Miller & Carter Stevenage — Restaurant in Stevenage

Formal Complaint – Poor Experience at Miller & Carter Stevenage

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to formally express our deep dissatisfaction following an extremely disappointing experience at your Stevenage branch of Miller & Carter. We visited the restaurant recently and left feeling not only frustrated and undervalued as customers, but also extremely disheartened by the treatment we received from your management staff—specifically from a manager named Pedro.

To begin with, we spent a total of 2 hours and 3 minutes in your restaurant, and a significant portion of that time was spent simply waiting. We waited over 20 minutes just to order a drink, which set the tone for the remainder of what can only be described as a sluggish, disorganised, and frankly unprofessional service experience.

One of the most disappointing and upsetting parts of the visit came when we attempted to use a Blue Light Card—a small token of appreciation that many restaurants and services across the country honour to show gratitude for the work of NHS staff and emergency service providers. The individual who presented the card works at Lister Hospital in Stevenage, specifically within the cancer centre, a role that should be held in the highest regard.

However, Manager Pedro outright refused to accept the Blue Light Card because the cardholder did not have their staff lanyard at that moment. We were taken aback—not only because the cardholder was indeed a legitimate and active NHS worker—but also because Pedro was shown a video that clearly displayed the individual working within the hospital, wearing their uniform and carrying out their role. Still, he coldly rejected this as proof, insisting that the lanyard was the only acceptable form of verification.

We find this not only to be outrageously insensitive and dismissive, but also a serious invasion of privacy. The cardholder should never have had to resort to showing personal footage from within a hospital setting to prove their employment. That this evidence was disregarded anyway, and with no compassion, shows a shocking lack of respect and understanding. The Blue Light Card is only eligible to a relatively small section of the population who dedicate their lives to serving others—and to see that service disrespected so bluntly by your management team is frankly appalling.

To make matters worse, the food we were served was utterly substandard. We ordered our steaks cooked medium rare, and what was brought to the table was, by any standard, practically raw. The level of undercooking was unacceptable, and it made the already disappointing experience feel even worse.

The only positive part of the evening came from our waitress, who, as always, was an absolute bundle of joy. She has served us on multiple occasions and has never been anything short of polite, friendly, and attentive. We cannot praise her enough—she is a credit to your team and the only reason we’ve continued to return in the past.

Unfortunately, despite her stellar service, the overall experience was completely overshadowed by Pedro’s dismissive attitude, the long wait times, the refusal to honour a well-deserved Blue Light Card, and the poor quality of the food.

We have enjoyed dining at Miller & Carter in the past, but after this experience, we are now seriously reconsidering any future visits. We expected a higher standard from your restaurant and staff, especially for a venue that prides itself on quality service and customer care.

We would appreciate a full investigation into this incident and a formal response to this complaint. We also hope you take the necessary steps to ensure that no other customers—or NHS workers—are treated in such a disheartening and disrespectful way in the...

Just come back from a meal at the new millers and carter's stevenage. The restaurant looks great was very much looking forward to it. As the last night in stevenage seeing family before we head back to Cambridgeshire. When came in we was full of hope. Sat down ordered the waitress was nice. Had cocktails which was nice. Abit of a wait but was nice. Food came. I ordered the lamb and dauphinoise potatoes. When it came the lamb was very fatty and very bland and no flavour at all. Then someone came over with dauphinoise potatoes as they said they forgot this and they was very under cooked. My family had the dirty burger and rib eye and sirloin. They said was lovely but over priced. When told the waitress about the lamb ( which I left) she said she told the chefs. ( who apparently ring a bell when they get the steaks right). Nothing more was mentioned about the lamb not even an offer to take it of the bill. The atmosphere was not great. Staff racing around like they was very over whelmed and rushing. Ordered dessert which was OK. And still no mention of the lamb. Asked for the bill and lamb was on it mentioned again to the waitress and she said again she had told them but the chef did not seem bothered. For people who ring a bell and cheer when they get thier steaks right and a place which is on the high end of the price I would expect a chef should be able to cook a lamb steak some rosemary some garlic etc. Would very much have second thoughts about retuning maybe after 9 months or so when they have found...

We came to M&C Stevenage for Mother’s Day, booked for 5.30pm. We were told our table wasn’t quite ready so we sat near the bar but after about 15 minutes I went to ask if our table was ready and was told it would be very soon. As I returned to my seat, I think it may have been the manager who came over to apologise to us for the delay and to our surprise she offered us all free drinks as we had waited for a little while. That was a very welcome surprise and extremely good customer service. We were then shown to our table and were served by Mel, who was so welcoming and pleasant. We all felt really looked after by her. The food was amazing - I had the harissa and garlic king prawns for a starter and they were absolutely delicious. We did wait a little while between starters and mains but the atmosphere was great and we were relaxed with our drinks! We had the sharing board and every morsel was mouthwatering - the chicken, lamb and steak cooked to perfection with very tasty sides and gravy in abundance! This was my first time at the Stevenage restaurant and I will definitely be coming again! I rang the bell to show our appreciation to the chefs! As we left to go to our car, Mel came out looking for me in the car park as I’d dropped some things out of my handbag and she handed them to me - what a lovely lady - thank you for...