Penderel's Oak - JD Wetherspoon — Restaurant in London

A Little affordable gem in the middle of Holborn. It's a shame they don't have more outdoor space. Every square foot in the heart of the west end premium priced. The small garden is charmingly decked with hanging baskets. Inside there are framed prints which become more eccentric the nearer you are to the cellar area where the main toilets are. There is an outer door section which gives it the flavour of a gentlemans club. I was genuinely shocked when l entered the ladies to see enormous fancy gilt edged mirrors behind the sinks and on the wall ! You cannot avoid yourself. Normally not a fan of being over exposed but thought these were clean, crisp and lifted the rather tired appearance of the upstairs seated sections. I definitely dislike patterned carpets and it's never good to let customers see into the kitchen and your clearance bins unless they are state of the art designer ones. Needs must l suppose. Usual Wetherspoon beers, lagers and ciders on draught. Cocktails in abundance. My group seemed to favour the zombie over th blue lagoon. Food menu has enough choice with inclusive drinks options where soft drinks can be swopped for hot ones. Some mistakes were made with my burger and a friend's food. Both were remedied with minimum fuss. A good place for a Sunday afternoon...

I went with my friends two weeks ago. I will say based on my experience of over 30 years in London not every great pub starts out perfect but you can often feel when one has genuine potential. It’s more than just a good pint or a cheap menu. A pub with promise gives you that gut feeling that, with the right care and attention, it could become a local favourite. Here’s what to look out for in the attitude of a manager as well as staff when asking for service, cutlers, condiments, just about any reasonable requests:

Manager at 1-5pm Marks out of 10:6%

Lead with Kindness and Presence A manager should always set the tone — welcoming every guest with a warm smile, calm tone, and attentive body language. People remember how they were treated more than what they ordered. A respectful and present manager makes guests feel valued.

Ask happy customers to leave reviews, and celebrate them with your team.

Staff will mirror management. A manager should train, support, and positively reinforce good service practices. Encouraging teamwork and respectful communication fosters a more relaxed, customer-friendly...

This particular weatherspoons, Penderel Oak, used to be really nice and inviting before the pandemic with very decent prices for food and drink. We visited on 1/3/23 around 6pm and was surprised how tacky it has become. It was packed and uncomfortable with no lower bar open to ease the congestion and where as before it had business types and felt pleasant, now it seems to pander to the student footfall and in my opinion has suffered in consequence. Prices still competitive for expensive London but portions a whole lot smaller for higher price and in my case surprisingly arrived minus the baked beans!! A poor basic mistake though they did apologize and eventually the beans followed on at least before I had finished my sausages and ten chips. Wifes pasta dish Alfredo was bland too unfortunately unlike our previous visit when the same dish was cooked perfectly and we complimented the cook at the time. Staff work very hard though and are polite, respectful and efficient and obviously do their best and I have no complaint regarding them but overall we was left feeling disappointed and left promptly...