Nando's Bristol - Cribbs Venue — Restaurant in England

I booked a table for 12 of us to visit this Nandos as a group. When we got there, we were given an 8 seated table together and then a 4 seated table behind, completely separate. I said I wasn't happy as we had booked for a table of 12 to be sat together, not seperaratly. This was sorted and the server moved a couple, which they were happy to do, from the end table so the table could join the 8 seated table. We ordered drinks, all fine. We ordered the food and it took a long time for the food to come out, we understand it was a big order, but a lot of the food was sat under the heat light for ages as we could clearly see it. When the food arrived, it came out in dribs and drabs, the corn was dry and hard, the mashed potato had a skin on it, which wasn't eaten, and the garlic bread was rock hard. Not once during our meal did anyone come over to check on us or to check our food was okay. At the end, we stacked our plates up in the middle of the table ready to be taken, so we could make room for dessert, and the waitress walked passed the table at least 3 times without clearing the plates, even though she was cleaning the tables around us, and not doing anything that could stop her from clearing some of the plates, in the end we decided the service was so poor, we'd go and get dessert elsewhere. This isn't the first time we have had bad service from this store and I don't think we will return again. Very dissatisfied. Staff were...

Really rude staff.

We arrived and asked for a table of 2, to which we were told that we would have to wait 25 minutes. The staff member said we could not wait there, but we could go elsewhere and get a drink. We did just that and ordered a drink at another restaurant nearby.

About 5 minutes after being told we would need to wait 25 minutes, I got a text to say that the table was ready. Well, I had just bought a drink, so I was not going to rush off. If you are told 25 minutes, you assume it will be 25 minutes.

20 minutes after booking the table, I got a call from Nandos and the staff member was extremely confrontational and she demanded to know why we were not present. I explained that we had been told it would be 25 minutes and we went to get a drink. I explained that we were on our way and then hung up.

Upon arrival at Nando’s, the same staff member started to have a go at me for hanging up?! I told you we were on our way, what else do you want…

She had already given the table away, which is fair enough as they were busy, but she continued to argue, so we decided to leave.

Clearly, they don’t pay much care to customer service as long as they will have bums in seats regardless. Being busy, a nice problem to have, but it is no excuse for being so aggressive and confrontational. So...

Generally a Nando’s fan and often eat at the Bristol Cabbot Circus branch. However, we ate the the cribs venue restaurant this evening and were, frankly, appalled:

The waitress was unable to take a simple order and make three mistakes at the outset. We waited over 30 mins for food but were not told about the wait at the outset and missed our film. The tea we ordered at the outset was completely forgotten by said waitress and arrived an hour late, after another reminder from us, on a chipped cup, with old lettuce on the saucer. I sent it back. The restaurant was in a disgusting state - there were flies flying around our table - in Mid January! On leaving the restaurant I looked into the kitchen area - the floor was strewn with rubbish and the state of the kitchen was beyond gross - stacked food and saucers, open jars everywhere - the staff were not even nearly cleaning up after themselves and there was nobody holding them to account on food safety and hygiene – lots of loitering by young staff members giggling and little or no professionalism. There was also litter all over the restaurant floor.

Had a health and safety inspector been there this evening I suspect it would have received a rating 1 out of 5 - they really need to tighten up the management...