Robin Hood — Restaurant in Wigan

Sunday 8th December:

As sombody who prefers to compliment or provide "improvement feedback" face-to-face I rarely leave written feedback on public forums; however, on this occasion I feel so strongly about my exemplary experience at the Robin Hood that I find myself compelled to write it down.

The very worst I can hope for: this feedback is passed on to the wonderful Robin Hood staff, and for them to feel assured that they did an amazing job, in a tough industry, at a challenging time of year.

The very best I can hope for: this feedback gives others the confidence to allow them to trust the pub with their time and money.

Here goes:

In an attempt to blow away some of the winter blues I decided to treat my elderly mum to a Sunday meal. Scouring the area near to where she lives I came across the Robin Hood offering a very reasonably priced Sunday Roast, with a good selection of meats and optional sides. A quick Google Maps stalking revealed that the pub had accessible parking right outside the front door; perfect for our circumstances.

Not wanting the inconvenience of arriving to a long wait (or refusal) I rang ahead to book a table. The greeting I received on the phone was pleasant, efficient (but patient) and very accommodating despite it sounding extremely busy. The lady even asked our preference over where we'd like to be seated: in view of the television, in the restaurant with a more formal feel, or in the "snug" area for a quieter experience.

When we arrived 5 minutes before our booking the man behind the bar instantly greeted me with a smile and a chirpy "Hello, it's a table for 2 under {name}, if I'm not wrong?". I was completely flabbergasted that he even had the vision (let alone time and energy) to notice we'd arrived, nevermind be so aware of his booking, and then identify the correct booking without any input from us! Exemplary personalisation which made my mum and I feel instantly at home in the staff's capable (but clearly busy) hands!!

We were shown to our table which was in the "snug" area and delivered precisely what was promised: a warmly lit, comfortably seated ambience within reach of (but not too close to) the bar.

A lady with strawberry blonde hair wearing funky-shaped glasses seated us, showed us the menu, and explained that they'd be back to take our order at the table. She pleasantly asked us if we wanted any drinks while we decided on food, but in a manner that didn't carry "rushed vibes" I've experienced at other establishments - this was genuinely "if you'd like...on your terms...when you're ready" feels. Perfect.

As I spied the tempting selection of liquid gold dispensers I noticed my favourite tipple. A pint of Neck Oil for me, and a cup of tea for my mum.

I wasn't too sure how ordering a cup of tea would be received given how busy the pub was, but when the lady came to take our order she brushed it off as though it was no problem at all - in fact, as though it was my mum's basic human right!

Both my mum and I ordered roast dinners. My mum chose pork, whereas I opted for the trio of meats with a side of cauliflower cheese and extra pigs in blankets.

Now, I'm a bit particular over roast dinners when eating out. I've always felt they're a bit of a letdown - fancy menu pictures of "plated heaven", when in reality they're just a car crash of pulverised, tepid mush. A bit like a ruined orgasm, so to speak. They promise the world and then something about them is just nowhere near "as good as I could do it at home". NOT THIS TIME! I honestly (hand on heart) have never had a roast dinner as wholesome and satisfying as what I inhaled.

The meats were piping hot yet still tender, the veg was cooked to perfection (I HATE soggy veg, this was not), the Yorkshire Pudding was crisp in all the right places, the cauliflower cheese was like no other, and the gravy was absolutely devine. Honestly, if I could (and I'm sure the staff would have arranged it if asked) I would drink that gravy instead of a Neck Oil any day, and that's saying something.

...TO BE...

Great Sunday to big disappointment Tuesday..

Sunday myself and my wife was out walking going around the nearby the entire Pennington flash and we decided to call in and have a drink and a roast dinner, the beer garden where we sat and the pub was pretty busy yet our food was out pretty quickly and the roast dinner was nice we was very happy with our visit.

So today i thought I’d go again with my son after being happy on the previous visit with service and food quality but it was exact opposite, we ordered our meals and there wasn’t anything like the same amount as Sunday it was pretty quiet all the tables around us was empty.

So i order sausage and mash and son goes with the hunter chicken and we order a desert too, the food took ages to arrive and when it does the gravy is loaded with onions yet i didn’t see that mentioned in the gravy on the bar menu but as im hungry i just put it all on a napkin yet even so the food wasn’t anywhere near as nice as the roast even the mash was poor in comparison to one from days previous, chips on my sons food was a lot of smaller end of a bag type stuff.

So we finished our main and await the desert and we are waiting and waiting so it’s gone 20mins after us finishing out main and nothing so i get up ask staff who apologise and say they’ll get it sorted but even then it was over 10mins for it too arrive.

The desert which was a Sticky toffee and my son had the brownie was very nice as was the roast dinner, but the food today wasn’t that good and the time we was in there must’ve been 70mins which for a pretty quiet pub and we eat fairly quickly made it a disappointing visit as we was just sat waiting majority of our visit.

I’d recommend Sunday roast and the deserts yet I’d never go again in the week as the waiting and food wasn’t in the same league as our Sunday visit if my review was based on Sunday it’d be nothing but praise yet today was the opposite so I’ve rated down the middle on my...

I recently dined at the Robin Hood restaurant in Leigh on a Sunday evening at 6pm, and unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired. The poor service and repeated unavailability of Sunday roasts for many other customers were major disappointments that led to an empty atmosphere (many patrons left after finding out that they had no Sunday Roasts’) within the establishment.

The lack of Sunday roasts, apparently happens every week. This recurring issue raises concerns about their management's lack of preparation for the expected number of customers. It's baffling that they haven't addressed this problem, considering the popularity of Sunday roasts among diners.

Furthermore, I was appalled to find only ONE available vegetarian option on that particular day. With the increasing number of people adopting vegetarian diets, it's crucial for restaurants to offer a wider variety of vegetarian dishes to cater to diverse preferences. This lack of options was truly disappointing and again highlights lack of forward thinking by the management. Not to mention the vegetarian options that are listed on the website (including on the Sunday menu) that are not actually available. May I add that NO vegan options were available!

On a positive note, I must admit that the burger (v) and chips I ordered were satisfactory. The quality of the food itself was acceptable. However, the overall experience was marred by poor management decisions and inadequate training of the staff.

The Robin Hood restaurant has the potential to be a great dining destination, but it falls short due to its mismanagement and failure to ensure a consistent level of service. It's evident that a stronger focus on training the staff about the menu and maintaining a standard level of service is required to improve the overall...