Malt Shovel — Restaurant in Wakefield

Probably the worst experience I have had at any pub ever! My wife dropped myself and my one year old Cocker Spaniel off there on the way to the gym. First thing that I saw when entering was a sign saying " No Dogs On The Grass" which I thought was strange. Anyway, I went into the bar with my dog and ordered a pint of Moretti (£5.40), and asked for the menu. The barmaid said you need to get a table first with a table number in order for me to order food. I said, I cant sit at the tables, which are on the grass where I can't take my dog. She said you can sit under cover on the patio. I replied, I didn't want to sit there, I wanted to be in the lovely warm sunshine with the dog, seeing as it's beautiful and well over 20 degrees today. She said I can sit at a grotty old table on the gravel at the side of the pub in a very grotty area. I suppose i'd no choice really. On sitting there reluctantly, I realised there was no table number on it so ordering any food went right out of the window. Oh well I suppose I saved an extortionate £9.50 for a sandwich! Whilst at the bar, I asked why dogs were not allowed on the grass. The barmaids reply was, to ptotect the children. I said "what children, it's midweek, they're all at school" to which she replied, it's just the rules. I said the children would be in the other playground section anyway so it wouldn't affect them. She replied, well they have to go past the tables to get there. I was gobsmacked! In todays climate, where pubs are shutting left, right and centre, I would have thought any custom would be welcome but no, not at the Malt Shovel, not if you have a dog. I only wanted to sit in the garden, not in the restaurant! This whole episode has left me sad and angry and I for one will never go...

Just visited the malt shovel today for the first time, absolutely disgusting behaviour from the manager. After arriving and queuing for a long time to order food and drinks with a friend and two toddlers we were told when we got to the front of the queue that they had stopped serving food at 3pm. It was 3.02pm. We explained that the kids were hungry and myself (pregnant) needed to eat, the girl who was serving us told us there was a McDonald’s at the bottom of the toad if we were desperate. We ordered drinks and went back to the play area and decided that one of us would go collect a McDonald’s for the kids as they were starving and we were under the impression it was allowed as we were outside and the girl server had said it was ok. I returned with food and within 10 mins of the kids sitting down eating the manager come running over all guns blazing screaming at us saying how dare we bring food in when they provide food. We explained that we had queued for food and was turned away at 3.02 and that the girl serving us told us to go to McDonald’s, the manager kept screaming at us on front of everyone saying we were lying and that we had to leave. The kids were crying from her behaviour and I said to her your making the kids cry to which she replied ‘not my problem’ I told her the way she had come over screaming was out of order and she continued to scream- ‘leave!’ I told her we wouldn’t be returning as the whole customer service that day was absolutely disgusting to which she replied ‘good!’ Would not recommend this place at all and will not be...

The pub has a sign in the door window stating 'dog friendly'. We went into the beer garden and I went to the bar to order food and drinks and I advised we would be eating in the beer garden. The server asked me to go outside and come back in with a table number despite us being the only customers in the beer garden. The food was brought out and the server said that dogs are not allowed in the beer garden, however that we could stay in the beer garden until we had finished our food. I asked the server for condiments, these were not brought out and we had to go inside to ask as the food was now cold. A second server arrived to clear some plates, whilst we were finishing the one drink we bought. This server again told me that dogs are not allowed in the beer garden, I advised that the previous server had stated the same, however the sign on the front door says 'dog friendly' and there is no sign saying 'no dogs in beer garden'. I said we were leaving and would not be back due to the poor and rude service. The server then told me 'you should have moved as soon as you finished eating'. They had only just come out to ask if we had finished as soon as we had eaten the last mouthful! I said I would not have ordered and paid if I was aware they are this unfriendly to dogs and the sign needs removing from the door. Rude staff! Poor service! AVOID! Apparently dogs are bad for the beer garden grass, however a plethora of cigarette butts in the...