Marston's Reviews 349

I recently had the unfortunate experience of dining at The Sessile Oak for their Sunday carvery, and I must admit, it was quite disappointing.

Upon arrival, we were met with the confusing situation of having to order through a QR code, with no further explanation or assistance provided. As someone who appreciates a bit of guidance when trying out a new restaurant, this was frustrating. A brief introductory rundown on the ordering process would have gone a long way.

Our frustrations continued when we noticed that our table was lacking basic necessities—specifically cutlery and napkins. After asking for them, we were left waiting for an unwelcome 10 minutes, which added to the sense of neglect we felt as customers.

When the food finally arrived, it unfortunately didn't manage to redeem the experience. The carvery itself was disappointing; the meats were lukewarm and lacking in flavor, making for a rather bland meal. A Sunday carvery should be a hearty and comforting experience, but this offering did little to excite the palate or warm the soul. It felt as though care had not been taken in the preparation, leaving much to be desired.

To top it all off, the decor of The Sessile Oak—both inside and out—also left a lot to be desired. The establishment looked tired and in desperate need of a major renovation. Dull colors and worn furnishings added to the overall sense of neglect and didn’t create the inviting atmosphere one might hope for in a Sunday dining experience.

Overall, the Sunday carvery at The Sessile Oak did not meet my expectations. Poor customer service, lackluster food, and tired decor all contributed to what should have been a pleasant outing instead becoming a regrettable experience. I hope the management takes these concerns to heart and makes the necessary improvements; it certainly has potential, but it needs a lot of TLC!

Went to the 5 bridges sheerness, warning signs , no customers .asked for some beer ,oh sorry we only have 1 and Guinness.asked for orange juice , sorry we dont have any.
Ordered food ,sorry we haven’t got much. What we got was disgusting, the tables were dirty and unclean.the staff was totally uninterested in anything.i suspect that this pub is closing down who would run an eatery with no beer and very little food .
All 3 of us left almost everything and left in utter disgust.
Totally shameful

Having written to Marston's PLC with several questions relating to the poor Gluten Free drinks available and the extortionate prices that are going up in excess of 20% in some cases (wine) I had a standard response that did not address any of the issues, I followed this up again and had confirmation it had been received but 2 weeks have now gone by and still no response. It is virtually impossible to get through on any phone number, even the area Manager stated he could not see any justification in the increase of wine from £17.25 to £20.50 in one week. Gluten free Peroni 330ml bottles if available are £4.95, considering they work on a profit margin of 14.4% how can they justify these prices. I asked about the recent National Coeliac week that took place recently but that was totally ignored.
New CEO from January Justin Platt, where are you in these matters, show some consideration for gluten free sufferers just like Sir Tim Martin has. Shame on Marston's PLC for putting profit ahead of customers.

Waited an hour for our food. Others came in after us and was already sat eating 20 minutes in. Having complained the waitress said they were just getting it ready. It came out and wasn't even our food. 15 minutes later it came, they had forgotten all about us. The food was not good either. I had a beef curry, still wondering where my beef is. My son had a burger and left half of it as it didn't taste right. The only good thing about the experience, was leaving the premises. I won't be back any time soon.

Ordered a love your locals e-gift voucher from Marstons.co.uk 27/04/24 for my friends birthday 28/04/24. The gift card was supposed to be sent via email to her on that day. Nothing was received so I tried to contact Marstons. Phone number on the voucher was dead, but somehow managed to get hold of someone via email. I advised the voucher hadnt been received so they tried again. Still no voucher after 2 weeks, so I requested cancellation mid May via the guestfeedback email (as no number available!). They (Courtney) promised to refund my £30, however to date I still haven't received a refund. Total scammers!

We visited The Holly Blue on Hailsham Road Pevensey today for the first time and we were very impressed we ordered a carvery and the food was well presented it was hot and really tasty the staff were very welcoming and attentive we will definitely be returning fantastic dining experience

Tried to book The Ty Mawr in Lisvane, Cardiff, for my father’s 90th birthday, using the online booking service. I realised that the system was an enquiry only but after having no reply to the enquiry, I phoned the pub to confirm. I had no help whatsoever from the person at the pub. She was very unhelpful, rude and sarcastic. She said that they were expecting to be busy on that day and that there were too many people in our party for the kitchen to cope with, even though there were tables available. Being in the hospitality industry, you would expect the staff to be a bit more helpful, friendly and a bit more understanding in these circumstances. On two other separate occasions, members of my family have commented on how rude the bar staff are. Customers seem to be considered a nuisance rather than a paying guest. My father used to take me and our family regularly to this pub, when it was a Brains pub and before that and it was always a pleasure to go to this lovely pub in a lovely location but recent experiences have put us off using this pub anymore. We’ve now booked another pub, where we were treated politely, respectful and we will have a much better time.

Mandy in reservations is a star...so helpful,professional and knowledgeable.e.g.getting straight through to the Cantrbury Bell to check room on ground floor as I have osteoarthritis. Really impressed by all the staff within this company.

Big up Mandy,Jay and Marston,in general.

Fantastic value,book direct,get 20% off main meal.

