The Shroppie Fly, Audlem

I'm not the type of person to moan about pubs and restaurants, I have never written a review before, but this pub experience was so awful I had to say something! I have often drunk at the shroppie fly before and had one excellent meal so I always had a high opinion of it. My parents visited this weekend and wanted to take us out so I receommended the Shroppie Fly. We booked a table and anticipated an enjoyable evening. What a shock!

We arrived and the waitress had no knowledge of our reservation, and she asked if another couple who were halfway through their meals would move so we could have their table! We felt embarrassed and awkward until she found us another table. She did not give us any menus and we were left confused about whether we would be waited on or should order at the bar. We went to order drinks, and were asked if we were having a meal, and when we said yes we were told to wait on the other side of the bar and we were left waiting again. We were not allowed to put drinks on the food tab so didn't see what difference it made which side of the bar we stood! We ordered our meals, but only 2 sets of cuttlery were brought, so we asked for another 3. Then the meals came and there were only 2! They had missed off 3 meals - but had not realised this when we asked for the extra cuttlery! We went to ask if there was a problem with the order, and the attitude from the very young and inexperienced staff was appalling. They said it wasn't them who took the order so it wasn't their problem. We asked to see the memeber of staff who had taken the order and he was extremely rude and said we only ordered 2 meals. There was no apology from any of them. It upset the whole family, and we really wanted to leave as soon as possible. We offered to pay for the two meals we had received but this also caused problems. We asked to see the landlord or manager but there was no sign of them. Finally a more senior member of staff came to us and apologised, and our remaining meals were brought to us - although they had been rushed and the chips not completely cooked. We were still disputing it with her as our meals were going cold. She was pleasant and apologetic and ensured action would be taken but our meal was ruined. At �10 per meal it was not cheap and it felt extremely unfair handing over such a large sum of money for a completely wasted evening.

We will never go back! Good service with a smile costs nothing!

26 May 2009 14:18