The boss at a London pub has hit out at an unhappy customer who left a scathing one star online review.
A diner was far from complementary about their experience at the New Inn in Ealing, in the west of the capital, but management said it's "always an idea to tell us there's a problem".
The New Inn has a current average rating of 4.5 out of five stars from 178 reviews, and was a winner of TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards in 2022, MyLondon reports.
The latest comment left on their TripAdvisor page expressed discontent over the pub “no longer” serving a carvery roast, the quality of the roast dinner served, and the lack of attentiveness from the staff.
The disgruntled customer wrote: “I last went for a Sunday roast at this pub many years ago and remember how much I enjoyed the meal.
"I was disappointed when I arrived there that there was longer a carvery, where previously you could be served with a generous portion of various roasted meats and vegetables.
“Alas, that was no longer the case. Apparently the pandemic had done away with all that. That I can understand. However what was unacceptable was the the dry, tasteless chicken, the watery gravy and cabbage instead of a decent green vegetable (such as broccoli) that we were served with."
“This was a birthday treat for a friend and it was a disappointing experience for both of us," they continued. "The waitress who removed our plates didn't even bother asking us how the meal was. Perhaps she knew what my answer was going to be. It would be no surprise to say that I won't be going back here to have a meal, which is a shame since the pub itself is lovely with a great garden.”
The New Inn’s manager bit back at the review, as the customer didn’t “let us know if there's a problem at the time” and that the “dedicated team would have made every effort to assist you”.
The manager replied: “Always an idea to let us know if there's a problem at the time, we can then seek to rectify the issue, for example if you would have liked to have some broccoli, we could have certainly provided it, or if you personally prefer a thicker gravy, we could have sorted this, no problem.
“We seek to provide the best possible experience for our guests, it's unfortunate you didn't tell us at the time as I'm confident my dedicated team would have made every effort to assist you. Our roast dinners are served with various roasted meats, chicken, pork & beef.
"Vegetables are roast potatoes, swede mash, carrots, parsnips and seasonal greens, we no longer serve a carvery, which has been the case for several years, we're proud of the food we serve and regret that you didn't enjoy your meal on this occasion.
“We are fortunate enough to be fully booked on Sundays with an additional waiting list in place, so confident we’re doing something right in the mains. Irrespective of the one-star review you have provided, which I suspect is more to do with us no longer serving a carvery, which as you've stated you were disappointed about and less to do with the pub itself which you state is lovely with a great garden, perhaps that's what gained us the one star, we would hope to welcome you back to the New Inn in the future, no doubt the pub will continue to evolve and improve and maybe you'll see fit to award us a few more stars in line with our usual high standards on your next visit. (We can only hope!).”
A few other customers who left negative reviews also commented on missing the carvery, to which the management responded to several of them explaining they no longer serve the carvery… and haven’t since 2019. The New Inn’s Sunday roasts start at £17 for their vegetable Wellington, £18 for the roast beef rump with shredded ox cheek, or half roast chicken with chorizo sausage meat stuffing balls, £19 for roast pork belly with pigs in blankets, and £22 for their trio of roasts.
