Really not amused tbh. My family has actually had an issue here every time we have gone here. Was letting it go as it’s our local park, realising that people are human, and really didn’t want to be constantly moaning. Today was kind of the last straw for me when they let me know that customers aren’t appreciated at all.
We are in the park daily, so we are often either in this cafe, the shop, or the little cafe around the side for at least a drink.
We have only been in the little cafe around the side by the laundrette maybe twice, as the place is actually filthy, covered in dog hair, and stinks of dog. Also, I think I noticed wet, old dog toys in the cafe as well. So we have tried to avoid this one. Usually it’s pretty empty, with no customers, and you have to ring a bell for staff to come serve you.
Today we weren’t actually meant to be coming here for food due to past service and allergies.
We brought our own food to the park. However, there is no shelter, and my neurodivergent son has a really big issue with wasps, and they weren’t leaving him alone. We tried to go into this little cafe round the side, which, as I’ve said, we don’t like attending, in the hope that he could finish his sandwich in peace. We were actually away to order drinks too. We weren’t just going to be sitting there with nothing from the cafe. I did look for signs to see if there was anything saying we couldn’t do this, and I couldn’t see any! Was hoping that this would have been alright, given the amount of money we spend on a weekly basis.
We sat down and noticed one member looking at us. For him to disappear, and then another member of staff to come out & ask if she could help us. We asked to order drinks for her to then disappear & for another member of staff to appear & ask us to leave because we were sitting there with food. There was one other customer in the cafe. I don’t think we needed three members of staff to make a big scene like this. I have social anxiety, & I was made to feel uncomfortable. Surely we could have finished, which would have taken two minutes, & we were ordering drinks! It’s not like they were going to lose out on any money, although they have now. They have lost the order we placed, & my family won't be back to any of the three places owned by them. She said something about insurance. It’s quite odd they don’t allow this but don’t have an issue with you getting dog hair in your food. I left without saying anything. Tried to sit outside again, where my son ended up distraught, crying & panicking so badly that we had to leave the park. How hard is it for people to care about others?! Honestly?!
Another time we were there, my partner was given an out-of-date drink.
There was also a time that we came for lunch & I asked what gluten-free options I could have, & the member of staff that served us really had no idea & came back with the weirdest response, where it was clear she had no idea, leaving me confused still with not knowing what to order. I didn’t enjoy my lunch this day, which was a gluten-free sandwich that cost over £8. The same day my partner ended up getting a mouldy bun with his burger. They really should not have charged him for his meal at all, but they charged him half price. Quite frankly, the bad service we received this day was from the same person who came and asked if we were alright, took our order, and then got someone else to come ask us to leave today. She seems to be a common issue.
After this experience, on our next visit, my partner & I didn’t want to order any food. The mould & constant out-of-date things really put us off. I also didn’t want the experience of not knowing what to order again due to my allergies. It isn’t just gluten anymore; I’m also allergic to dairy & other things. Going by their menu. They cannot accommodate me. We did order a kids meal for my son, sat and had a drink while he ate. He had a sandwich with crisps, which we did check. However, he only got half a sandwich.
As I said, after today & with the build up of bad experiences, we...
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