March Hare — Restaurant in England

Tricked into paying for food we did not order.

Ordered a tika masala curry. Waiter asked if I wanted rice, or chips, or "rice and chips".

Knowing Marstens staff I ordered ONLY RICE.

The waiter failed to explain that rice AND chips would add a side order to the bill with an extra cost of £3. Sneaky.

The server brought the tikka masala with rice. In the other hand a side of chips. Very sneaky.

I assured the server that I only ordered rice. No chips.

The server dumped the chips on the table anyway, saying "oops my mistake, looks like you're upgraded now" and scurried away out of sight before I had time to think. Again failing to say that by accepting those chips would add an extra £3 to the bill. Very, very sneaky.

This is quite a devious tactic. Twice they tried to trick me into accepting a side I didn't want, and the second time forced into it.

Am I supposed figure out the scam and chase after the server who's now disappeared into the kitchen with a hot side of chips in my hand to physically give it back to them? Or is it up to the server to tell me I will be charged extra and give me the choice?

Went to pay the bill and of course, an extra side of chips had been added. Chips I did not order, chips I did not accept.

I've found that being tricked into adding sides to my bill is a trend at Marstons pubs as the Fox Cub in Spennymoor uses the same tactic.

The Spennymoor Fox Cub always offer "pigs in a blanket" on the Sunday dinner without telling you that accepting pigs in a blanket will come with additional costs because it is a side order. When has there ever been side orders on Sunday dinners? Tiny little pigs in blanket for 3 quid a pop. Madness I know. My face was like Peter Kayes dad over garlic bread.

Until this devious company policy is rectified I won't be stepping in another Marstons pub and will warn everybody about the shady tactics you push your employees into to add additional costs on to peoples bills.

Happens so frequently it leads me to believe that staff are incentivesed to get people to add sides, either by quotas, bonuses or fear from...

This used to be my favourite place, convenient location right on the doorstep, friendly staff and although the prices are vastly inflated to offer two mains for the price of one, when the food was good it was great value.  However, we waited 20 minutes to have our order taken and get some drinks and only because I went over to find a waitress. 10 minutes later had to reselect as they’d ran out of scampi. 50 minutes later our food arrived, mine was like cardboard, overcooked and clay cold whilst my partners was poured on to the table by an inexperienced waitress.  I tried but couldn’t even cut the meat never mind chew it, so after a lot of explaining (that a) my partner had already finished his meal and b) we needed to get back as we’d already been there so long, I agreed to try another steak.  The Manager was lovely, couldn’t apologised enough but as my replacement choice was also stone cold and came on a plate with a mountain of chips, no garnish or colour, she said she’d sort something out if we came to pay at the bar.  We actually ended up paying more than normal and to add insult to injury, I was ill through the night with an upset stomach. Talking to friends and work colleagues afterwards, it appeared ours was not a solo incident, they too had experienced poor service and bad food so were refusing to ever go back. As we reflected on the heftier than normal bill and after-effects, I wrote a polite letter to the manager as she’d been so nice I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt thinking perhaps she’d not realised that we had been charged more. Here we are: several weeks later, absolutely no reply from the manager or Marsden whatsoever and I read more bad reviews of similar experiences, but it’s such a shame as I thought Bishop Auckland Marsden pub was a cut above the others so we used to go every week. Not been...

Great place to visit for quiet drinks during the sun, or, as we did, for early evening meal on a Sunday. With a mixture of pub classics on the menu (including burgers, pastas, salads, pizzas and desserts). When we arrived, it was a lovely Sunday afternoon and a lot of people were sitting outside enjoying the nice weather so it was quite empty inside but this allowed us to find a table straight away and get seated. We were met at our table by Louise who was the colleague who took our drinks order, brought our food and processed our payment. The food was hot, delicious and worth the money (fish, chips and peas for around £12 and a chicken burger with chips for the same) and I would rate it above a lot of the different places we have eaten recently for temperature and quality. It also had the benefit of looking like it did on the menu which is also a positive because you get what you expect. The standout for me, during the visit, was the service we received from Louise (aka "Mini Cheddar") who served us as if we had entered a five start restaurant rather than a family gastropub. Louise was attentive and with us within minutes of sitting down to take our drinks order. Louise also took our food order and brought our food to the table. Throughout our interaction (and those I watched throughout our visit), Louise went above and beyond for the customers she interacted with doing so with a smile, a genuineness and a professionalism that would not look out of place at a silver service restaurant. From her warm welcome and goodbye greeting to her updates on when we would be seen whilst waiting, she is an exemplary member of staff that deserves to be recognised. Both the food and service smashed it out the park this visit and we will definitely be...