet!" She replied "but you're very big and I find you confrontational". I told her I couldn't help being 6'5" tall with a large frame. I also said I felt it necessary to stand up because she wouldn't have heard me from where I was sitting, and I had to correct what she was saying. She told me she had witnesses that I had made her upset and she walked away to have a cry. I have more than 12 ladies and gentlemen who will support my side of the story.

As I told the other beared waiter; waiting 90 minutes between ordering a meal and having it served is totally unacceptable. They knew there would be a delay, so should have given me a realistic estimate time of service when I ordered.

Whatever the reasons/excuses are:

Short staffed Small kitchen Lack of basic food items

It is very bad not to advise customers there will be a long delay for food service.

The fact the pub received a list of meals in advance, should have enabled most of the meals to be prepared and served faster than normal.

Apart from our group, there really weren't many other customers in the pub when we arrived between 12:45 and 1pm.

The service, behaviour and attitude of the staff at the Ewe & Lamb, Dunstable is the poorest I've witnessed in this pub ever. It will be a long time before I enter, let alone order food from what has been my local for the past 35 years.

I'm sure none of the other members of our group will be returning to the Ewe & Lamb anytime this...

myself and my family, have been long term customers of this pub for many ,many years ( from when it was first a pub ) , we have had many a birthday meal , Christmas meal , our late grandmother and grandfathers wake have been held here . Over the years we have been loyal locals and always thought of our local pub first in any of our family plans ..... until recently... we had a table booked and confirmed for our elderly fathers birthday on new year's eve afternoon, the ewe and lamb a couple of days later cancelled, explaining that the person that booked it has left & shouldn't have, as its a big booking and they can't accommodate for this on such a day .... we understood this , and reduced the numbers and booked online at similar times separate tables ( the tables were free ) We followed the bookings with a phone call to the ewe and lamb said we were fine with being served as separate tables , and not all at once ( all that matters to us is to make a nice day for our father ) . The lady at the ewe and lamb was happy ,and said see you all tomorrow.... we offered to pay a deposit ( she said it wasn't needed ). Tonight at 9 pm ( the night before) we all get an email cancelling our bookings! We rang the pub again only to be told the manager that cancelled them has gone home & although it was 2 minutes after our tables got cancelled, the tables are all full ! This is very unprofessional and as a family we feel very let down by the ewe and lamb ! I understand this is a busy time of year , but we have never had this problem at any point throughout the years ! And at no point have we asked for special treatment, They have ruined my father's birthday, the same customer & family that have stuck by you for years ! Rest assured we will no longer be visiting or recommending the ewe and...

Probably the most arrogant pub landlord I'm the world. I had the displeasure of being humiliated in from of my 14 year old and 19 year old my him tonight while watching a game of football and enjoying drinks with friends. After being told by one of the staff that we had to leave as the law dictated that no kids allowed after 9 I politely informed her that her interpretation of the law was not correct as that only applied to unaccompanied kids and even then this only applies between midnight and 5 am. The landlord approched me and told me I had to leave within 5 minutes or he would come and take my soft drink away. I found his lack of understanding of the licencing laws together with his attitude quite disturbing. I an a holder of a person licence myself and know for a fact that the fuse clearly states what I asserted to him. This landlord clearly, either doesn't know what he is doing and lacking in interpersonal skills, or just downright rude. The manner with which he approached and spoke down to me was so unbelievably unprofessional. I am even justified in my belief that he is racist. I am a regular at the pub and have been for over 5 year in the time since he has been landlord I find he has kept his distance from me. Now I feel I know why. He spoils an otherwise well refitted pub. As the local brand ambassador of the Green King chain of pubs, this landlord is doing little in representing the brand in...