The Lopes Arms — Restaurant in South Hams

We visited the Lopes Arms for a Christmas meal today. We had pre-ordered our meals at least 3 weeks in advance. When the food was being brought out, I kindly reminded one of the waitresses my meal was no gravy (as per my pre-order). She said ok no worries.

Another waitress brought my meal, covered in gravy. I managed to flag down a waitress and she took the meal away. Again, she did not tell me at this point, no gravy was not an option.

The manager Lou came back out with my food, meat still in gravy (clearly moved from the previous plate) and new veg. She said something about it being cooked in gravy, that's the way it comes and walked away.

I called over the original waitress to explain that I felt like I'd been lied to, due to the inconsistencies in communication and that they clearly didn't want to cut off some fresh meat, that I wouldn't eat it as it was and would eat just the veg on the plate. Again, it was not reinforced by any other staff who were in and out of the kitchen that the meat was cooked in gravy and that no gravy wasn't an option.

Following this, the manager, Lou, walked up to the table and abruptly said ' I hear you're not happy with your meal'. In a quite argumentative manner, she continued to tell me how they definitely cook the meat in the gravy. Not once did she apologise, or offer an alterative.

-Why was I not informed weeks ago when I pre-ordered that I couldn't have no gravy If the meat was cooked in gravy... why was I not told this the first time I mentioned i'd requested no gravy or the second time the originally took the plate back into the kitchen If gravy is the only option and their lack of communication lead to the mistake, why was I not offered an alternative ( I therefore took the meat home for me dogs). Sorry is not difficult.

Overall, the remainder of the staff were lovely, and attentive, but the manager Lou was abrupt, rude and had very poor customer service skills. Very...

For years, I've been a patron of this establishment, but my tolerance for their service has finally been exhausted. My recent visit was particularly appalling, with the highlight being a plate of chicken that was as dry as the Sahara and as overcooked as charcoal. When I brought this culinary disaster to the staff's attention, I was met with shrugs and the unhelpful information that no one in charge was available to address my concerns.||The situation deteriorated further when I received a call from the manager the next day. Instead of the expected courtesy, I was subjected to a dismissive attitude, where the manager parroted their chef's unfounded assurance that the food was satisfactory, based on their longstanding employment. There was a complete lack of remorse or any gesture of goodwill, like a refund or a future discount – not that such offerings would have repaired the damage. To add insult to injury, I was bluntly advised to take my business elsewhere if I wasn't content.||As a loyal customer for so many years, it's disheartening to realize that my patronage was insignificant to them. It's a sad conclusion to my relationship with a local spot that I once frequented, but it's clear they no longer value customer satisfaction or the community's support. They've not just lost a dish that day, but a faithful...

For years, I've been a patron of this establishment, but my tolerance for their service has finally been exhausted. My recent visit was particularly appalling, with the highlight being a plate of chicken that was as dry as the Sahara and as overcooked as charcoal. When I brought this culinary disaster to the staff's attention, I was met with shrugs and the unhelpful information that no one in charge was available to address my concerns.||The situation deteriorated further when I received a call from the manager the next day. Instead of the expected courtesy, I was subjected to a dismissive attitude, where the manager parroted their chef's unfounded assurance that the food was satisfactory, based on their longstanding employment. There was a complete lack of remorse or any gesture of goodwill, like a refund or a future discount – not that such offerings would have repaired the damage. To add insult to injury, I was bluntly advised to take my business elsewhere if I wasn't content.||As a loyal customer for so many years, it's disheartening to realize that my patronage was insignificant to them. It's a sad conclusion to my relationship with a local spot that I once frequented, but it's clear they no longer value customer satisfaction or the community's support. They've not just lost a dish that day, but a faithful...