Founder's Hall — Restaurant in Manchester

I previous left a 5* review (summarised below) but reposting a review following our second visit here, and giving a very generous 4* because a) I like local breweries which prioritise good beer and b) I'm hoping they'll take this feedback on board and improve.

My first review said:

The beer selection is impressive (see photo for an idea), with various strength lagers, a whole host of regular casks and a few interesting kegs

The food was okay (we had pies). Unremarkable, but fine.

Friendly service and staff

I finished by saying we'd come back for Sunday roast, which we did last week. And it's probably the worst roast dinner we've had, certainly in Manchester.

First of all, it wasn't a roast. We had the 'roast' beef and 'roast' chicken. The beef was braised. It wasn't a joint of beef. It was falling apart, and not in a melt-in-the-mouth way. It was tough, bland and not a fantastic few slices of perfectly cooked roast beef. The chicken was just a couple of breasts which seemed to be chargrilled. No thigh, no leg. I don't know how they prepare their Sunday lunches, but I'd be surprised if it's anything other than pre-prepared bagged meat which is then cooked in some way. It was not a roast dinner.

The veg was fine. Standard mixed veg. Overcooked, a bit watery. The potatoes were bigged up as roasted in duck fat. They were just average. The yorkshires were big and not the worst we've had, but pretty close to certain that they weren't actually made in the kitchen.

We got the shared roast platter for two, and it was just a pretty messy big plate of food. Not very generous portions for two people, and really really underwhelming.

And not cheap! The prices are comparable to other half decent indy Sunday lunch places: Home is 5 minutes away, tons better and they charge the same price. The Marble Arch is way better and is pretty much the same price. 10 Tib Lane is only a couple of quid more and miles better. All of them serve a genuine roast dinner, prepared from scratch and roasted on site.

A real shame, as this pub has been done out to be a half-decent gastropub. The beer selection and quality matches that description, and I genuinely hope it does well as good cask in city centre isn't very common. But the food is not up to scratch and I hope they quickly rectify it, get a proper head chef in and give them the resources and control to put on a proper independent menu that's actually prepared and...

I have posted this 4 times on TripAdvisor. Dutton's must be paying someone to remove these reviews. I would be embarrassed too. Please note I will not give up. I want people to know the truth. Here is my review again. TripAdvisor it is time to stop removing honest reviews from people who clearly are high level contributors

I went to Duttons with my family from the US. We spend £185 and won't be doing that again. I reserved a table a week before our visit with a very nice young bartender who in front of me entered the reservation in the planner. Upon arrival we ware approached by the manager of this restaurant. He was a total joke. I informed him that we have a reservation. He said that he knows nothing about it. He blamed his staff member for not writing it down in his planner. Easy way out for a manager, blame the staff. Terrible. Since then everything went downhill. The waitress had no smile at all and the Manager was watching our table like a hawk. I have never felt this uncomfortable at a restaurant.

I also went to meet a friend who was unable to find the place and I used the nice big glass front door. When I got back with her I heard that we are not permitted to use this door as it is an emergency exit. I was shocked as someone who is a General Manager of a hotel I know that fire regulations require you to clearly mark all emergency exits. This was not the case here. This door had no markings at all. The food was OK but nothing special. There is better places to eat in Manchester. I recommend Miller & Carter.

As someone who holds a degree in hospitality management and someone who has been working in this industry for 17 years in US and in UK I was shocked at the extremely poor service we received. The manager should clearly not be a manager and the staff members need better training in hospitality and maybe a course in smiling.

The restaurant should also follow fire regulations for their patrons safety.

I will never recommend this place to any of my friends nor will I ever recommend this restaurant to any of my hotel guests.

Take my advice and don't waste your time and money for an experience you will...

We popped in here after a recommendation from a friend. The eldest wanted decent pub grub, and this place was suggested. On arrival, the atmosphere was pleasant, not too overcrowded, and a decent amount of seating available. When trying to find meals for the Children, we found there wasn't a children's menu, but on asking at the till, found that they did kids sausage and mash, kids burger meal, kids fish fingers and kids veggie nuggets. When ordering at the bar, the staff member was very polite and happy to chat. We did have to move tables due to flies buzzing around us in the corner, but this wasn't because of anything in particular. The food was delicious, decent enough price considering it in the city centre and a Friday night. The only downside was that after receiving our food, we weren't checked on again to make sure we were happy with the food. Overall, it was a good meal, good atmosphere, and fair price, I probably wouldn't name it a family-friendly pub, though, due to the lack of a...