Halfway House, Boxback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The local MP is supporting plans to have the closure reversed. We shall see.
|
Nobody will be rushing back.
Novalis, the half-brained charity which bought the place, say that "people who have more knowledge & experience of the trade than anyone would have a right to expect" have tried to run the place at a profit, but to no avail.
Their spokesmadman also said they had tried to make it a place for fine dining. It's a PUB fer chrissakes!
It has been a pub for over 230 years, and you bastards have wrecked it.
Apparently it is to become a community shop and tearooms!
Another one bites the dust.
|
I visited the Halfway House last Sunday, with friends - 4 adults and 3 children under 3 years of age. It took a while to be seated and then to order as the staff seemed to disappear upstairs and when ordering I specifically asked whether the childrens meals could possibly be hurried upa a little as they were v hungry and getting fractious. The young waiter said, " I'll see what I can do".
An hour later, food still hadnt appeared and by now we were almost beyond hunger. When the food did eventually arrive, only the adults meals were served and we had to chase them for the childrens meals!
Another gripe was the apparent serving of the roast dinners , which were from a trolley which was forever going up and down in the lift and one of the staff told me that this was a problem for them in serving food promptly..
All in all I was disapppointed with our visit, the food was good but took far too long to arrive and the staff, whilst friendly, seemed to be wandering around aimlessly with clearly no strong leadership!! I won't be rushing back.
|
This pub now has new ownership and has had a complete refurb. I went there as part of a party of 11 for lunch, and really enjoyed it. The ambience is good, the ale and wines are of excellent quality, and the food fabulous. The staff could not have been more attentive. I would highly recommend this pub.
|
The Halfway House, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire - April 13th 2008
"reviews" eslewhere may have been true for the year 2006/7 - unfortunately the Halfway House is no longer worthy of being included in a review of any places to drink or dine in the Cotswolds.
This last Sunday, having booked a table for 16 (with provision for possibly more or less) the previous Monday and confirmed it as growing (as they had requested we do if the number went up) at around 10.45 on the morning before arrival, we had a party of 20 arrive, at 1.00 in a surprisingly empty car park for the big family reunion weekend parting lunch.
The controversial development includes a whole new level on the lower ground floor into a sleek modern suite with approximately 30 covers, whilst retaining the forty+ possible covers upstairs. We spoke to the barman who seemed happy to see us, but the manager appeared and was at a loss as to who we were and denied any such booking existing (my wife had had a long conversation about numbers and good seating arrangements.) I asked to see his book and noticed that, as he said, there were about 18 people booked in, and they were all present, downstairs, being served. There were places laid at the upstairs tables but no one booked in for them and no prospect of anyone being able to eat there...
His explanations of our lost booking and inability to serve us any food that lunch time whatsoever included:-
"The cleaner must have answered the phone", (strange, as he answered my wife, "Yes Madam, of course Madam"),
"...The cook only buys in enough food on the Saturday to meet the needs of the guests who are booked in", and,
"We always send out a written confirmation of every booking, so it couldn't have been us you rang". - needless to say we checked, it was the same number - I have eaten in well over 1000 restaurants in Britain alone, not one, from the Savoy to Gleneagles, has ever used such a system - it could never work, and I don't believe exists anywhere.
This was a pub restaurant that used to be busy, friendly and of high quality, serving bar snacks of roast potatoes and parsnips as free nibbles for bar goers, a thriving restaurant that used to need a fortnight in advance booking and, as reviews say, a growing reputation.
Yesterday we found an almost deserted bar, very few staff, a competence level I could train into a group of two year olds during a short day, and blatant untruths told to us, apparently their only potential customers.
Every other pub/restaurant in the area was fully booked - as they usually are for Sunday lunch in the Cotswolds. The total inability to serve anyone other than the pitiful number booked in - apparently they having managed the mythical written confirmation process - was the cause of massive stress as I had to arrange to feed twenty hungry guests at very short notice at my home. Fortunately, as I am a good and imaginative cook who can rustle up food for twenty from nowhere, they were, in the end well fed.
Our house and guests are thus alive and kicking...
The Halfway house is dead - it just doesn't seem to have realised it yet.
|
Great for a pint after an evening`s xc bike ride! Usually a few good beers on. Nice decor and furniture. Haven`t eaten there for a few years. Haven`t had chance, thats all!
|
Beautifully fitted inside and serves good range of quality beers (TT Landlord when we went last). Food impossible to order due to incompetence of young dippy staff. Great for a drink on a warm evening - eat if you enjoy hassle, poor food and are a poseur from Minch (lots of those there)
anonymous - 8 Aug 2007 17:33 |
Very hard to beat on a gorgeous late Summer evening - great outdoor drinking, and highly impressive local beer range. Quality good if not great, reflecting how quiet the place is. The area around Stroud is really superb for walling and pubs.
|
Friendly landlord and charming bar staff, Smiles, Bath Ales and real cider, good decor and super food - even for veggies, highly recommended, just a pity the fire wasn't lit at lunchtime.
|
|
