Frankie & Benny

memelalou

I wounder if it is just me, but when i have eaten at Frankie and Bennies in the past, the food weridly tastes fresher and better when the place is packed than when there is only a few other diners?

ChrisCobra

CharlieChap1979 wrote: »

Oooh, Katie, what comps you enter?? I want in on that!

NOTE TO PEOPLE WHO DON¨T COMPLAIN:

I agree with many on here, i used to be sooo shy, too small to say to the waiter actually this isn´t nice. I followed a process and now i get what i want.

I started by working out, is the food bad or is it just that i don´t like what i ordered? So, i establish that there is actually a problem, or nothing to complain about. When I know i have something to complain about I said to myself, the waiter didn´t make it, i´m not a judge, i´m a customer, he just works here, he just wants me to be happy and for him to get paid at the end of the week.

So i nicely said the waiter "hi, sorry to be a pain but this meal isn´t as nice as it should be, point out my problem in a factual sense - i.e the steak is well done, i wanted medium, or the vegetables are mushy, they should be firm (important as saying "it´s crap" doesn´t justify the problem). The waiter will then be 1) so bloody happy that someone was nice to him about a complaint and 2) empowered to go straight back to the kitchen, and say in there, "need you to do another cos this one is....." the cook has no argument. The waiter will be so pleased that you were nice it´ll be his mission that you get the best service and if he has the power to do anything valuable for just one person that night, you´ll get the good treatment.

I´m sure you´ll get what you want because the waiter was nice to the cook, not the usual "this pillock thinks the steak is burnt" Ok the cook says and you get an extra topping on the new one, and, knowing from your reaction you won´t be coming back again anyway, will still be as close to burnt as saleably possible and with the extra topping. No cook under pressure (i jokingly expect) will, when told be an irate waiter that his cooking is crap will feel, oh no i´m so sorry, i´ll do it really good this time and please pass on my apologies to the agrieved customer. Not likely.

So, confirm in your head it´s not what it should be
ask the waiter over nicely and explain why it´s not what it should be
Wait for the good food and honest, genuine unsolicited apology to come back from the kitchen, with round of drinks and possibly discount on meal. You´ll get the good service because they hope you´ll still come back next time.

Easy..

If anyone else goes through this process but quicker, let me know!!

Or you get served fried chef spit. Which is more regular than you want to know.

I've used frankie and bennies many years ago in Romford of all places , and we complained once that it was slow service , and got 50% off our bill.

No arguments at all , just sorry and is 50% ok , no problem

harry2015

Yet another bad review about Frankie and Benny's in Stafford.
Steer clear of this one - this used to be our local but the amount of times something has gone wrong with the order or lack of service is beyond how this restaurant is still running.

First off - this place is quiet every Saturday and Sunday Morning so you would expect a good quick service.....wrong! We used to go here for a hearty breakfast to give us a well earned break from the weekly grind, only to be more wound up even more by the time we have left!

The Drinks: When the staff outnumber the people in there you would expect your drinks to arrive pretty quick? Then why does it take 4 of the staff 30 minutes to make 3 drinks? I nearly jumped over the counter and made them myself! This is not just one time - this is every time!

The Food: Early morning? Breakfast at bennys? You would like to think so but every time they have run out of either eggs, bacon or beans! So much for a hearty breakfast to start the day! Not only the lack of selection of food but it also takes 40mins between your breakfast on the table and your first drink!

Other customers: I know what you are thinking - I am just unlucky, but when we see other customers unhappy with the service this is not just a one-off event!

Staff Training: What staff training? Everytime you have to point out that 2x Breakfasts make a special offer for £10.00. You try and give the person at the computer the benefit of the doubt but when you receive the bill - everytime it's not been deducted. The staff turnaround in this place is quite regular and no matter who is working, there is a real lack of quality and attention to detail. There are very few smiling staff!

Now, I am not the moaning type but this place has got me so wound up I really needed to express my disgust and advise all to stay clear of Frankie and Benny's in Stafford. I hope this review gives you an insight into this place and in my case, a disappointing start to the weekend!

:mad:

Coopdivi

So why keep going back then?

Laz123

asea wrote: »

Oh my, you waited two whole minutes?

Did you complain at the time to any of the waiters or a manager?

If you ever realised what goes on behind the scenes at some restaurants you'd know what a silly remark that is.

It is always very advisable to treat waiting staff with the utmost respect. Sometimes spittle can strangely find its way into food coming from the kitchen if the waiter/waitress has been spoken rudely to. Or it maybe a finger that has scratched somewhere unpleasant being rubbed into food.

What, you don't believe me? Ask Michael Winner how many arrse rubbings he's swallowed in his time.

I stopped going into F & B in Kingston because of the bad service.

CHR15

I gave up with F&B years ago.

Went in hoping for a quick meal, decided to have the Fish & Chips.

There was me expecting some huge piece of fish encapsulated by crinkly crispy home made batter filling half the plate.......HA !!

Out comes a Tesco value frozen fish piece, you know the type, no texture to the batter, almost perfectly smooth covering an almost perfectly rectangular block of "fish compound".

To think they had the audacity to charge almost £10 for that too.

Never again.

TBeckett100

we had a horrendous meal in F&Bs two years ago. I didnt complain at the time and sent a letter to HQ. The area manager called me and she refunded me in full. I ststed the reason for not complaining at the time as I didnt want disgruntled staff "cooking or serving my food" especially when i read in a paper a few weeks ago a nearby fast food restaurant was closed down for a short term due to mayonnaise manipulation (you can draw your own guess)

fozmcfc

Had good and bad experience, once they wouldn't make my burger how I wanted it, nothing to taxing, just wanted it without a couple of items, which couldn't be taken out completely by myself, things like mayo. Chef said too busy to muck about.

But on the other hand had some good friendly service and some very nice food (love the barbecue pizza for instance).

Probably just depends on which restaurant you visit.

Hootie19

My friend and I had a bad experience at a F&B's restaurant. We complained at the time to the manager - well, not complained as such, but pointed out the things that we were unhappy with (there was quite a list unfortunately). He was very nice, very sympathetic, and gave us a slip saying that we could have a free desert on our next visit.

Given what we had just been through, there was no way that we were going to be returning!

I wrote a letter to head office. Again, not a complaint as such, just pointing out what had happened and the manager's response (whilst praising him for taking on board what we had said to him), and suggesting that they might review how things were done and improve them.

I received a £15 voucher from them (not the reason I'd written), which we used in another branch of F&B's and had a really lovely meal, with much better service.

I guess a lot depends on the branch of the chain you eat at, and the staff on duty at that time. Possibly had we returned to the original branch and they'd had a different shift of staff, our experience would have been different to the first visit.

pulliptears

I had a bad experience at the Trentham one last year, booked a table yet still had to wait half an hour, took an hour for food to appear etc. However, I've had no problems with recent visits to either Stafford or Festival park.