Toby Carvery Chadderton Park — Restaurant in Oldham

Where to start, this place has gone downhill, and sadly it disappointed me and my family beyond comparison today.

Upon arrival, there was a couple in front of us who hadn’t prebooked a table. We stood waiting for over 15 minutes as none of the staff knew how to use the computer. After the couple ahead was told they’d have to wait 1 hour and 30 minutes for a table, the gentleman at the desk made us wait further before even acknowledging our presence. Luckily, we had a table prebooked. When we finally got seen to, he rudely showed us to our table and demanded our drink orders before we had even looked at the menu. He sighed when we asked to see a menu first and told us to shout for our waiter when ready to order and that we would need to walk up to get our food.

When ordering drinks, the younger gentleman didn’t understand what a lager & lime was. He brought us a lager and a glass of lime cordial separately. Basic training should be given so waiters understand common drink orders.

After receiving our drinks, we went to the bar to place our food order of four carveries. The woman behind the bar rudely dismissed us and told us to get our food at the counter and inform our waiter afterward, then walked off mid-sentence. This was not made clear when we were seated.

The food was disappointing. The turkey was somewhat dry, the variety of vegetables was limited, and the bowls were mostly empty with scraps left in them. By the time they replenished, we had already moved on due to the long queues. Most items had cheese on them, which was disappointing for non-cheese lovers, and the Yorkshire puddings were quite oily. Additionally, the "pigs in blankets" were missing their blankets, despite the picture and menu stating otherwise.

The "extra meat" option for the king-size plate was misleading. Both regular and king-size plates had the same amount of meat. It seemed like choosing multiple meats resulted in more slices, but selecting a single meat did not. This inconsistency was frustrating.

There was a lack of basic hygiene among the servers. None wore gloves, and although they used utensils, a gentleman with a large beard stood over the food without a beard net. Staff were also seen picking up utensils with no gloves when changing bowls.

Navigating through the restaurant was difficult due to cramped tables. The table next to us was so close that it seemed like we were seated together.

When we were ready to pay and needed to split one item from the bill, the woman who brought our check couldn’t work out the price of one carvery and stood calculating for a few minutes. When paying the rest, she repeated “and the drinks” three times, seemingly confused or struggling to calculate again. Splitting the bill should not have been that difficult.

Overall, the entire experience was awful. The only saving grace was that the food we did manage to get was nice, other than the dry turkey. However, the staff were rude, unable to take basic drink orders, unable to split a bill, and didn’t follow or show basic hygiene when handling food. Sadly, we will not be visiting again and I highly recommend...

Service:

Reduce wait times for food and drinks. Many customers have complained about long wait times for food and drinks, especially during peak hours. Toby Carvery could improve this by hiring more staff, increasing the efficiency of their kitchen operations, and implementing a better queuing system. Be more attentive to customer needs. Some customers have reported feeling like they are being ignored by staff, or that their requests are not being taken seriously. Toby Carvery could improve this by training their staff to be more customer-oriented and responsive to customer needs. Be more proactive in resolving customer problems. If a customer has a problem with their food or service, Toby Carvery staff should be quick to apologize and offer a solution. Some customers have reported feeling like their complaints are not being taken seriously, or that they have to wait a long time for a resolution. Customer service:

Greet customers promptly and warmly. When customers enter a Toby Carvery restaurant, they should be greeted promptly and warmly by a staff member. This will help to create a positive first impression and make customers feel welcome. Be more friendly and engaging with customers. Toby Carvery staff should be friendly and engaging with customers, and make an effort to get to know them. This will help to create a more relaxed and enjoyable dining experience. Go the extra mile for customers. Toby Carvery staff should go the extra mile for customers, such as helping them to carry their food to their table, or recommending dishes and drinks. This will help to create a memorable and positive dining experience. Food:

Improve the quality of the food. Some customers have reported that the food at Toby Carvery is not of the highest quality. Toby Carvery could improve this by using better quality ingredients, and by cooking the food more carefully. Offer a wider variety of food options. Toby Carvery currently offers a fairly limited menu. They could improve this by offering a wider variety of food options, including more vegetarian and vegan options. Be more transparent about the food preparation process. Some customers have expressed concerns about the food preparation process at Toby Carvery, such as how the meat is cooked and how the food is stored. Toby Carvery could improve this by being more transparent about the food preparation process, and by providing customers with more information about the food they are eating. Hygiene:

Maintain high standards of hygiene throughout the restaurant. Toby Carvery should ensure that the restaurant is clean and tidy at all times, and that all food preparation and handling procedures are carried out hygienically. Have a regular pest control program in place. Toby Carvery should have a regular pest control program in place to prevent pests from entering the restaurant and contaminating the food. Train staff on food hygiene procedures. All Toby Carvery staff should be trained on food hygiene procedures, and should be aware of the importance of maintaining high...

I am in utter disbelief after visiting this establishment this evening. From the moment we arrived at the restaurant we were made to wait for over 5 minutes with no one acknowledging the fact we were there. When we were greeted (if you can call it that) by a member of staff we heard another call JoshyB, we weren’t offered so much as a smile. We had cancelled and rebooked an earlier table prior to arrival. But were told our table was in an hour and 40 (when in actual fact it should’ve only been 20 mins later). When I replied with the time of the booking, “JoshyB” pointed at the table and said that one there. At arrival to the table, I clarified that was the correct table as it had not been wiped or reset. To which he shouted across the restaurant for a cloth. He asked 3 basic questions and put our drinks order through, informing us of our server and they’d be available if we needed anything else. Our server never once came anywhere near our table, seemingly finding something far more important to do just standing round near a service station. Having visited other TC’s we were waiting for someone to confirm that we were just having carvery and didn’t want anything else. After waiting 15 mins we received our glasses and the gentleman that gave us that explained in a polite way we just go up and they’ll sort the bill at the end (something that would be helpful to know when sitting down). At the carvery, the carver was reasonably chatty which was pleasant however, lacked some professionalism with the use of expletives. The veg selection on the carvery was limited particularly with the carrots looking dry and shrivelled. The food was ok at best, by this point the general vibe (I appreciate that you cannot control rowdy patrons of the bar however some choice should be given as to area to sit as if we had children with us their loud conversations would’ve been inappropriate) had ruined my meal and I wanted to leave. Once we had finished, we waited nearly 15 mins for our plates to be cleared and our bill to be offered before having to go to the bar. In this time, we did not see a member of staff in our area and there was barely anyone behind the bar. When we did go to the bar, we still had to wait with no one acknowledging us. Whilst paying, a member of staff (woman with red hair) approached the host stand to greet a guest and turned to the carver, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RESTAURANT and stuck her middle finger up (some words went along with this but I was so shocked I cannot remember exactly what was said). From start to finish the restaurant lacked a welcoming or professional atmosphere. I am by no means expecting fine dining from Toby Carvery, but a bare minimum polite and friendly. I am truly truly disgusted that management are allowing this to happen. Particularly when there are similar reviews recently. AVOID...