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Old 8th December 2016, 12:22   #21
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Originally Posted by DMGRS View Post
Hello guys, sorry for the late post - I'm away that day at another Xmas meal in sunny Yorkshire.
No worries Mat enjoy yourself, have a great Christmas and we'll hopefully see you in the New Year.
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Old 14th December 2016, 16:33   #22
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Default Christmas Lunch

Hi All,

Sorry it's a bit late, but I have just phoned the Cat and Lion and added my name with my food selection.

See you all there on Sunday.

Geoff.
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Old 14th December 2016, 16:39   #23
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Thumbs up Great Stuff!

Love someone who'll take the bull by the horns.

Look forward to seeing you Geoff.
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Old 18th December 2016, 17:28   #24
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Good to see everyone this afternoon, pity the day was ruined by the appalling service at the pub - I've submitted an honest review to Trip Adviser :-)

Can I suggest that next year we bring a packed lunch..................

Steve
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Old 18th December 2016, 17:52   #25
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Understandable Steve, you couldn't make it up, horrendous and totally beyond belief.

Nice to see everybody though and have a chat, unfortunately most of the chat was about the lack of food and service!
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Old 18th December 2016, 18:45   #26
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Understandable Steve, you couldn't make it up, horrendous and totally beyond belief.

Nice to see everybody though and have a chat, unfortunately most of the chat was about the lack of food and service!
They couldn't organise a drinks party in a brewery..................
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Old 22nd December 2016, 19:17   #27
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Default Text of Complaint to Flaming Grill Head Office

For anyone not trying to erase the event from their memory, I'm currently waiting for a response to this:

In the late summer of 2016, following the closure of our previous venue, the NW branch of the Rover 75 & MG ZT Owners Club commenced holding our twice-monthly, unofficial meetings at the Cat & Lion. Usually, these Tuesday evening and Sunday lunchtime meetings are attended by about a dozen people, most of whom eat as well having drinks.

We decided to hold our Christmas meal at the Cat & Lion, choosing meals from the Flaming Grill Christmas Menu and made a provisional booking for 13.00, Sunday 18th December. At our meeting Tuesday 6th December, we confirmed the booking, giving details of the number attending and the menu choices. We paid a deposit of £53 and I attach an image of the receipt. As you can see, my mobile ‘phone number is on the receipt, a number on which I can be contacted 24/7.

Members of our party started arriving at about 12.30 on the day of the meal and it soon became obvious that things were very wrong. No tables had been prepared for our party and we were informed that, because of a refrigeration failure 2 days before and a consequent loss of food stock, the Christmas and Sunday menus weren’t available. Only a limited choice was to be had from the normal menu. Apparently a delivery of drinks had also failed to arrive and most bottled beers and lagers were also unavailable.

We asked to see the manager, but were told he wouldn’t be arriving until 14.00. Ready for food, we were faced with either leaving, or trying to make the best of it. We decided to stay and placed orders from the available items on the menu. A bad decision as there didn’t seem to be anyone assigned to the kitchen. The three staff serving us initially also appeared to be preparing the food.

The starters we had ordered arrived one or two at a time, over an hour late. The subsequent delay in the arrival of the main courses resulted in most of our party cancelling their orders and leaving. All of us cancelled our dessert orders. I was the last of our party to leave and I cancelled my order after 15.30. The manager, when he arrived, was perfectly willing to refund our deposit in its entirety and refund for undelivered orders.

Our afternoon was ruined and it can’t have been pleasant either, for the pub staff who found themselves in a very awkward position. We were by no means the only disgruntled customers, leaving without receiving their orders and no doubt you have received other complaints. I don’t know if any of the other parties had booked in advance and had therefore also been contactable by the Flaming Grill management or customer services.

Therein lies my main ground for complaint. Why wasn’t I advised of the impossibility of the situation two days before the meal? That would have given us the chance to either make alternative arrangements, or simply cancel the event, thus avoiding a miserable afternoon. Unfortunately, feeling really let down about not being kept informed, we are now considering looking for another suitable venue for our social meetings.

Sincerely
Robert Gibbons
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Old 23rd December 2016, 13:34   #28
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Default Initial Response from Greene King Customer Relations

Dear Mr Gibbons,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with regards to your recent experience at the Cat & Lion.

We take all complaints and feedback from our Guests seriously and will therefore review your comments with both the Pub Management Team and the Business Development Manager for the region.

As you have already provided us with your telephone number, we will be asking a member of the pub’s Management Team to call you directly to discuss your concerns personally within 48 working hours.

We would be grateful if you could reply to this email with your full postal address (including postcode) so that if necessary, we can provide you with a written response within 14 working days. However, whenever possible, we will provide a reply via email.

If you would like any further clarification or have any additional comments, please contact us via the contact details listed below.

Once again, thank you for contacting us and providing us with your feedback.

Yours Sincerely
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Old 23rd December 2016, 22:11   #29
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My review of the fiasco has now been published on trip advisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau...e_England.html

Looking at the other reviews, we were not an isolated incident

Steve
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Old 24th December 2016, 13:04   #30
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Default New Year, New Manager, New Chance?

Yesterday evening Richard, the new manager of the Cat & Lion from 19th December, tried to contact me by 'phone. I called him back this morning and he was very candid and apologetic. Here's the gist of what he had to say.

Firstly, Richard said, he was aware that there had been a downward slide in standards under previous, temporary managers, which he would address as quickly as possible.

Secondly, although there had been a refrigeration failure and consequent loss of some stock, it wasn't true that the Christmas meals we had ordered couldn't have been prepared for us. Richard said we had been told an indefensible lie. He was however aware that this disappointment wouldn't have made a huge difference to our experience, because the slow and poor service would still have existed and we would still have abandoned the meal. He had experienced such delays himself - with his family of 5 - and it was totally unacceptable.

Ours was the 5th such complaint he had had to respond to already. Ensuring that orders for a party dining together were delivered together, without unduly long gaps between the courses, was to be one of his main priorities. Existing staff were to be retrained and new staff were to be recruited. He is a trained chef and he will closely monitor the organisation of the kitchen.

Richard said, based on the information in my original complaint, our custom is not insignificant. He and the company are both anxious not to lose it. If we are prepared to put his improvements to the test Tuesday 3rd January, he will ensure he is on the premises, to attend to us and deal with any concerns we have. We can have a 25% discount on our bills. If we don't want to go back to The Cat and Lion, we can have discount vouchers to use at other Greene King establishments.

Well folks, do we give The Cat & Lion another chance?
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