The Post House in Stafford

bigbluewolf said:

I saw the prices on the Menu board outside The Post House. I doubt I will be visiting the place, looked far too expensive for me.

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The menu that you looked at was probably for the restaurant (upstairs) which is a bit steep, the bistro on the otherhand (the bit downstairs) is much more reasonable and well worth a look. Me and the Mrs went there at the weekend, both had two courses and a bottle of wine and the bill in total was £55 quid and so not that expensive.

I've noted on this thread that there has been a mixed bag of opinion in terms of food quality and service - I have to say at the weekend it was busy but the food and service were both spot on. It was our first visit (managed to get a babysitter for the little one!). The staff were really polite and attentive and the food was really tasty. The bistro doesn't have a massive menu but then I think that maybe its strength as it seems to focus on trying to do a handful of dishes well rather than doing loads of dishes less well.

After dinner we had a couple of drinks in the cocktail lounge and then headed to the club bit. Other than the hugely impressive "firewall" (I want one!) this is probably the biggest let down of the whole place. It is really too small to be called a club and there aren't enough seating places for it to be a late bar - it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be and so just ends up looking like a collection of people hanging about not really knowing what they are supposed to be doing. Also despite the decor I couldn't help thinking that I was still standing in the job centre!

I am being harsh on that though, overall it is a great place and really somewhere that you wouldn't expect to see in Stafford. Huge thumbs up and I hope it continues to do well. Me and Mrs FDR will certainly be back.

Constuctive feedback time. Went in for lunch today as it was a great sun trap after the half marathon and thought we'd grab a sandwich. Popped inside to ask if we should just just grab a table outside or be shown to one and they said just help ourselves. Normally this would be fine but after 20 minutes of waiting for someone to come out to us I went and ordered our own drinks and food from the bar.

Food was fine, nothing too exciting for a beef buttie and wedges (small portions/baguette) and some nachos but it was good and kept us happy.

Just need to sort out the table service if the outdoor offering is going to be a success. Very poor attention to the customers. If people need to order at the bar then just tell them that!

Reporting a bit late, but took the family there for Mother's Day. As previous years have included The Swan and Number 15 we thought we'd go someone different and take Mum where she hasn't been before. This was also my first experience there.

Greeted by friendly staff, told we could pick any table we liked, Mum picked a table by the nice sunny windows. This table proved to be our undoing, as it is one of the smaller round tables only really designed for people having drinks. Once we decided to order some food, we soon realised this table was far too small for all our drinks and plates etc. But this was our fault, and there was nothing stopping us from moving at any time (other than my Mother's insistence to be constantly bathed in sunlight at all times like some sort of reverse-vampire lady).

Teas/coffees fine. Food was simple breakfast pastries, toast and was all fine. I ordered a sausage sandwich, and whilst the sausages were lovely, they came on a flipping ciabatta. Now, ciabattas are nice and everything, but they make a sausage sandwich a logistical nightmare. It struck me as attempting to be posh for the sake of being posh. A simple sausage sandwich would have worked much better, but perhaps this is just me being uncouth.

Slight other point, my Dad couldn't find the toilets, couldn't see any signs and had to ask staff.

Anyway, nice time was had, prices were very reasonable and no real complaints other than the bleedin' ciabatta.

Visited the post house for afternoon tea on saturday with a group of friend's. When we arrived at 3pm we were shown to our table by friendly polite staff and out coats were taken (a nice touch). Our order was taken in a timely manor. On booking we had informed them that one of our party was vegetarian and reminded the waitress when she took our order.
The food was served on very nice stands and was fairly good, the cheese and pickle and the salmon sandwich had good fillings however the beef and tomato sandwich was more tomato than beef . the same selection was profered to the vegetarian,when she had mentioned twice she did not eat anything with a face, only one choice of sandwich for £15 is poor, when this was mentioned to the staff the chef sent out a specially made roasted vegetable sandwich. There was a scone with jam and cream each a piece of fruit cake and chocolate cake each and a fruit mousse. We asked for fresh tea and where asked if we wanted hot water, which seems a bit cheap. One of our party ordered the decaffinated tea but it was not very nice and asked for a coffee instead, she was told she would have to pay for this extra.

All in all the visit was nice but they just seemed to fall a little short of the top class place they would like to be and will be trying The Littywood manor for our next treat.

According to recent Trip Advisor reviews the Head Chef has walked out, can anyone confirm this?
Was hoping to book for a special occasion but if recent reviews are true might think again.

Think I read the same thing, but a few months back. Was never substantiated though.

