The Olde House Tearooms — Restaurant in South Staffordshire

I'm so sorry to put a negative review but I do think its good for people to have honest reviews for all sorts of things to help them decide whether to visit or not. We love a Saturday lunch out, it's our thing. Found this place online, looking to add another cafe to our list. The reviews online looked great and we were sold by the pictures of homemade cakes. When we arrived and stood in the doorway, we realised it wasn't really for us but having been spotted by the staff didn't feel like walking back out. We were shown to a table. The decor is going for shabby chic but as my husband said there is a difference between shabby chic and shabby (🙈 I'm so sorry to be harsh, but it was our honest opinion). It is very dated. Plug extension leads above us on display, very plastic looking flowers in pots, a strange glass spray bottle on the table with the condiments (I've no idea what that was but it smelt perfumey!?) Hoping the food would make up for it we ordered a tuna mayo sandwich, a bacon, Brie and Cranberry panini and a pulled ham sandwich, with 2 lattes and a can of coke. The food came out and one positive was it was nice and hot. However, my husband said the ham sandwich was quite tasteless, my son said the tuna sandwich tasted funny (I think we may well have realised after its because there was no mayo mixed in with it) and my panini was not great. The panini was the thinnest I have ever seen and a bit over toasted. It literally snapped like a crisp on biting into it because it was only as thin as a crisp! The side salad accompanying the sandwiches was quite nice though. We didn't really enjoy the coffees but then maybe that's just personal taste on that one as we don't like it too strong. After lunch we decided against the cake which had been one of our main reasons for trying here, paid and left. I'm afraid its not one we will be adding to our list of places to revisit.

EDIT - review edit following owners reply. I'm afraid your response was made in upset and anger. My review wasa little scathing but I will repeat it was an honest review. I leave reviews quite regularly and always leave good ones where due. Can I suggest that, if you don't wish to receive a negative review, just don't seek out reviews at all. You have to be able to take the good with the bad. You are quite right, you have many good reviews., great. Our experience however was not great and I should have just as much right to share that experience as anyone else. You of course are able to respond however you choose too but, a bit of advice for you too, if you want to try to turn around a customers poor experience, maybe don't go on the defensive on a public forum. You will now never have the opportunity to turn around that negative review into a positive...

We decided to visit today after seeing the amazing cakes shown on their Facebook page! we were very much looking forward to some yummy cakes and drinks, only to sadly be let down, I ordered a frappe, which arrived room temperature and no ice in sight, it was given to me as a milkshake? when I ask them to please changed it they just added large whole ice cubes? And it was overly sweet. The brownie slice was massive, two people could easily share one, it was spoilt by an extremely thick layer of caramel, I had one spoon ful and just couldn't eat it (this is a first for me has I have a sweet tooth) my sister managed 3/4 of it, and my daughter couldn't eat hers. The display cabinet for the cakes was empty apart from a few brownie slices and small wedges of carrot cake and lemon cake. Milkshakes were ok, and iced tea was fine. So spent £35 for 5 people, we definitely left more than we ate. won't be making a return visit! nor would I recommend to anyone.2 star is all out visit was worth Such a shame, we had high hopes for this place. Update:- I know u replied saying I could have asked for my frappe to be redone, I did and it still wasn't a frappe! It came back a milkshake with ice cubes in? Also my 2 star rating was not only because the brownie was ridiculously sweet, but the cakes were nothing special, we didn't finish one cake we ordered. the drink was incorrect even when given the chance to correct it, also over sweet. but the lack of choice. We didn't order menu items maybe they are better. The ones we saw looked nice. Your Facebook page sets expectations and unfortunately today this did not live up to ours. I have offered my honest review, sadly we were equally a family popping out for a treat, but I came away wishing I hadn't wasted my money. I support many small local business, but sadly today yours fell short, if u advertise amazing cakes and choice, that's what you need to maintain. Throwing comments like we are a family business and we were away with our children isn't a good enough excuse. Hopefully you can take my comment with our being offended and use it to motivate yourselves to meet standards expected. I wish you all the best with...

Having previously visited here with a friend, I decided it would be nice to celebrate my birthday and take my family. We tried to book online but the request was, that if it was for the same day, to phone which we did. We were told that they weren't taking any bookings for today, it was just walk in. So we made the forty mile round journey to be told, by a very sassy youngster, that they were full. I asked if we could return at some point and the response was a shrug of the shoulders and '20 minutes?'. This was fine, we went for a walk and returned in 20 minutes to find that there was now a spare table and it was being given to someone who had just walked in. (I should have hung about in the doorway and ignored the looks from the staff!) Another young girl asked if we were wanting a table as they were only available if you had booked. I explained that I had tried to book but had been told that it was only walk in. She was apologetic and to be honest, the young girls that were working were doing an amazing job with the amount of pressure they were under. However, some of the staff need to lose their attitudes and if you're fully booked, say so if people ring to book. It will save them a wasted journey and you a negative review.

In respect of your reply: I think the basis of my one star is that I wasn't made aware that you wouldn't be able to cope with the customers that you were going to receive. I cannot rate you any higher than that as I didn't get to experience the food, service or atmosphere! I wasn't told that you were fully booked, I was told that you weren't taking bookings for today, it was just walk in. I agree, travelling such a distance without trying to book wouldn't be advisable, that's why I phoned in the morning. The difference of you saying you are fully booked for today and saying that you are walk in today meant that I did travel that far without a booking because I was led to believe that there wouldn't be an issue with you catering...