Nando's Watford - High Street — Restaurant in Watford

I have been going to Nandos ever since the first one opened in Finsbury park, ive always loved it, so much so that when we moved to watford to have children this would always be the place we have every family celebration. For the last 15 years ive been going to this branch so Ive seen the high level of staff turn over, but for a while now they have had a manager called Monika (short lady with blondeish hair), she is rude, always has a face like thunder & NOT welcoming at all & doesnt make it a very enjoyable place to come any longer and definatly not the type of service ive been used to for years from Nandos staff and definatly not in this branch. I've been coming here so long and so oftern Ive seen a huge change in the staff moral and how they are treated. Ive whitnessed Monika shout and scream at staff without even considering the customers or the enviroment that she is in. Ive never seen a Managers treat their staff like this EVER, they always used to respect their staff. Ive whitnessed Monika not only shout and swear at staff members (innfront of customers) but also shout and tell custoers to get out if something is incorrect that she didnt like and not the customers fault. My last straw was 1 day I went to the toilet (you have to pass the back door, which is diectly next to the kitchen) the back door was open, as I walked passed I saw rats running around I reported it to the manager on shift (Monika), for fear of them running into the resturant and even contaminating the food. She turned at said "well do you see the rats in here?" I said no, she shurgged picked up some dished and said, "so whats your problem then" and continued to walk off to serve the tables, I told her that she is very rude, this was a health a safety risk and she needs to sort it out.At that point she looked me in my eyes and said "listen, the rats have been here many years now & im far to busy to worry about that, I expkained to her that I will be reporting her to enviromental health, again she said "i dont care" and walked off, after that I just had to leave and even though I had just paid £60 for me and my kids to eat, I vowed I would never return to this branch again. I have some friends that still cometimes go in their for their food, I have advised them to record her at work. Ive decided to start using the branch att the bottom of the high street (even though its inconvenient) becuase this is the Nandos enviromment that im used to. I do think an investigation needs to be done on the staff's mental health for the way they are treated by her. Just to say for all the time ive been going here all the rest of the staff are amazing, they know theircustomers by name. AND PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE RATS!!!! BECUASE YOUR MONIKA DOESNT CARE.

Please note this is not a reflection on the other staff members/Team, they have always been great, hence why ive been coming...

Phoned ahead to ask if they could accommodate 14 of us for a work do. They said that’d be fine as it was a Monday which tends to be quiet so we won’t have to book. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was a different story.

Kitty (said she was the manager but wasn’t in uniform which I find an odd way to lead by example) was unhelpful and didn’t believe that we had made this call. She was unwilling to shuffle some tables together in their rather empty establishment for us. We offered the suggestion of just a few at the back as we could see there was space, but we were quickly advised this wasn’t possible. Thankfully, they put their heads together and came to the same solution we’d suggested 30 minutes prior and shuffled the tables together at the back where there was space.

Once sat the man who ‘hosted’ us was amazing! Great enthusiasm and there to help us throughout. Really gutted we didn’t get his name. Another man who took our long food order was also really helpful and actually a great laugh. What a shining example to their management of how customer interaction should be done, you can always learn from your employees✨

Other than the mishap of forgetting an order entirely (our host apologised profusely and gave a free portion of chips), it was overall… alright. Probably will go somewhere...

During my recent visit to Nando’s Watford High Street, I had an inquiry regarding the NHS discount policy. As I didn’t have my physical NHS card on me but my partner had hers, I asked if I could still receive the discount. Manager Tamas responded politely and professionally, explaining that he couldn’t allow it due to Nando’s policy and guidelines from upper management.

While I understood and respected the policy, the unfortunate part of the experience was how Tamas ended the conversation. After delivering his explanation, he abruptly walked off, which came across as rude and dismissive. Up until that point, his courtesy and professionalism were commendable, but the manner in which he concluded the interaction regrettably overshadowed the positive aspects of our exchange.

This may seem like a small matter, but customers should expect 100% courteous service in all situations. Ending conversations on a polite and respectful note is crucial, especially when addressing inquiries or concerns.

I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as it’s intended purely for future reference to help improve communication and ensure all customers leave with a positive impression. Thank you, Tamas, for your initial professionalism—I encourage further attention to the closing moments of customer...