DREADFUL…and they're using bribery to get 5* reviews!!!
We used to frequent the Excavator a lot years ago, but since moving away we hadn't revisited until last week when visiting family.
We decided to have a meal and arrived early evening to an empty pub apart from one table who were eating.
We were told there'd by a delay in any food order, so we decided to get drinks in. We were in disbelief to then see that there was NO BEER ....in a Marston's house! Four empty hand pumps! We should have left at that point but having studied the menu and ordered 2 cokes and 2 glasses of Neck Oil we decided to stay and eat.
It was then that the barmaid told us that actually, they wouldn't be doing any more food that night as they'd got a large table to deal with! The rest of the pub was empty, she'd seen us studying the menu and had served us drinks, half of which (the neck oil) was undrinkable!
We were flabbergasted and I REALLY wish we'd have left the drinks on the bar and walked out THEN, but I did pay £15.70 for the drinks and we walked out about 5 minutes later, leaving the 2 neck oils barely sipped.
We commented between ourselves that the place will be closing soon if that was what Saturday nights looked like.
We then read a couple of days later that Marston's Brewery is to close.
Oh, and the other thing we found disgusting was a home-made game they'd rigged up on the bar. Spin the Wheel. BUT.. you had to leave a 5* review and show the bar staff before you could spin the Wheel (to hopefully win a bag of crisps or a free pudding etc)
BRIBERY! If there was any overseeing body in any sort of authority, I don't think they'd approve of THAT! The pub must realise how awful their service is and be absolutely desperate to still appear wonderful in the eyes of future customers.
I also think that sort of practice is illegal in the Trust Pilot/Trip Advisor world. All in all DREADFUL is the only word that sums the place up!