On the weekend of May 18/19th, my three kids and five of my Grandchildren came from down South to visit me in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. On Saturday nine of us went to the Crown in Bridgnorth for lunch as they had the capacity to accomodate us on one table, we were told there would be a 45 minute wait for food. After one hour I asked a member of staff when it would be served, he said that the Chef wanted to serve it all at the same time, so in 15 minutes, I thought OK. Over half an hour later the food started to arrive in dribs and drabs over a further half hour, three meals were cold. I complained to the manager who said "apologies" and disappeared. I complained in writing the following day to Martons, the owners, they said they would respond within five days, ten days later and no response I wrote again to Marstons and the Crown Bridgnorth. So after twenty days since I made the complaint I'm still without a response. We spent around £160 in total - I'm not happy! 🙁

My son and I visited you establishment today, as a mid week half term treat.

We purchased 2 of the Thursday deals gammon and sirlion steak + drinks. And I paid the additional 1.50 and for extra condiments pepper corn sauce.

We waiting around 25 minutes which was fine, however when my food arrived there was a hair on the plate and my steak was cremated- I had asked for medium to well done. I ask a lady could I return the steak and that there was a hair on my plate and the steak was not medium to well done. The food was returned and the lady returned to advise this was the last of the sirloin so I agreed to change to alternate meal. There was no acknowledgment to the fact there was a hair on my plate at all which i think is appallingly and disgusting food hygiene.

My alternative meal arrived with a gentlemen called kyle who asked can he ask what was actually Wrong with the meal u had returned. Which leads me
To believe did the lady even listen in the first instance as she had not shown any compassion or apology. But she did managed to shout across over the restaurant infront of all customer to me that there was no difference in price today so it doesn’t matter, which at ho point did I asked the question. However that was in correct as I paid addition for sirloin and condiments and may I add we didn’t get to eat together with the waiting for a new meal.

After eating our meal I returned to the till to purchase a desert for my son again no acknowledgment or apology, discount offered nothing. No smile please thank you ……….

I am actually a customer care manager for a local company within Preston brook and I want to express if my team had this lack of compassion or empathy towards our customers well they wouldn’t belong on the team. For a customer to come and spend £35 for an afternoon lunch And not to even be offer a complimentary discount on a desert or drink as an apology is very poor.

On plus side Kyle the young gentlemen who returned my alternative meal I would like to compliment as I observed him serving multiple tables with same area. Kyle Is a credit to your team very jolly knowledgeable and happy to help, with more importantly
A welcoming smile.

The room was clean and well appointed and the bed really comfortable. Room would have been better if there had been coat hooks and you didn't need 2 hands to flush the toilet. The restaurant, The Starling Cloud, at Aberystwyth needs help! Only one member of staff to do breakfast, stock buffet,take orders and deliver breakfasts and clean the tables, took over 30 minutes for scrambled eggs on toast, surrounded by other peoples dirty plates, dinner was not much better. Its a shame as the room was very nice and close to the town.

Food offering is abysmal, such poor quality yet high prices and on the plate it just looks like crap… Marstons, you should be ashamed of yourselves ripping off the hard working general public… pathetic

Food has gone downhill at The Bluebell Malvern, Marstons seems to not care and is strangling local pubs with poor quality food. They are unable to provide a salad because Marstons force them to just give lettuce - they now call it a “green salad” when in fact it’s just lettuce. I ordered Hunters Chicken with chips and a “green” salad having ordered this many times before. The chicken was dry with al or zero bbq sauce and a few lettuce leaves for £15.99 - they did refund me but said marstons wouldn’t allow them to serve a salad. Pathetic really. When local pubs are struggling Marstons is killing them - Greene King are so much better for the same price. Very sad.

Starling cloud Aberystwyth Shocking food and portion size. Complete marston's lunch rip off. Hang your heads in shame. Don't you ever look at your terrible reviews and get your act together.

Have visited here a few times, good food but this day stood out. The service from Ethan was outstanding! So professional, friendly, attentive and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. He made our visit-Thank you!

I work for Marston’s and the worst experience I’ve ever had staff are rude and all three chicken burgers were served with wrong gravy and when I said about it got told it’s the wright gravy in on the green sort it out

The blue jay derby . I have never ever written a review about a meal before but I feel I have to . I cannot find fault with the service at this particular venue but the vegetarian food is absolutely dire . The bang bang cauliflower was only fit for the bin .it was like eating grit and the amount you got was tiny . The halloumi and pepper baguette cost £8.99 and was a small piece of bread with literally four small pieces of halloumi with a sliver of pepper next to it with a cocktail stick pierced through I think this was an attempt ti make it look presentable !!!!! Absolutely dire food and for the price was far too high for what you actually got . Even if had been edible it was far too overpriced !

Love the winding wheel cannock its been mine and my husband local for years
Gemma craig bar staff are fabulous so helpful and polite
Had my husband 60 th party there it was a fantastic night and wonderful buffet
Food is amazing for the price and mac is in the darts team which he runs and loves every minute of it
Great pub with a great atmosphere and great food and drink choice
Keep up the good work xxx
Shaz &mac xx

The Vine Stafford!
Booked here for a pre Theatre show meal.
Staff where very obliging and friendly.
However the food left a lot to be desired small portions poor choice menu and high prices.
In this current climate and with the amount of pubs closing because of the reputedly high cost of food and utilities !
This pub chain needs a massive injection of better quality food and menu choice.
This experience of eating in this pub has certainly encouraged me to save my hard earned cash and eat in at home in future.
The alternative is to find an independent pub and not a chain as you get value for money and at not much extra cost.