BITE user comments - Simonkey7
Comments by Simonkey7
The Stepping Stones, Westhumble
Love this pub, have enjoyed many pleasant evenings here!
Very pleasant welcome, beer well kept and nice atmosphere too.
Not sampled the food yet but definitely on the to-do list!!
1 Jun 2009 22:16
Took my mother and the entire family here for dinner the other night to celebrate her birthday, was a lovely evening made all the more pleasurable by the great food and the excellent service! Blade1 - Thanks and keep up the good work.
2 May 2008 20:28
Like this place so much I popped by again this evening! And a curry house over the road as well!! What more could you want??!!
11 Apr 2008 03:17
Biker - Not at all, I've reviewed several pubs and only one landlord took humbrage with my comment as he/she thought incorrectly I was someone they knew!
If you happen to visit the Sun whilst I'm there I will happily buy you a drink and you'll see I'm not an argumentative person at all.
I wish you well with your travels and hope to share a jar or two with you some day.
11 Apr 2008 03:11
I said APPEAR to be around.... If it's not blatantly obvious who you are then no-one will go hunting for you!!
And as i've said plenty of times I LIKE THIS PUB!!!
I simply commented that the staff seemed uninterested, that's all!!
9 Apr 2008 23:09
And again...
From: karaoke
Sent: 2008-04-09 22:35:58
i dont know who you are but you must drink in my pub and you like my beer therefore let me know what you think i should do with my staff
Right so that's one point cleared up, you are in fact running this pub.
Let's have this discussion in the open shall we, there's no point continuing to send messages to my inbox, it makes you look as though you have something to hide! Any visitor to this site who sees you are open to constructive criticism and prepared to listen to the public will give you full support as will I.
I admire any guvnor who is prepared to meet his public and actually respond to them in person!
You have a cracking pub there, if you take some time to concentrate on the basics you will have an exceptional pub!
Simple things like getting the staff to greet people who approach the bar, eye contact is VERY important! A smile, a cheery 'Hello', people know then that there prescence is welcome. If it's busy and they're not going to get served straight away, having someone behind a bar who says ' Hi, will be with you in a mo!' tells you you're not going to be stood there like a plank for hours! No-one minds waiting if they can see staff working hard and know they have been acknowledged!
I am in no way slating your pub, I genuinely believe this is by far the best pub in Dorking, but by working on the little things you have an opportunity to be so much more! Take this advice as you will, but any guvnor who doesnt listen to his public will ultimately struggle.
9 Apr 2008 23:04
And yet another message!
From: karaoke
Sent: 2008-04-09 22:34:11
no they haven't touched anything but you seem to visit a lot of pubs my suggestion to you if you have a problem with any member of staff in any pub speak to the landlord and i can get sorted
I agree with you, the landlord/manager should be sorting this stuff out but if said manager/ landlord doesnt appear to be around at that time there is no point complaining to the staff concerned! Any manager/ landlord should be aware of the customer service or lack thereof his staff give to the public regardless of any criticism they may or may not receive!!
And whilst we're on the subject, how about having this conversation on the review page for all to see instead of sending flippant messges to my inbox!?
I take it from the lack of response you are indeed connected to this pub personally, would you care to share with us all in what capacity??
I actually like this pub a lot but this kind of attitude is exactly what has rubbed off on the staff there.
9 Apr 2008 22:44
Thought my assessment was quite fair, clearly touched a nerve there judging by the messages I was sent! See below...
From: karaoke
Sent: 2008-04-09 22:18:10
you seem to visit a lot of pubs are you not liked in any of them
From: karaoke
Sent: 2008-04-09 22:20:17
if you have a problem with any staff why dont you speak with the landlord and actually tell him what your problem is cause then in might be sorted
I actually rated this pub a good 7 out of 10, tell me karaoke how are you associated with this pub, one can only presume you are the manager in question! Have you abused the other people on this site who have posted fair and accurate assessments??
9 Apr 2008 22:28
Great pub these days!! Used to be skanky and full of morons, but that was then! This place is by far the best in town now, it is clean, smart, has a great atmosphere, beers are good and the wine excellent. Not eaten here recently but will do very soon! To all those who know and dislike the Penny of old, try it again, you'll love it!
9 Apr 2008 21:31
Yet again another lovely pub ruined by rude and arrogant locals, I spent many years in and out of this pub and have seen its many ups and downs. New landlord and landlady are trying hard to bring this place back up and should be congratulated for their efforts but are being let down badly by many a regulars attitude and behaviour.
I love this place yet my heart sinks at the thought of going in there at the moment, I do hope things change very soon.
maybe the thousand or so villagers who don't go near the place should start going en-masse and reclaiming their village pub!
9 Apr 2008 21:26
Can't fault this place at all! Great pub, brilliant food, nice atmosphere!! Well worth a visit.
