The Old Goat, Fulwell

As a member of staff at The Old Goat I feel compelled to respond to the last review posted on this site. I worked the night referred to in the review, and feel that both the tone and the substance of the criticisms levels at the staff are hugely unfair. The Ritz or not, there is a dress code at both The Old Goat and the Brouge restaurant which asks male customers not to wear vest tops, and, as one of the party in question was wearing such a top, the manager for the day very politely and apologetically explained this to them. She did this in my hearing and both apologised for the fact, and explained that we realised they had been coming in frequently and that we valued their custom, for which reason we had relaxed the dress code in this case.
As for the accusations of poor service and standards of cleanliness, I find these personally and professionally insulting. It should be pointed out that prior to the incident in question, the party had that night and previously been both friendly and complimentary to both the waiting staff and the bar staff, had left a generous tip and had been complimentary on a customer survey card. The suggestion that tables are not cleaned when customers leave is simply inaccurate. The Old Goat has by far the highest expectations of cleanliness of any pub or bar I have worked in, and this opinion is shared by all of my colleagues. Rigorous standards are maintained by systems of penalties and rewards.
The staff and managers at The Old Goat work hard to ensure that customers enjoy their visits and it is very disappointing to see a minority of customers respond in such a disproportionate and personal manner to so trivial an incident. Accusations of high falluting attitudes misrepresent the friendliness and warmth of the staff. I should hate to think that such a review might dissuade anybody from visiting The Old Goat.

12 Jul 2007 02:12