The Swan Stafford: Brasserie & Restaurant

ExiledInStaffers

Well-Known Forumite
I used to live walking distance from The Swan and loved it. Was the first place I went for a drink after moving here and it really helped with the shock of moving out of a big city! Having to use their car park (well as it happened not used it) the other day really earned them black mark though as I don't live so close now!

I was meeting the missus there after work, she was having a coffee. I thought I would pop in and have one too.. And maybe peruse the menu in the bistro as it was a random midweek night so thought might get a table. This whole plan went to crap when it turned out I would need to pay 6 quid to park there. Just to have a coffee! It was raining, so we left, but then I couldn't get out of the car park without a stupid token. So I got soaked going back to get one.

The Lewis Partnership are first class - the moat house is, without a doubt, the best restaurant in Stafford and the surrounding areas. Also the last few visits suggests they have upped their game further and suspect they are chasing the Star themselves. However they really, really, need to sort out their car park in the Swan and make it less prohibitive to park up and enjoy a coffee or light bite! I think you needed to spend 15 quid before getting the cost of parking off your final bill or something. And you had to pay up front! In coins... Shocking, dreadful, experience and I cannot work out why their car park operates in this manner. Also apologies if I have got the actual figures wrong. Either way, it would work out to be a shockingly expensive coffee.

Rant over.
 

ChrisLewis

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks for your feedback

Apologies for the fact that clearly on this occasion we didn't have satisfied customers and you clearly felt agrreeved by our car parking system.

Needless to say, I do have empathy with your plight. But I have a 31 bedroom hotel and an 80 sweater restaurant, a ground floor with a total capacity of 550 people, so assuming everyone drives to The Swan, you can imagine I have chaos and a resource that needs strict control.

Our barrier and pay and display meter are both inplace as control measures to prevent misuse of our facility from those members of the community who beleive it there given right to park in The Swan car park regardless of the fact that they are only possibly spending a fraction of there evening in The Swan.

For our hotel residents we do email a parking pass in advance of there stay with us and as you would expect this is complimentary. Likewise we do provide complimentary parking for our restaurant customers, they simply collect a pass from reception to display in their car, if we have spaces available.

As you can imagine the idea scenario would be to keep everyone happy, however at times you simply have to put measures in place that result in some form of order.

I am open to suggestions on improvements to the system, I would be delighted to hear from any forum member who has a suggestion on possible improvements - free dinner for 2 for the best suggestion.

However please bare in mind if you've just driven a couple of hundred miles to a hotel you expect to park - plus your sat. Nav. has possibly attempted to take you down two or three one way streets to get to The Swan & you've possibly ended up by The Gatehouse!

Again please accept my sincere apologies, I look forward to some alternative suggestions
 

ExiledInStaffers

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks for your feedback

Apologies for the fact that clearly on this occasion we didn't have satisfied customers and you clearly felt agrreeved by our car parking system.

Needless to say, I do have empathy with your plight. But I have a 31 bedroom hotel and an 80 sweater restaurant, a ground floor with a total capacity of 550 people, so assuming everyone drives to The Swan, you can imagine I have chaos and a resource that needs strict control.

Our barrier and pay and display meter are both inplace as control measures to prevent misuse of our facility from those members of the community who beleive it there given right to park in The Swan car park regardless of the fact that they are only possibly spending a fraction of there evening in The Swan.

For our hotel residents we do email a parking pass in advance of there stay with us and as you would expect this is complimentary. Likewise we do provide complimentary parking for our restaurant customers, they simply collect a pass from reception to display in their car, if we have spaces available.

As you can imagine the idea scenario would be to keep everyone happy, however at times you simply have to put measures in place that result in some form of order.

I am open to suggestions on improvements to the system, I would be delighted to hear from any forum member who has a suggestion on possible improvements - free dinner for 2 for the best suggestion.

However please bare in mind if you've just driven a couple of hundred miles to a hotel you expect to park - plus your sat. Nav. has possibly attempted to take you down two or three one way streets to get to The Swan & you've possibly ended up by The Gatehouse!