9 Apr 2008 21:11
What a waste of a good pub, atsoutar you hit the nail on the head last year, the pub itself is actually quite nice but why oh why is it full every night of the local trouble makers!? It's still the same, would not want to venture in here unless armed like rambo!
9 Apr 2008 21:03
The Little Park Hatch, Cranleigh
Great traditional boozer, decent landlord, nice atmosphere, keep up the good work! Whole-heartedly recommended!!
9 Apr 2008 20:54
Fantastic!! The landlord Ken really takes pride in his beers, too many awards to list! Nice little pub, can be quiet sometimes, but overall one of the finest pubs in surrey!!
9 Apr 2008 20:47
Top pub!! Good beer, and good food, great live bands!
Staff need better training though, too slow and seem dis-interested.
9 Apr 2008 20:44
The Old House At Home, Dorking
Visited this pub last week, looks much better than it used to, the beer was good and the food was ok too. The beer garden is quite nice, so much better than the previous landlords efforts ( or lack off!)
However, there's no way you'll catch me in here in the evenings, the regular clientelle that have made there way from the Bulls Head are awful! Rude, arrogant, punchy hooligans, half of which are out on licence or wearing a tag! Note to landlord- you've got a great boozer here, get rid of the scum that frequent it and you'll most definately see an upturn in trade!!
9 Apr 2008 20:32
Over-zealous? I don't think so! I agree with you that this pub has had some rough years with the last tenants losing interest in the place and moving away, but as someone who visits regularly I can see the changes that have been made in the past few months and believe me they were very much needed! I'm the first to admit it!!
Yes, the place had become grubby, but it has been given a damn good clean from top to bottom, and there is more to come, the incoming tenants have informed us that the first thing on their list is to get the decorators in, replace furniture and soft furnishings and replace those 10 year old carpets! The roof that has leaked for nearly 20 years is also due to be ripped off and replaced!
The menu will also get an overhaul along with several other improvements they have in mind. This is what I mean by people who do not know what's really happening in a place! Ok if you don't frequent a place regularly you aren't to know this, but in the same breath without knowing this why make such assumptions...
Giveusabeer - ''Nice area in parts except for the caravan dwellers.
Simonkey have you a vested interest in this pub????'' - How is this a review of the pub itself???
9 Apr 2008 20:18
Biker- re-read my comments and read it properly, nowhere in there did I say that the pub could do without 'passing crowds'! Get real, so many pubs are closing everyday thanks to this government taxing beer beyond extreme and extortionate rents to brewers! This pub welcomes passing trade with open arms and is used by visiting groups of all kinds including cyclists, walkers, ornathologists, cricket clubs and many others.
What I said was that those people who pass and PUT DOWN pubs are the kind of people that are not helping the trade in general, let alone the individual premises!! Someone who visits a place and has half a bitter then feels they know enough about a place to give a supposed informed review to other potential visitors can actually do more harm than good!! None of us wants to see any pub closing so instead of bitching about the price of a pint ( quite often beyond the landlords control! ) if you feel the need to comment then make it constructive, give the pubs something to work on and improve!
I do get out and about thank you very much, and I know that the price of a pint in many surrounding pubs, including the compasses, is within 10 pence either side of a pint here so get your facts straight.
8 Apr 2008 23:09
Giveusabeer- funny how out of all your comments on pubs there's only a minute amount that actually complement any!! Are you one of lifes born complainers??? Or is it just that you only ever have half a bitter in them and never hang around long enough to appreciate them??
As for a vested interest, wrong, the interest I have is I live in this village and have drunk here for many years under many tenancies and get a bit narked at the 'passing' crowd who choose to put down places by way of assumption!! If you actually knew this pub you would know that the 'caravan dwellers' as you so call them do not frequent this pub at any time!! They go into cranleigh, guildford, godalming etc, they are not welcome here and haven't been for a very long time!!
8 Apr 2008 01:39
It's quite obvious that the 3 previous comments are from people who are not familiar with this pub or area at all!!
Although �3 for real ale may seem expensive, compared to its local competitors it is competitive, the food here is excellent, although at busy times it may take a while (due to a tiny kitchen) when it arrives it is fresh- not frozen as some claim, large portions and good value for money. Try eating similar dishes in other pubs around the area and you'll see what I mean. This pub is renowned for its home-made steakburgers and sunday roasts and if you dont reserve a table in advance you'll struggle to get in as the place is rammed every sunday!!
This pub did not change hands last spring, it is in the process of change at present, they have employed a new pub manager who's working very hard to take the pub forward, it looks clean and tidy, the staff are friendly and helpful, lovely setting, live music every month, well worth a visit!
9 Mar 2008 16:37
The Red Lion, Godalming
Awful, simply awful. Tired, stale and dirty. Lager was flat and warm, wine was vinegar. Enough said.
1 Jun 2009 22:42