The Italian Orchard — Restaurant in Preston

First impressions were very good. The venue looked impressive both from outside and when we entered. The grounds looked meticulously maintained. Huge car park but little surprised to see no designated disabled-bays.

The bar area where we waited to be seating was splendid. We were asked for our drinks order by one server. A different server brought them over then another took our order. We had decided to order from the lunch time special menu. 2 courses £21.90. 3 courses £26.90. Served noon till 4pm. An impressive range of choices for starters and mains. I went with Salt and Pepper whitebait to start followed by Breaded Potato Fish cakes. My brother opted for a Pizza Diavola, topped with spicy salami.

We were taken through to be seated and, like I said, it looked very impressive. Unfortunately looks aren’t everything. I was served my starter by another member of staff. Presentation looked good but it was bland. No kick like I was expecting from the salt and pepper and the anchovy and caper mayonnaise it came with was equally bland. Then yet another member of staff cleared my finished plate.

Mains quickly followed served by yet another different member of staff. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The portion was tiny. Two small fish cakes served on salad leaves. The serving of salad I got was almost identical to that which came with my starter. A few leaves, one piece of tomato, one slice of cucumber. This could easily have been a starter based on the portion size. My brothers pizza didn’t look impressive either. Toppings were quite sparse and it was far from spicy.

Yet another person came to clear our plates. He asked how everything was. I expressed my disappointment and he did say he would pass it on. To his credit he did and a member of management did come over. I may have misunderstood but my recollection of the conversation was that we had ordered from a set lunch menu. If we had gone a la carte the serving would have been larger. In my opinion £26.90 isn’t the cheapest set lunch I have had and after 3 courses I would expect to be full.

We ordered from the dessert menu. Both of us opting for the Homemade Apple Crumble with crème anglaise. Finally got something we enjoyed but again served by yet another person. The dish was crammed with apples and very tasty.

To finish we asked for two cappuccinos and the bill. The coffees arrived in the smallest cups I had ever seen cappuccino served in. Served by someone different again. Sugar rationing was in operation here as we got one sachet of white sugar each. The coffee was pretty good though.

Our bill said our server was Abbie. No it wasn’t. Since entering the building we had dealt with at least ten different members of staff. That to me doesn’t represent good service and the paltry tip we left reflected that. To top it off the payment was collected by yet another different member of staff. Not only were we served by a ridiculous number of staff other things reflected on the service. No one asked us while we were eating if everything was alright. Unused cutlery was left on the table. My brothers empty pint glass removed but no follow up asking if he wanted another drink. You expect better in an establishment such as this.

In summary a massive disappointment.The venue, both inside and out, is impressive and this probably led us to expect much better food and service. It’s unlikely we would go back. There are other Italian restaurants within a similar distance for us which offer superior food, better service and greater...

Sadly, this experience has left me feeling rather deflated considering it was meant to be a special occasion for my son being 21...

The initial welcome, the amazing building, the friendly staff, the utterly delicious food, the range of food on the menu... all top notch! Can't criticise one bit. (Well, apart from the teeny tiny portions of veg.)

Started with Garlic Bread with Tomato between us which was delicious and so moreish. I could've happily eaten this all night! We then chose Lamb Shank, Chicken Diane, Steak Diane and a Chicken Mexicana which were all absolutely divine, cooked to perfection, piping hot and every morsel was eaten.

One of the reasons I've given such a low score was the veg, or lack of any! We had one or two tiny florets of broccoli, two or three slices of carrots and some of us got a couple of mange tout!!!! I eat loads of veg with my meal and I had two men with me! Come on, a whole broccoli only costs about £2 each and a whole bag of carrots even less - to give two slices of carrots on a dinner plate is rather mean, don't you agree? Delicious, yes, but embarrassingly and so obviously cutting costs.

Panettone, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Coffees rounded off a wonderful meal but I was really glad to leave that miserable table!

That's the other reason I scored so low because we were placed more or less on our own, with a bunch of long, empty tables in a room upstairs, completely void of any atmosphere.

When my Mum booked the table she asked if they did a special cake service (they don't do this anymore), so she was obviously reserving a table for a special occasion.

She specifically booked The Italian Orchard as a special occasion for a 21 year old, because it was a young and lively restaurant with super modern décor, lots going on... However, it felt like we were in a posh café seated upstairs, as it was drab, old-fashioned, far too quiet, no music, nothing, just rows of long, empty tables. Mum tried to organise to at least have a candle or something but no joy with that. Really, really disappointing.

When your downstairs in the main restaurant this place is magical and buzzing. The food and staff are amazing. Upstairs is a different place completely, but still with delicious food.

Sadly, it's left me feeling totally underwhelmed tonight, so I’m not bothered about going back, unlike a couple of months ago when Mum and I had such a lovely experience so brought my son here tonight... I wish they'd just said they were...

I generally don’t write reviews, but the experience my friend and I had on Sunday, 7th September at around 3:30pm was deeply upsetting and I feel compelled to share it.

We entered the restaurant and ordered drinks while sitting in the corridor. A waiter named Richard approached us for a food order. I explained politely that I only wanted a vegetable soup as I was on a diet and couldn’t have a full meal. His reaction was extremely unprofessional — his facial expressions, frustrated tone, and dismissive attitude made us feel unwelcome. He stated that the restaurant does not allow customers to sit with only drinks and soup, adding that it was their “policy,” though nowhere is this mentioned for customers to know in advance. While we respect a restaurant’s policy, the way it was communicated was rude, disrespectful, and hurtful.

Things became worse when, shortly after, another staff member came over and without asking took away my half-finished drink. When I objected, he coldly responded that he was “taking it to the table.” No courtesy, no apology, no basic respect. At that point, we decided not to continue with our order and returned the glass, letting them know we were unhappy with the service. Instead of showing concern, Richard simply demanded payment.

Throughout this, Richard continued speaking in a harsh tone and whispering negatively to his colleagues in Italian. The whole interaction felt disrespectful, discriminatory, and dismissive of customers. I have lived in this country for 15 years and never experienced such poor service in a restaurant.

To be clear — this is not about money. We could easily have spent £500 on a table if we wished. The point is about respect and customer care, both of which were completely lacking. Policies are understandable, but the tone, attitude, and lack of courtesy shown by Richard and his colleagues left us shocked and hurt.

This was by far the worst dining experience I have had in the UK, and unfortunately it has left us with a very negative impression of...