"I was in Derbyshire visiting a friend for the weekend and we decided to have a Sunday lunch here, which is a place neither of us had ever been to. I didn’t realise it was Mother’s Day so when I popped in on Saturday to ask if they had any tables available I wasn’t surprised when I was told that they were fully booked. However, Abby (the lady I spoke to said she would have a look at their bookings, and despite their busy enough lunchtime session ahead, she was able to find a table for my friend and then showed me where it was asking me if it was OK, which was great! I also found her to be very polite, friendly and approachable and I felt immediately at ease in her presence. On our arrival the next day I began mentioning our booking to a colleague of hers who greeted us on entry. Abby, who was beside him but was busy on the phone with a different query, let him know how many of us there were and where we were sitting by signalling to him our table, acknowledging my thanks with a nod and effortlessly continued with the call she was dealing with. I ordered some drinks from the bar, collected our cutlery, serviettes and some mustard from a self-serving station and noticed that a barman saw that my hands were full and then bought our drinks over to the table as I got there – nice touch, man… Thanks! Our meals came promptly and both tasted delicious. I had added the ‘Go Large Deal’ to my meal order (for just £2 extra and the serving was huge. I struggled to finish it and felt 5kg heavier afterwards, and I didn’t feel hungry again until about 10am the next day! Ashleigh brought our meals out and I found her to also be equally and effortlessly as efficient, polite, attentive and friendly as Abby. Throughout the meal my friend and I had a couple of moments to briefly share a little time in passing with each of them as they asked if we needed more drinks or if we were satisfied with our food and during these moments we had a bit of banter and witty repartee that felt natural and fun to be part of. Overall, I found the conduct of both of them to be perfect and excellent examples of displaying good ‘Guest Relations’ – Having this skill is such a necessary ability for all staff of the Hospitality trade to be well versed in as it is something that no machine can achieve despite its programming to be merely efficient or competent. Although my review particularly concerns the above mentioned ‘Dynamic Duo’ (you know who you are! I also give a Big Shout out to the other staff who I noticed were going about their business with like-minded cheer and resolve even when the situation just calls for clearing and cleaning tables filled with all the paraphernalia left behind after each sitting or picking up broken glasses and dropped cutlery on the floor… Well done to you all. Keep at it and keep shining. Jay."