Again please accept my sincere apologies, I look forward to some alternative suggestions

Good reply. Thanks. I will consider how I would make it a better system and reply from a device that I can reliably type on. Not this iPad.
 

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
Glad to hear that the Swan is providing the food at this year's Stafford Beer Festival. Should be a very considerable improvement over last year!!
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
We went for the Early diner offer last night and were very impressed with the service we received. Upon arrival we asked for a seat by the window and the waitress shuffled the bookings around to facilitate this.

The waiter who served us was polite and knowledgable about the food and the wine.

The only problem we had was my Thai curry was very oily and my fiancee's calamari salad was warm and soggy. Both dishes were immediately exchanged without question and apologies made. The replacement dishes were fine and a lot better.

A word of warning though - the Early diner offer is FROM £11.50 for 2 courses which I hadn't read correctly and was slightly surprised by the bill. To be fair it does say from £11.50 on the menu.

Finally I've looked at my visa receipt this morning and its got 3p cash back and I haven't got a clue what this is for??
 

Andreas Rex

Banned for smiling
I popped to The Swan for lunch yesterday for lunch with a friend. We shared 2 starters and a pizza and they were all delicious. The total bill came to about £20, which was more than reasonable for the quality and amount of food. It was quite quiet but made for a nice, relaxed afternoon.
 

bully bully

A few posts under my belt
Went for dinner to The Swan tonight.

On the positive side Mrs Bully had a great asparagus starter with a superb dippy egg however my deep fried crab was OK but could have been deep fried anything and not much crab taste. We both had Trio of Beef as a main which was very delicious. Pudding was Kahlua Coffee which were scrummy.

The staff in the restaurant were great, attentive without being intrusive. The 20 minute wait for a cocktail in the bar after dinner though was not good.

On the whole though a great way to spend our 10th Wedding Anniversary.
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
I went out for a meal last night, The Swan was full so we ended up in the Post House - it was ok but I'm not in a hurry to part with so much of my cash for something that was just about ok.
 

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Very mixed bag at the Swan in recent weeks. First things first I adore the place, stayed twice this year and the rooms are fantastic and the breakfasts are the best I've had, let a lone it is a place I frequent when I am in town and will continue to do so.

But one of their steak nights a few weeks back was a disaster for me, I like mine well done it wasn't at all, no big deal. It was taken away only to come out completely stone cold and nothing done to it, the better half enjoyed most of that one which I was less than happy about :) I get the impression it was left on some side in the kitchen before being brought back out.

On a more recent midweek night, a friend stated she called up in the day to save a tune steak (a bit odd, but she only does fish), she was told she wouldn't need to and low and behold no tuna steaks come the evening time, I stayed and had a nice meal, she didn't.

Jubilee night: my g and t was, well I am not sure what it was and neither did anyone else and the ladies' prosseccos were half a wine glass full, which is absurd. I put that down to the gent at the bar training a new staff member. Shame the advertised entertainment at 8.30 was nowhere to be seen 8.58, we weren't staying for long anyway as had to catch a train back home and left at that point, but not the biggest deal just disappointing we were wary of ordering anymore drinks and went elsewhere for cocktails. A shame as we had friends up from London and had travelled down from the Moors to enjoy Stafford, ranting about a place didn't quite hold up on this occasion :(

After booking a delhi picnic for the castle last Friday I awaited for the promised email confirmation of details and payment taken, hence this wasn't forthcoming and I had to make a return call the next day and ask where I had to go to pick up my picnic etc.

None of the above where life threatening and hardly hindered any of my enjoyment of being out and about, just some minor disappointments from what normally has been faultless.
 

ChrisLewis

Well-Known Forumite
Very mixed bag at the Swan in recent weeks. First things first I adore the place, stayed twice this year and the rooms are fantastic and the breakfasts are the best I've had, let a lone it is a place I frequent when I am in town and will continue to do so.

But one of their steak nights a few weeks back was a disaster for me, I like mine well done it wasn't at all, no big deal. It was taken away only to come out completely stone cold and nothing done to it, the better half enjoyed most of that one which I was less than happy about :) I get the impression it was left on some side in the kitchen before being brought back out.