We've booked into the Bistro for our anniversary meal at the end of the month - well, the night before our anniversary to take advantage of the 25% off food offer for Stafford Card holders - a sure sign there's issues - so we were hoping to eat there before it closes. We will report back.

Incidentally it wasn't necessarily cost that put us off the Pillars restaurant, because the same 25% off food offer, but it was choice...

We've been in a couple of early evenings just for drinks and both times there has been no working soap dispensers in the ladies loo and I couldn't find any hand-driers in there.
When we went in later at night I couldn't even get to the trough-like sinks as there was about 10 or more young girls sitting on them with their drinks and the atmosphere was very hostile.

Thought I'd give the place a couple of tries but decided I'm not keen on it myself.

Almost ANY other organisation taking even a passing interest in its customers, would be on here, answering those points. They'd want to reassure people concerned about the Head Chef. They would be concerned to hear about some of these experiences, grateful for the feedback and quick to put the niggles right. If the Post House DOES fail, I will be sincerely sorry for the people who lose their jobs. But I won't be sorry to see it go. They are almost bizarrely lacking in any common sense approach to communication as a means of building relationships with the people who might actually spend money with them. It won't be the economy to blame...

staffordjas said:

We've been in a couple of early evenings just for drinks and both times there has been no working soap dispensers in the ladies loo and I couldn't find any hand-driers in there.
When we went in later at night I couldn't even get to the trough-like sinks as there was about 10 or more young girls sitting on them with their drinks and the atmosphere was very hostile.

Thought I'd give the place a couple of tries but decided I'm not keen on it myself.

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If memory serves me correctly, I think the driers are tucked away under the mirrors over the troughs. Bit like the sink on a train toilet but with slightly more sophistication.

I've just been told by 2 people (who don't know each other) that The Post House have not been paying their suppliers or staff for a good few weeks. This is what I've heard, not what I know.

These rumours don't start themselves, and considering this is what happened at Pie & Ale and Chambers...well....

Hi

Before I comment on the post house i would just like to say that I have been there on numerous occasions, for evening meals, drinks and lunch and have always found the food to be excellent. I also think that if the Post House is run properly and achieves its Michelin star ambitions it will be a real gem to Stafford and attract visitors to the town.

Because my girlfirend and I have been praising it since its opening, my girlfriend decided to book the Post House for a meal for her 4 th Hen party last sunday for her and 18 friends, however the service she recieved beggars belief. Before I start I must admit I am hearing this all third hand, but I have heard it from a number of the party members that were there on Sunday.

1. The first issue started prior to even attending the Post House. My Girflfriends, maid of honour was sent a menu and asked to get all the peoples selection by last Tuesday. She managed to do this, only to be told that a new menu had been launched and therefore they would have to choose again. This obviously did not go down well, and therefore the party organiser rang on Wednesday to complain. To the Post House credit they then agreed to honour the existing menu choices.

2. When the party organiser arrived at the Post House on Sunday, she was taken to one side by the manager (who incidentally was praised by everyone as being excellent and very friendly) who informed her that the staff had walked out and they were using agency kitchen staff. As a result certain meals that they had chosen they could no longer offer and they could not get the fryer to work so they could not have any chips with the meals. To compensate the manager did give the party numerous bottles of free wine and lots of salmon....

3. The standards of meals by all accounts were a bit hit and miss, with some people claiming that the food was excellent. In particular the Beef cheek. However two members of the party had to send meals back due a strange smell coming from the mussels. My mother was one of the women who sent her meal back. My mom is the manager of a Michelin Star restuarant and is therefore fully aware of what food should look and smell like.

4. One of the main reasons why the Post House was chosen on Sunday was becuase of the excellent coctails that they sell, however on Sunday only a small selection of coctails were available and the coctail lounge was closed.

All in all not a very good experience.... but fortunately the whole experince did not detract from the day and by all accounts everyone that attended this hen meal had a lovely time despite what they experienced. i do really hope that the Post House can sort itself out and sort out its Staffing problems. I am aware that this is not the first time that staff have walked out so something needs to improve.

darben said:

If memory serves me correctly, I think the driers are tucked away under the mirrors over the troughs. Bit like the sink on a train toilet but with slightly more sophistication.

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Thanks.Could have done with a sign pointing this out though, especially after a few drinks when my brain isn't up to these new fangled things.Even the youngsters I asked couldn't find them lol . Quite a few people were coming out shaking water off their hands.
(Haven't been on a train since the 1970's - bit scary seeing the last type of train I went on is in the York railway museum! - don't think electric hand driers were about in the train loos when I last went on one )

Not sounding good at all...

