The Bolton Arms — Restaurant in England

Incredibly disappointing experience here. Went in with family, young children up to grandparents, for tea. First plus points were that it was nice not to see a sea of masks for a change and it felt like we were back in our normal times. Started off well, order taken politely and swiftly. Starters did take longer than you'd expect but we knew they were busy so did make allowances. The starters were good and very generous. However then it all went down hill. We ordered just after 7pm. At 815pm the waitress (older lady, presumed she was in charge) cleared and asked if we wanted dessert. Explained that we hadn't had mains yet!! She was shocked and quickly cleared and went off. We presumed to get the mains out ASAP. Nothing happened. We asked at the bar to at least bring the children's food out as they were so hungry and it was getting late. Still nothing appeared. Then went to bar again to ask for all the meals. Finally at 840pm mains started to arrive but nothing for the 3 children. We didn't have any cutlery, asked for some. None arrived. Asked again, just 4 sets arrived (7 of us) asked again and got an attitude. Asked where the children's food was, more attitude and told that "it's OK, it's coming" in a short, rude tone. My mother's main meal was missing, chips, onion rings and tomatoes Again told "it's OK" in a tone that said "what's your problem, I've told you it's coming. Finally over the space of 10 minutes, all the food was finally here. I spoke to the waitress and immediately said I know the food being late wasn't her fault but saying repeatedly (she said it 4 or 5 times) that "it's OK, it's coming" isn't helpful. It wasn't OK that our food was so ridiculously late, it wasn't ok that food was missing, that cutlery was missing, that the kids meals were not only even later then all the adult meals but also wrong, it wasn't ok to not have an apolog. It was as if we were an inconvenience to them and should be grateful that food turned up at all. I explained that my husband and I were in hospitality (for a total of nearly 40 years) as are my parents (B&B owners in Leyburn) so we get how hard it is as the waitress, to deal with the mistakes of the kitchen but that a sorry goes a long way. The older waitress shouted across the bar at us to leave the waitress alone and in a very sarcastic tone said that she couldn't be more sorry and what did we want? Free desserts? Then the younger waitress said "I said sorry, jesus Christ!" All completely unnecessary. I have never been so shocked or been so badly treated. We weren't even complaining when we had every right to do so!! My husband spoke to the male manager as we left and the chef who was off duty that day, heard and came over. It was actually he, who helped sort it and actually get us an apology. We will never return, which is a huge shame. Also my parents will tell their B&B customers to avoid it. You really need to retrain your waiting staff and tecah them the importance of customer service. Mistakes happen, things don't always go right, that's OK, but it's how these things are then dealt with. A night was ruined because...

Absolutely love Leyburn. We chose Bolton arms as it's a hot day and we didn't want to leave the dogs in the car - Bolton arms has outdoor seating. We considered sitting in as it turned out the place is dog friendly but it didn't have a nice feel inside, it was noisy and not cosy at all, very much the kind of pub where men go to watch football. So we sat outside as intended, they have seating pods which are great as they have roofs, ideal given that the weather is unpredictable at the moment, and also for keeping our daughter out of the shade. However, the tables of the pods are all covered in black mold, no tablecloths were given to us, not even placemats, so our cutlery was on mold. Not exactly appetising. Also, the road is very very noisy, the Bolton arms could really do with planting a line of conifers at the road part of the Beer garden to muffle the sound a bit and make it seem a bit more private and luxurious. The menu is great, nice and simple food, not fussy, just what we like and what we need with our autistic daughter who will only eat chips, and when the food came it was perfectly cooked - delicious, hence the 3 stars. What ruined the place more than the awful atmosphere in the pub, the road noise, and the moldy outdoor tables was actually the service. One girl who brought us our meal was nice and helpful, however a woman who seemed to be her superior was absolutely awful, moody and rude. We asked her for salt (there was no salt and pepper on tables, you'd think they would give patrons caddys with cutlery, salt pepper etc in them but no, my husband was only given cutlery which he had to carry on his pockets as his hands were full of our drinks!) and she said "haven't you already been asked?!" in a really moody, harsh way, either implying that the nice waitress had been incompetent at her job, or that we had already been asked about dips and I should've mentioned the salt at the time, either way it was rude and unprofessional. The same woman had already been rude with my husband when he went to the bar to order our food and didn't know where he was supposed to stand. Very disappointing. If we come again it will only be because the food was delicious and the menu was simple for our autistic child, we certainly won't come for the hospitality or atmosphere. Don't be fooled by the luxurious exterior of the place, it's no better than a wetherspoons, in fact I'm pretty sure wetherspoons would have given us a caddy of condiments and wouldn't...

Went to yorkshire last week for a holiday, saw this place and thought we would go in for a drink and something to eat. Before we went we called to see if there was any space for a table for 2. As stated on the Web site (to phone and book. To avoid being disappointed). The person that answered the phone sounded very happy(not). Asked quite abruptly "well how long will you be" And just said " well you don't need a booking and to come in through the front door". and basically just hung up the phone. When we arrived they then looked for our booking which did not exist as was told we dident need one. We were told to sit in the beer garden and they would be with us In a minute the meal was lovely and the drink was also good. At the end of out holiday we thought we would give the pub another go cause (why not). We were greated by a lady who said that there was space and if we went and found a table she would be out ASAP. When she brought our drinks we asked if we were able to get a menu, but we left after waiting nearly 30 mins and still no menu. But was serving other customers and taking orders for other people's drinks. Great shame. If you do go and get a menu I recommend the beef burger. But I wish that we had not of bothered with this place at all as none of the staff seem particularly happy to be working there. There are plenty of other places in the area that looked just as good. If we ever came back to that area we won't be going back in there. Got the vibe that they knew I wasn't from the area and seemed to have been treated like it. Sure it wasn't the case but think there customer service skills need a...