Frankie & Benny's — Restaurant in Stafford

Booked a table for 10 people for my sons 6th birthday. At first everything seemed great, the waiters decorated the table as planned and it wasn't overly busy which was nice. As soon as we sat down that's when things started to go downhill. The waiter who served us wasn't that professional and didn't seem to know what he was doing. It took a long time to order the food as he kept getting parts of the order wrong. My son (the birthday boy) was really upset when his starter didn't arrive with the other starters but the servers did try make him feel better.

The main courses decided to come out when the starter plates were still on the table which I wasn't impressed with so we had servers trying to quickly take plates away whilst another putting our main courses down! During the meal, no servers checked to see how the meals were or offer any more drinks and the food didn't taste good at all. My pasta tasted like a microwaved one and the steaks were really dry. My sons pizza was burnt so he didn't eat it. If the servers actually checked our table I would of told them, but they never came so we ended up leaving most of the plates hardly eaten!

Then the server decided to give me the bill whilst we were still eating to say they're closing soon so pay when I'm ready! I was horrified as I wanted them to bring the cake out and for us to have a slice for our pudding. Everything then seemed rushed! No one pre warned me that they were closing else I would of either booked the table at an earlier time or made sure we ate faster! Why accept a large booking at that time when they know they're closing??? When the cake came out it was rushed and felt like people were staring for us to go. They stopped serving at the bar so didn't get a second drink (again, if the servers checked the table whilst we were eating then they could of offered us a second drink!)

The service was terrible and I made my feelings known by refusing to pay the service charge which was automatically added onto the bill! I was appalled by the service and food received and the only discount they gave was to knock the birthday boys starter off the bill as it came late.

Wow, would not recommend going here!! Felt so rushed and no explanation or compensation was given just a quick sorry and that was it.

Completely felt like my sons birthday was ruined 😪

If the manager wants to respond I would be more than happy to hear what...

After booking a table we had to go to the bar before they sat us no issue really, we ordered a strawberry milkshake at the bar they didn’t have it so we ordered a Coca Cola again they didn’t have, once we had sat down we were then walked past multiple times whilst 2 wait staff messed around with 2 cans of pink monster at the hot plate. Lack of service is atrocious young waiter more interested in messing around and disappearing than serving, once we had eventually ordered after asking if we could order. We ordered our food 2 steaks, 1 pasta dish he then went to walk away no would you like any extras yes in fact we would garlic bread it’s really not that difficult to do your job that’s what your being paid for mate we didn’t say it but we thought it. Food came no cutlery again we had to ask for. As we were coming toward the end of our meal great food by the way chefs were clearly in the kitchen extremely busy we were asked if everything was ok with teller food. As we were still eating our food waiter came and cleared our plates. We then continued to wait god only knows why we ordered puds however why should we cut out night short after being at the hospital all day with our hubby/dad who’s about to lose his hands and feet life after sepsis, he’s not long been out of icu do you can imagine how many nights out over the past 6 months we’ve had. A lady who was waiting to order for over 15 minutes had walked due to lack of and another couple that was waiting on for an age as well to order another waitress came over after asking her name (Saskia) absolutely awesome waitress came in from another section to pick up her colleagues slack. I pointed out what was going on and she was straight on it no messing she could not do enough. He then came over twice and asked if everything was good all his focus on was 1 couple forget us as a family and 2 other tables as couples I asked him on both occasions to please move on we’d gone past the point...

Outstanding Service from Ray – Frankie & Benny’s (6th June, 7:30 PM)

We had a fantastic experience at Frankie & Benny’s on the evening of June 6th, and a huge part of that was thanks to our wonderful server, Ray. From the moment we arrived at 7:30 PM, Ray greeted us with such a warm and genuine smile that immediately set the tone for a relaxed and enjoyable evening.

Ray was incredibly attentive without being overbearing — always checking in at just the right times and making sure everything was perfect with our meal. She struck the perfect balance between being professional and personable, and her kind, upbeat energy really stood out. It felt like she truly cared about making sure we had a great time, and that kind of thoughtful service is rare.

She handled our questions and requests with patience and grace, and her recommendations were spot-on. It’s clear she takes real pride in what she does, and that shines through in the way she interacts with guests. Her calm, confident approach made everything feel effortless — even though we know how busy restaurants can get on an evening like that.

Ray is an absolute asset to the Frankie & Benny’s team. Her friendly attitude, attention to detail, and genuine care for customers made our visit feel special. It’s people like Ray who turn a simple meal out into a memorable experience. We left feeling so positive — and she’s a big reason why.

Thank you, Ray — we’ll definitely be back, and we hope to see you...