I take no pleasure in seeing this happen, I think everyone in Stafford hoped it would be a success for the good of the town.

However unfortunately a lot of people could see from the start that they were pigeonholing themselves too much, and got off to a bad start when the rumour started that they weren't looking to attract local people, rather people from out of town.... ?!?!

Also the fact that we had so many fake reviews on here, yet no one could take the time to come on and respond to any of the questions / complaints posted.

I really hope that they can sort themselves out, it seems crazy to spend £x million on refurbing the place, to a great standard to be fair... yet they then (allegedly) don't pay ths staff a couple of hundred quid a week... madness!

I think how popular The Swan is proves that there are people in Stafford who want quality and a bit higher class atmosphere... I just think The Post House went a bit too far with it, both on their pricing and their target clientele. All restaurants are quiet in the week, they should have had some great value set menus to fill the place up - I would have trated the wife now and again... the problem now is with the rumours doing the rounds, even if they did start doing the set menus I suggested, I would rather go to Earl's or one of the many great curry houses in town.

I think the problem is that they are all rumours, nobody has been able to say they are factually true. Yet as the only imput we get here is from hit and runs praising the place, the general mood is that the rumours get believed. A bit of communication from the Post House themselves, posting as the business rather than 'a satisfied customer', could have easily turned the mood around.

They know about us, thats for sure. They can't google their own company without seeing links to here (and if they don't do that once in a while then they should sack whoever does their marketing!). The fact that they don't care what we think speaks volumes. Its a real shame, but I doubt somehow they'd top what I had in the college restaurant this week anyway. Even if they did it would be 5x the price at least.

I rather dislike the place, not sure why, been there a couple of times i'm just not sure what they're trying to be, and who they're aiming at to get in mostly.

things are expensive, so i guess not people like me

I wont be surprised if the rumours are true, espically if how the early rumours are right- how they treated the staff.

And if i did want to go to a more expensive place, with quality and nice place, i'd go to the Swan.

Still rumour, but I just heard the exact same ones from someone I trust, that came direct from a now ex member of their staff. I can't really divulge more due to anonymity. Second chef to leave since they opened (confirmed last one did go too), several staff gone with him and several hundred pounds wages owed per member of staff.

Looks like its about to go bump, someone with a few quid spare could bag themselves a bargain when it does. Its already done out, it has all the facilities, the new owner would just need to listen a bit better to what people are saying.

Madness on so many levels. It's fantastic to have had the post office saved and restored to look so wonderful. But there was no sign that any actual research had been done, right at the start, into what people actually want in there. Instead, they just told us what we were getting and suggested that if local people didn't like it, someone else would. I don't get the impression that they knew who, precisely, that someone else would be and what they would be doing in Stafford of a wet Wednesday night in March.

Then they made a big song and dance about Michelin stars at the outset. They had recruited a chef who had once worked in a Michelin starred restaurant and clearly the questionable marketing strategy they followed was to establish the Michelin association in all the early publicity. So expectations were set far higher than they could deliver. Instead of over-promising, what they should have done was to set out to offer amazing food that wowed everyone and got people talking. Then, a little way down the line, they could have quietly set out to win a Michelin star and thereby attract foodies from miles around. Local people would have been intensely proud of the place and majorly supportive.

They seemed to recruit people who had little experience of eating out, let alone working in a restaurant.

And then they donned a cloak of invisibility instead of engaging with their customers. Even the website is still talking about the long wait being over for this brand new venue - then it repeats the same paragraph twice. So not only have they not updated it since they opened, they haven't even looked at it. Because it's all gloss, flummery. There's no heart; nobody living and breathing that restaurant, caring what people think. They don't even respond to reviews on Trip Advisor. Good grief, there is a busy bloke in a small place in South Africa, which gets power cuts and loss of internet service several times a day and is frequently vandalised by wandering groups of monkeys. HE still finds time to go on Trip Advisor to personally thank people who have posted good reviews and try to address problems which have been highlighted in negative comments. It's not rocket science - it is just doing business!

I have to confess I've only been in once. I was determined never to go in after hearing that they were trying to attract out of towners and not Stafford folk - but curiosity got the better of me. Was determined not to like it, but like it I did. We only had drinks on our visit but there wasn't a thing I could fault. Will be a shame if they don't manage to make a go of it.
I agree Gram - that end has lacked sophistication since Jade moved Although I did notice the other day when I was in town that the council were clearing up the chewing gum pavement outside the tavern so it is improving