Kings Arms — Restaurant in England

On the outside, it appears to be an unusual establishment that is renowned for being "the pub that floods." Regrettably, that is about all there is to it. A "pub that floods" is bound to attract tourists from all over, but be warned, it is NOT SAFE for anyone, especially tourists.

The interior, as mentioned, is unconventional and appears to be reminiscent of the 70s. While I appreciate the establishment's unique character, I must express my concerns regarding the atmosphere, service, and strict and outdated "digital-free zone" regulations.

The atmosphere was completely ruined by the absence of any ambient background noise (i.e., music or TVs). The loud and boisterous behaviour of the bar workers and patrons, who seemed to be on friendly terms with the staff, created an awkward and uncomfortable environment. It was the only noise you could hear in the pub. Overhearing their multiple conversations, particularly one that mentioned "Jimmy Savile," was unsettling, strange, and quite alarming.

The service provided was absolutely poor, as the bar staff showed impolite behaviour and were more focused on their personal conversations than on providing excellent customer service. The beer was nothing to shout about, to be honest.

The final and most concerning issue was the outdated and restrictive rules. After conducting some research, as it was such a peculiar and restrictive set of rules, I discovered that Samuel Smith Pubs are "digitally free." In this modern era, it is unreasonable to expect patrons to refrain from using their phones or accessing Wi-Fi, as they may need to contact loved ones or even take their minds off things. My mother, with whom I was having a drink before the Ghost Walk Tour, was reprimanded and shamed for using her phone, even though it was on silent mode and she was in the middle of a text conversation with her husband. The barman and his associates then chose to further embarrass her by stating, "If you do not put your phone away, you will have to buy drinks for everyone." The entire conversation was rude and quite aggressive while he stated his demands. This behaviour was not only inappropriate but also disrespectful toward an adult for simply using their phone. What is even more perplexing is the fact that while we were prohibited from using our phones, we were permitted to use them for payment purposes. Surely this doesn't make sense? Additionally, there were a few other individuals using their phones, but they were not reprimanded, which suggests that this rule is selectively enforced as a means of bullying or targeting certain individuals. The barman chose to target a larger group for using their phones, and they were forced to apologise. Furthermore, there is a rule against 'swearing', yet the bar staff and their close patrons use profanity without any consequences whatsoever.

I must say, in all honesty, that this pub left a rather unpleasant impression on us. The service was lacking, the rules seemed unreasonable and aggressive, and the ambience was uncomfortable overall. If you are a tourist or anyone considering a visit, I would kindly advise you to reconsider your choice and avoid it at all costs. Instead, visit a pub or Wetherspoons where they allow their patrons to do what they want respectfully because, after all, we are in the...

So.... where to begin, when we first arrived we were greeted with a smile from one member of staff and kind of a grunt from the other like they couldnt be bothered with it being more busy than it already was, but what do you expect to happen when its 27 degrees outside and you have a riverside bar, anyways moving on, we were aware that there are certain rules in the bar that are unusual but quirky, one of these rules is no mobile phones, tablets/ipads or laptops, which we adhered to until a member of our party needed to double check what time their train was due, to his shock this was met with what can only be described as a verbal assault from the grunting bar man and yes we understood that this was against the rule but maybe a gentle reminder first, but this guy made a big song and dance about it like he was trying to make an example out of him and embarrass him, but what made things worse was he refused to accept our apology and proceeded to keep going on about it to other customers as he was serving them which made our party feel very uncomfortable and forced us to move outside at the next possible opportunity, luckily we managed to get a 2 benches beside eachother to continue our conversations, a few minutes later I went back to the bar to get myself another drink and walk in to see this disgruntled member of staff standing behind the bar with his face buried in his phone, it was at the point I decided this place wasnt worth my money and went back to the benches to let our party know we would be moving on to the next bar, bit of a shame that one member of staff let the whole experience down, maybe some training in customer service...

I went there yesterday and the bartender was incredibly rude and insulting in his attitude towards me because I asked how much a pint was. I was literally there a few weeks ago and prices had risen substantially so I was just curious how much it would be before I paid. I was also told a few weeks ago it was cash only and was surprised when he took out a card machine. He snorted and said yeah we’ve had a card machine since 2003 (or some random faraway year). I said I was here a few weeks ago and it was cheaper and the female bartender said cash only. He went on to insult the female bartender that served me that time, calling her crazy or something to that effect, and continued to be hostile and talk down to me as my friend and I paid for our drinks. 🙄 I’ve been to King’s Arms a few times over the years and it’s always been cash only. Other recent reviews on here have also said that it’s cash only, so I don’t know what that guy’s problem was in lying and gaslighting me.

Me inquiring about the prices of pints or asking when they switched to a card machine doesn’t give him the right to be a c*nt and treating customers poorly, insulting other staff, and lying to me that it was always possible to pay by card.

Maybe he was having a bad day and doesn’t have any friends 🤷🏻‍♀️ But that doesn't give him the right to take his baggage out on me, lie and gaslight me that it’s always been possible to pay by card, or insult his...