Hickory's - Rhos-on-Sea — Restaurant in Great Britain

Over rated, over expensive and over mucked about food. No wonder America has one of the world's biggest obesity problems. When we arrived a staff member told us she would be back in a moment never to be seen again and another person simply said "hi, you alright" and just carried on walking. Not the best of starts on our first visit to this place. No amount of gimmicks such as putting a bottle of tap water on the table and serving a "complimentary" paper bag of rather stale tasting popcorn will improve overall ambience! The 7.5% service tip/charity donation is a bit of a cheek - they describe it as "discretionary" but something that is imposed and requires an opt out leaves limited customer choice. This places the customer in the embarrassing situation of having to publicly request a fresh bill if they don't agree with the amount. It is also dishonest to not make it clear what amount is supposed to go to charity and what to the staff. If the company were paying their staff properly there is no need to impose any form of service charge especially based on the overall price of food and drink. However, I am totally in favour of charitable donations but I have standing orders and automatic bank transfers set up from my income - I don't need someone telling me who I should support and how much I should be giving. A visit to gents toilet was something to be missed if possible - clearly some type of drainage problem based on the smell and not exactly pristine cleanliness. Overall a rather disappointing lunchtime treat for what everyone kept telling me was a special birthday and at the age of 70 I really don't need this type of nonsense.

Edit: it is always very sad that the only way to dent the arrogance of this type of chain is to give them a damning review - all of a sudden they provide an answer that makes them sound so reasonable and ask you to reach out to them! Where was the supervision and training when it was needed? I will contact their email address and find out what bribery they...

Lovely prominent setting in Rhos on Sea. The establishment was in keeping with the chains theme. My son and I hadn't booked, just turning up on the off chance a table for two was available. The young lady was pleasant and promised us a table after about ten minutes. We had a drink at the bar, chatting to the friendly bar staff. As promised, we were shown to the table within 10 minutes. Our waitress, as seems consistent, was very friendly, despite my sometimes annoying attempts at humour. My son had a rump steak while I had a brisket sub. His steak was cooked perfectly and was devoured in seconds. My sub, while tasty, was a little disappointing. There was only one slice of meat and the brioche sub was somewhat small. While I could not fault the taste, when you factor in the cost, the value for money was a let down. The coleslaw side was minimal, and what was served, was both in the container and hanging over the sides. Which was poor presentation. Given the fact, that the place was bursting with customers, both inside and out, and that the people were getting fed without a riot, was very commendable. I would put the success of this place down to atmosphere, friendliness of staff, and management who's ethos must be one of teamwork. I gave a 3 star rating purely on the low value for money. However, this may be corporate tactics, that customers will be forced to order extras at additional cost. This however, may have an adverse outcome, as is true in my case, that people will not want to return because of it. What a shame that profit exceeds customer satisfaction. I think I've said it all. No need for a prompt for dialogue. P.s. The added service charge is a good idea. The young lady said I could remove it, but I said no. I was relieved in a way, as the smallest cash I had was £20 note. She was good but not that good. I keep that twenty to buy flowers for my wife when I've done...

A 4.5 star establishment. Meets Equality Act accessibility for wheelchair users in a roundabout fashion. Not all parts of the restaurant are wheelchair accessible. The disabled toilet does not meet Building Code part M for Health & Safety because it is missing am emergency pull cord.

Drip-priced meals are the order which means that your £13.50 steak ends up costing another £3-£7 extra for sides regularly offered inclusive for £15 at similar restaurants. A medium-rare steak arrives as medium. Customer service was below average on a quiet Sunday evening.

Food quality was excellent of very sparse on options for sides. If you don't like fries... tough. They are very good fries and I generally despise eating them: an exception to the rule.

Decor is dated Americano with lacklustre performance except at the bar where tenders are ☆☆☆☆☆ masters of variety and taste which saves the place from 3 star mundanity. If they lose their best staff, I cannot see this place keeping its reputation for long. The manager (pictured with a guest) is a fanatic about grilled meat which is why the food is good. Outdoor service was ☆☆. My dog offers me his bone now frequently than waitrons check on your satisfaction... and I don't have a dog.

I hope that the chain do not make the mistake of renovating the place since its current decor matches the local environs. Changing that would put the wind up the locals who keep it open year round. If a quality restaurant opened up nearby, I strongly suspect Hickory's would become a Hick's joint.

Parking: what parking? Stick your blue badge up and hope no parking warden tickets you. Double yellow lines and steep walkways with many levels of steps. Most of the inside is step free with a wheelchair lift.

I will try the Wolverhampton...