Lobster Pot — Restaurant in England

Ate here today for what was intended to be a late lunch (2pm) after a long drive from London. We waited over 1 hour for food. The bread with my food was hard and stale (picture attached) and the waitress got me a knew serving of bread when I asked (thank you) and didn’t appear to be surprised at the request . The bread was hard the way bread gets hard when it’s left out .

Top tips for the managers;

1. please consider whether servers should be letting new patrons into the establishment when staff very likely are aware of a massive backlog and delay in food so that they can make an informed choice about whether they wish to be seated or not

2. Please advise your patrons when there is a backlog/ delay with food and let them know so that they can make an informed choice as to whether to order with you

3. Please provide some background music- this will help patrons not having to hear people at other tables also complaining to each other about the horrendous delays and will at least give patrons something to take their mind off the time

4. If you’re going to be long bringing out food (your reviews suggest this is a consistent theme) then please at least pass out some pens, paper, colouring books to kids (mine were fine but other younger children at other tables were literally climbing up the walls and very hungry)

5. Please get your waiters to ask patrons how the food is and when the bill is asked for to kindly bring it along with a card machine rather than ignoring the customers (I suspect this was a mixture of embarrassment and also staff being rushed off their feet)

6. Please provide water to your guests and at least offer another drink and name the fact that there are servere delays ie; “so sorry there seems to be a backlog with the food would you like to order another drink whilst you wait?”

7. I also wonder - why you have the name Lobster in the title of your establishment when I didn’t seem to see this on the menu? Just a thought- as lobster conjures up images of extravagance and luxury….

You don’t add a service charge to your bills which didn’t give me the satisfaction of asking you to remove it. I expect you probably don’t add a service charge (in London it is added nearly all the time) knowing full well that the service your team provides is not acceptable.

The staff who were serving today- two of them were quite young (early 20s if that) and really it’s not fair on these staff to be serving food in an establishment which is below par where they are likely to get the brunt of customers wrath (I wasn’t rude but can imagine some patrons will be as they get well and truly frustrated and hangry).

Today was our first day and taste (literally ) of Bridlington- onwards and upwards let’s hope and there won’t be a lobster pot in sight!

I hope for other diners who go here, that the service gets better. No one in this day and age should have to go out and have a thoroughly awful time with suboptimal service and food which only just scrapes past acceptable.

The free parking was great and the female toilets were clean and spacious- so if you like toilets and car parks then this...

Stayed here for two nights on a short break to visit RSBP Bempton Cliffs. Certainly won't be booking again. The main issue with the Lobster Pot is the appalling service in the restaurant.

Things didn't start well when the room with double bed for two people confirmed by the Lobster Pot turned out to be a twin with towels for one. The person checking us in offered to sort this out, it's not what you want after a 3 and a half hour journey though. The room itself was comfortable and clean, however it showed signs of needing refurbishment, particularly the bathroom.

Having a restaurant on site was the main reason we chose the Lobster Pot over a B&B. That proved to be a mistake. On the first night we booked a table on spec. We were told the only table available was in the "Dining with Dogs" area, despite a number of tables in the main restaurant remaining empty the whole evening. We waited 40 minutes for the food, one dish was overcooked. This was the sign of worse to come.

Breakfast was stated as starting at 8am on the Sunday and 7am on the Monday. On both days at 8.30, the self service continental breakfast was not yet fully set up. We declined anything cooked on the first day as the staff clearly weren't ready. On the second day we did order hot food, which was overcooked.

Despite the issues with the restaurant on the first evening and morning, we decided to keep a dinner reservation for 7.15pm on the second night. We waited 50 minutes for starters that didn't need cooking, and a further 40 minutes for the main, which again was overcooked. My wife cancelled her main when it became apparent how long it would be, as she can't eat late due to medical reasons. Another table close by waited over 90 minutes for their single course order. We watched as the one waitress spent most of the time going from table to table apologising for the wait time, taking the flak from customers. No sign of "management" out on the floor taking responsibility.

Flagging the wait time to "management" that did appear was met with empty promises and made no difference, even when explaining my wife's issue and later when one dish was cancelled. What did happen was people were served out of sequence, with some arriving after us being served before.

No explanation from anyone for the wait times, such as being short staffed, if that was the reason. The wait times weren't mentioned when we arrived for the booking. With those wait times it was bewildering to see walk-ins being accepted.

The food was refunded after again explaining our displeasure, not that we asked for any deduction. This was little comfort to my wife who had only eaten a small starter. We'd much preferred to have been served all the food within a reasonable time.

Next time we visit Bempton, we will certainly choose somewhere else to...

Positives first: The staff were friendly and helpful and the food was tasty. We booked online, the day before, for 5:30 to 7pm "alfresco dining" on a Sunday. I received an instant automated email acknowledging my booking request which stated it wasn't confirmation of booking. No other communication arrived. We turned up at 5:30 and chose a sheltered spot in the vast, empty, lovely beer garden. Rather than use the QR code as instructed, my husband went in to order our food and was told no food was served outside. However, because we had booked, we were shown to a table indoors. Whilst he was inside, I overheard a family leaving, unable to dine, as the pub was "fully booked". A sign on the door repeated this information. It was not in the least busy and there were several empty tables, some able to seat 6. We were served by a friendly waitress who took our order for drinks and food at the table. Both the sausage and mash and lasagne were very good, although there were no vegetables with the former, but we were disappointed that they had sold out of our initial choice of Sunday roast dinners which looked delicious and dominated the menus. It would have been helpful if we had been told this when we were handed them! After ordering a dessert and coffee, my coffee arrived almost immediately but I had to enquire about his dessert when it hadn't appeared after 25 minutes. I think the waiter had forgotten it because it was then produced straight away. He also took ages to bring the bill to our neighbouring table and then forgot to come back with the card reader so they gave up waiting and paid at the bar. We did the same to avoid another long wait! This would be a lovely place if they could just sort out the booking system - I suspect many of those empty tables were reserved for people who didn't turn up because they thought their booking was unsuccessful due to no confirmation - and make use of the expensively furnished garden. Due to the poor service, we stayed well past our 7pm deadline but no-one else came to claim our table so the booking time slots were clearly pointless. Another diner commented that when she was there before the pub was half empty but claimed to be "fully booked". Perhaps a booked table, for whatever time slot, remains "booked" all day?...