Frankie & Benny's - Bristol Airport — Restaurant in England

Frankie and Benny's, Bristol Airport - A "meh" experience at best

We recently visited Frankie and Benny's at Bristol Airport while waiting for our flight. With the airport lounge full, we opted to spend our time and money here.

What can I say? It's what we've all come to expect from both UK service and captive audiences at airports.

The lowdown: Value for Money: The prices are hiked for what you get, so it doesn't offer value for money. Service: Non-existent. While the staff were friendly, they were going through the motions and offering nothing more than an "Oh, sorry, we're really busy." You're working in an airport; of course, it's going to have busy periods. Stop using it as an excuse and staff up appropriately! Staffing: Every person we encountered was probably under 25. Now, I don't have an issue with that, but they need someone with experience to help organise the chaos. Asking a young person to deal with often tired, stressed, and time-strapped customers just isn't fair. Speed of Service: You have to remember everyone at an airport is on the clock; they have a flight to catch. Speed of service should be paramount. We waited about 10 minutes to be seated (there were only 4 people in front of us). When we finally sat down, we waited another 25 minutes to be served, and that was only after a small group arrived and immediately called the waitress over to take their drinks order. Perhaps it was my fault for waiting and being polite, but if they weren't going to take our order, they should have explained. Food: Finally, with orders taken, we waited. When our food finally arrived, it did so separately and not together, my daughter's meal a full 10 minutes after mine. In the end, we had to start eating before hers came to ensure we had time. From entry to serving her meal was almost a full hour. Thankfully we had enough time. The food wasn't great, but it was what you'd expect from a chain - mass-processed, mass-produced, no love or care, just a means to an end.

Save some of that money and grab a BK from next door.

Overall: Disappointing. Frankie and Benny's at Bristol Airport needs to seriously up its game if it wants to compete with other airport dining options.

Possible improvements: Increase staffing levels, especially during peak times. Provide more experienced staff to manage and train younger employees. Focus on faster service to accommodate travelers' time constraints. Consider reviewing pricing to better reflect the quality of food...

Made the mistake of visiting this restaurant (Frankie & Bennys in Bristol Airport) on the 22nd of May and to say it was awful is an understatement.

We chose F&B over other eateries as we wanted some nice food and cocktails to start our holiday, and from past experience knew it was usually of good standard.

We joined the queue and after 20 minutes of being ignored by several staff members who had walked past the entrance, my partner went in to use the public toilet which is situated in the middle of the restaurant, and on their way back asked one staff member if someone was able to come and seat people as the queue was growing.

Eventually the same staff member who seemed to be doing all the serving on her own came and started seating people.

We opted to order through the QR system rather than wait further time for a staff member, and soon established that there were literally NO cocktails being served at all! The one thing we had really wanted to start off our holiday. Time was ticking, so we opted for a rhubarb gin and ginger ale (that's what was advertised), but on selecting this option, we were then asked to select a tonic as well at an extra cost, so clearly false advertising.

Drinks came about 5-10 mins later via a very miserable gentleman and we waited for our food. After 15 mins, my partner could see burgers lining up on the kitchen counter (we had ordered a burger each), but no server's were going near and just walking past them.10 further minutes later, they were still stacking up, so we asked a staff member who was merrily folding napkins at the entrance what was happening as our boarding time was drawing close. She went up to the kitchen and retrieved our burgers from the six now standing there and delivered them. By the time they arrived they weren't very warm but we were so hungry and had only 10 minutes before we needed to get to our gate, so ate what we could before making a hasty retreat. Absolutely awful service from start to finish which cost over £60 for the two...

Ah, where do I even begin to review the culinary virtuoso, Ethan, at Frankie and Benny's? Well, let me set the stage. Imagine being serenaded by Nicki Minaj's greatest hits while being served by a waiter who probably dreams in technicolor rhymes. Yes, that's Ethan for you.

First off, let's talk about the ambiance. It's like stepping into a rap battle where spaghetti and meatballs are the weapons of choice. Ethan doesn't just serve food; he curates an experience. Picture this: you're halfway through your pasta and suddenly you hear, "I'm feelin' myself, I'm feelin' myself," as Ethan saunters past your table, effortlessly balancing three plates of lasagna. It's like dinner and a show, except the show is Ethan's one-man Nicki Minaj tribute act.

Now, onto the service. Ethan doesn't just take your order; he elevates it to an art form. Need extra cheese on your pizza? No problem, Ethan will sprinkle it on like he's casting a spell. Want your drink refilled? He'll do it with a flourish, probably while dropping a Nicki Minaj lyric that somehow fits the situation perfectly. It's like having a personal waiter and hype man all in one.

But let's not forget the pièce de résistance: Ethan's love for Nicki Minaj. It's like he's taken the phrase "superfan" and cranked it up to eleven. You mention Nicki Minaj once, and suddenly Ethan's eyes light up like he's just been handed the keys to the kingdom. He'll regale you with tales of every concert he's been to, every lyric he knows by heart, and probably even his dreams of one day duetting with her on 'Super Bass'.

So, if you're looking for a dining experience that's equal parts delicious and delightfully absurd, look no further than Ethan at Frankie and Benny's. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself leaving with a newfound appreciation for Nicki Minaj and a sudden craving...