On a more recent midweek night, a friend stated she called up in the day to save a tune steak (a bit odd, but she only does fish), she was told she wouldn't need to and low and behold no tuna steaks come the evening time, I stayed and had a nice meal, she didn't.

Jubilee night: my g and t was, well I am not sure what it was and neither did anyone else and the ladies' prosseccos were half a wine glass full, which is absurd. I put that down to the gent at the bar training a new staff member. Shame the advertised entertainment at 8.30 was nowhere to be seen 8.58, we weren't staying for long anyway as had to catch a train back home and left at that point, but not the biggest deal just disappointing we were wary of ordering anymore drinks and went elsewhere for cocktails. A shame as we had friends up from London and had travelled down from the Moors to enjoy Stafford, ranting about a place didn't quite hold up on this occasion :(

After booking a delhi picnic for the castle last Friday I awaited for the promised email confirmation of details and payment taken, hence this wasn't forthcoming and I had to make a return call the next day and ask where I had to go to pick up my picnic etc.

None of the above where life threatening and hardly hindered any of my enjoyment of being out and about, just some minor disappointments from what normally has been faultless.

Gareth

Many thanks for your valued comments, glad they didn't hinder your nights out in Stafford, but I'm dissapointed that we fell short of our normal standards. Rest assured we'll discuss these points at length and take appropriate action to rectify our shortcomings. However we won't wait until the next jubilee to get our band times correct!

Kind regards

Chris Lewis
 

ChrisLewis

Well-Known Forumite
Don't forget this Wednesday is Stafford GP - should be a great night in town


Schedule

Event Start Time
Stafford College Go-Ride Schools Challenge 17:00
Hand Cycling – Competitor Warm up 17:45
Stafford Borough Council Handcycling Race 18:00
Youth Race – Competitor Warm up 18:45
Henry Burton Cycles Youth Race 18:55
Hibbs Lupus Trust Lupus Lap 19:25
Hot lap for TV 19:45
Pro race Warm Up and Sign On 19:55
Pro race rider gridding 20:25
Claremont Hospital Stafford Grand Prix 20:35
Claremont Hospital Stafford Grand PrixPro Race – Podium Presentation 21:45
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
I’ve got to say the new manager at The Swan is brill, always friendly and attentive, I noticed standards had slipped quite a bit after the other manager left (Luke? Tall, dark hair, glasses) mainly in terms of customer service but also the food went downhill. We used to be regulars on a weekend for a breakfast, after more than a couple of not so great ones we started heading out to Aston Marina, we’ve been back to the Swan about 3 times in the last couple of months for breakfast and it’s been spot on every time. Whatever she’s doing is most definitely working!
 

db

#chaplife
me & ms. db were lucky enough to have booked the week off work when we had that sunny spell a couple of weeks ago, so spent a couple of those days out & about in town.. in between avoiding chuggers and trying not sell our Gold 4 Cash, we popped to the swan for some lunch in the sun..

ber illiant..

ms. db had a cheese & ham toastie on wholemeal, which was lovely, but the club sandwich that i opted for really was unrivalled.. wholemeal bread, lovely quality meat (and it was nice, thick ham-style bacon, rather than fatty, streaky bacon), and fresh, crisp salad.. i love a club sandwich, and this really was one of the best i've had in a long time.. all washed down with a couple of those kopparberg fruity ciders, which are perfect for middle-of-the-day drinking on a sunny day, as they're only about 4%..

monsieur lewis, we will blates be in there again as soon as we have a day off again for more sandwichey goodness :up:

:love: nom
 

ChrisLewis

Well-Known Forumite
Doug Hyde the artist is at The Riverside Gallery on Sunday signing his works, so if your feeling like Breakfast or Lunch visit The Swan!
Sunday Lunch at The Swan.jpg
Sunday Lunch at The Swan.jpg
 

ChrisLewis

Well-Known Forumite
The Swan is now a Titanic Blue RiBand - Inn of Excellence, come and have a look at our lovely plaque in our entrance lobby.
63f4966e1f8111e28d6622000a1fbc43_7.jpg
 
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