Marks & Spencer Cafe — Restaurant in England

M&S Handforth Dean. Cheshire

Sadly, not a good lunch experience yesterday. Admittedly it was around 12.20 and busy as might be expected. We had to wait 5mins or so to use the new electronic order system, not because of a lack of machines but a shortage of tables.

Our order for 2 x jacket potatoes took 40mins and was barely warm when it finally arrived. We asked a member of staff if the potatoes could be heated up and she took the plates away. Approximately 10 minutes later she returned and apologised for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, the food was as tepid as the previous ones. Neither of the potatoes were warm enough to melt either the cheese or butter toppings. We couldn’t face another lengthy wait, so ate what we could and left.

A family of 3 seated close by actually had a worse experience. They waited in vain for an hour for their meals, which never actually arrived. They too gave up and went to request a refund. Isn’t it enough to accept that the meal portions have shrunk and the prices have increased without enduring such poor customer service?

I don’t mind the technology changes but I question the design of the service model. Waiting-on staff seem to be constantly hurrying back and forth inefficiently. Not their fault, they have only the one tray. They deliver the meals but if seasonings or sauces are requested, they have to return to the kitchen and then back again to the customer. If hot drinks are ordered with your meal, these arrive separately via someone else. I felt really sorry for the waiting-on staff, who were extremely busy and working as fast as they could. Come on M&S, you...

New M&S cafe. Handforth Dean. Well it looks nice. You have to order from a screen and pay then wait for your order to be brought to your table. Works ok but heard people complaining about the wait. We were lucky. Staff on the shop floor ridiculous. Clearing a table one pot at a time. No wiping then when it’s done all of the crumbs swept onto the chairs. The young workers have no idea what they’re doing. Walking up and down carrying one item when the tables are stacked and need clearing. Asking them a question defeats them. 🤷‍♀️ Not sure I’ll bother...

We have never liked the main cafe in M&S Handforth Dean, as there is no natural light and have always used the smaller cafe which used to be next to the food hall. It used to be nice to sit and look out of the windows, especially on a sunny day.

When we visited M&S last week to do our weekly shop, we decided to try the refurbished cafe for breakfast. However, as soon as we saw the new touch screen ordering system, we decided to have breakfast in John Lewis instead.

They might as well have just installed a row of automatic vending machines. NOT...