The Broughton Inn — Restaurant in Preston

Review of The Broughton Inn, Preston – A Decline in Standards Having previously visited The Broughton Inn over a year ago, I was eager to return, given that my last experience was outstanding. At that time, the venue was thriving—fully booked, requiring advance reservations, and offering exceptional food and service.

However, my most recent visit on Sunday, March 2, 2025, was a stark contrast. The once-vibrant atmosphere was missing, and the overall experience suggested a lack of care and attention from the current management and staff.

The alarm bells rang the moment I arrived. The original smoking area, which once served as a well-maintained and inviting space to unwind with a drink, looked completely neglected. It was unkempt, unset up, and gave the immediate impression that no one cared about the venue’s presentation—both inside and out. This lack of attention to detail was a recurring theme throughout my visit, highlighting clear management issues that need to be addressed.

Despite being overstaffed, the venue was nearly empty. Service was impersonal—menus were simply placed on the table without introduction, and there was no mention of specials or dessert options. Basic hospitality standards, such as regular toilet checks and attentive customer engagement, appeared to have been overlooked entirely.

The food quality was particularly disappointing. A Sunday lunch that once stood out as exceptional was now below average, yet prices remained unchanged. The Yorkshire puddings were frozen and poorly reheated, the vegetables were soggy, and the overall meal lacked the quality that once made this venue stand out. It’s clear that the attention to detail and care in food preparation has drastically declined. The current chefs seem indifferent, with little regard for presentation or quality.

Beyond the food, what truly made The Broughton Inn special was the warm, inviting atmosphere. It used to be a pleasure walking in to the comforting glow of a fire, accompanied by background music that created a welcoming environment. This time, however, there was neither a fire nor any music playing, leaving the space feeling cold and lifeless. The charm that once made this pub a destination has vanished, and it’s difficult to understand what has happened to cause such a decline.

Even the finer touches that once elevated the dining experience have been removed. Gone are the stylish designer plates that once added to the restaurant’s premium feel—now, food is served on standard, uninspired plates, further diminishing the overall experience. It’s a small but telling detail that reflects a broader issue: cost-cutting at the expense of customer satisfaction.

When I expressed my concerns while paying the bill, the response from staff was indifferent. My comments about the decline in food quality were met with a shrug, and a casual remark between staff members indicated they were unaware of how the venue had been run before.

The most concerning aspect is that the restaurant is charging premium prices while delivering subpar food and service. Without urgent improvements, this venue risks losing its customer base entirely.

Final Thoughts The Broughton Inn was once a standout venue in Preston, offering not just great food but a warm and inviting experience. Unfortunately, based on my recent visit, it is no longer delivering on either front.

I sincerely hope someone from the higher management team takes note of this review and makes the necessary changes to restore The Broughton Inn to its former glory. The location has great potential, but unless the right steps are taken, it risks becoming yet...

We had heard really good things about the Brighton Inn. We decided to try it and have a family festive menu meal.

Well... We should have taken the hint when we tried to get onto the pub via the carpark. Only one of the double outside doors was open and the opposite door open on the internal double doors... With a pram this was quite a difficult obstacle.

Once entering it was quite busy with no clear direction of where the restaurant park of the pub was. Some kind pub goers directed us and we were met with a young girl who directed us to our table. The room looked lovely with exposed beams and quite a lot of room on our table.

We were left with the menus and asked about drinks. Well ordered our drinks and decided to go for a 2 course set price festive meal for me and the wife and 2 children's meals for the kids.

I ordered the steak with a supplement attached and the cauliflower cheese addition. My wife ordered the pork dinner. The kids ordered a chicken burger and chicken nuggets with beans. Quite quickly we were told there were no beans so we went for chips instead.

About 3 or 4 minutes later we were told there was no cauliflower cheese. Then they came back and told us there were no more pork dinners available(we went to the pub early). Eventually they 'found' an extra pork dinner... We waited and eventually our food came out. It looked appetising and at first glance ok. Until my daughter looked at her dinner and realised it wasn't what was ordered. They realised immediately on letting them know and placed the order again. In the meantime we gave her some of her sister's to allow her to eat something whilst we were eating.

On cutting into steak it transpired that the cut of steak was of very poor quality (raging tbh as the price was high to start with) there was approx an inch of unrendered fat through the whole steak and hard gristle like marbling. The chips were obviously frozen chips deep fried.

My wife quite liked hers but thought it too wasn't quite worthy of the cost. About 5 or 6 minutes into us eating my daughter's meal turned up.

We all finished our meals (figuratively) and we ordered the crème brulé for our second course, I joked with the waitress, providing there were any left... Low and behold there were no crème brulé left.... Until they found 2... Not sure what is going on but overall it was a really poor dining experience and to say we couldn't all eat at the same time, had 5 items not available from the menu which we originally chose, it really was one of the worst meals we've ever had and quite expensive for what we...

29th December 2023 On this occasion, it was a mixed experience. We met friends at 5pm for drinks. Table already booked for 8pm to dine. The bar was busy and the tables were full of dirty glasses. We were invited to share a long table with another party so I made two trips to the bar with about sixteen empty glasses so we had space to put new drinks down. It was great to see the place so busy as it's our only local. My husband and his mates are regulars every Friday night and often on other days too.

Unfortunately on this particular visit there was no draught beer and no cold white wine. The reason for no hand-pulled beer was “The manager is cleaning the lines”. Yes really!!! Tea-time on December 29th whilst the pub and restaurant were heaving… It gets better!!! “The manager was still cleaning the lines over one hour later”.

My husband and his friends drank Guinness, not their drink of choice but they’re gentlemen and forgiving chaps. Apparently Howard who had arrived before us ordered a pint of cask beer and when he expressed his dismay at the timing of the line-cleaning was told, “if you don’t like it you can go somewhere else”.

When I found my Chardonnay to be quite warm, I went to the bar and asked the young man if there was any “cold” white wine, he mauled my glass and said “it’s been in the fridge”, I replied “yes but it’s not cold”, he offered to put some ice in it. I didn’t really want ice in my wine, it’s supposed to be served nicely chilled without the need for ice to water it down. To my surprise the barman offered to sell me a whole bottle of wine (presumably with a bucket of ice). I opted for ice and a dash of soda in my warm wine. Thinking ahead I asked if there were any other bottles of Chardonnay in the fridge so that I might be able to have a glass of my favourite wine with a meal later on. The barman could offer no assurance, to be fair he seemed a little out of his depth, some further training will resolve this in the future. I attempted to discuss my experience with Johnny the restaurant manager when he came to our table later in the evening, he was uninterested, unapologetic and simply said, “We’ve been busy”. The food was ok, not fine dining but enjoyable and served to a good standard as we’ve come to expect from the Broughton Inn. I still feel disappointed by the shoddy attitude of certain members of staff on that evening.

In the absence of an alternative within walking distance from our homes we will continue to spend our money there but with less enthusiasm than before and my current opinion of the management...