Pie And Ale Shut?

[Jade-clothing]

I'm surprised that other Stafford traders have not recognised the value of the forum as Randles has.

If some posted a special offer here on occasion, I'm sure it would help them.

I think you will find Mr. Grigson that I've used the forum to its full potential from a promotion point of view I LOVE the forum both from a business and personal point of view.

 

[Jade-clothing]

There's a few more places that I fear that we might be missing in the not-too-distant future..

Although, I hope not.

What's your best guess for the next to close down?

I'm reluctant to add to their problems by proclaiming my opinion of specific peoples' difficulties on here.

That's a good point G.

 

[loveatfirstbite]

you cant have enough cake G!!

 

[Gramaisc]

you cant have enough cake G!!

I've still got Christmas cake!

 

[gdavies]

you cant have enough cake G!!

will bear that in mind thanks,

Sad times to see the pie an ale house gone though if it has now ceased to trade

 

[Fordian]

I have a friend that works there who wasn't paid in their last few weeks of employment and from the sounds of it the owner was using the place as his personal piggy bank and then had fled to Turkey

 

[Your Round]

While most of your comments are supportive of the Pie and Ale House i would like to give you all a post from the point of view of the staff who have worked there for the last 6 months.

We can all complain about the lack of ales or quality of the pies and standard of service from the staff but unless you have actually worked in the environment they had its unfair to make negative statements.

For a long time now staff have been paid late and have watched custom drop while Christmas approached and no one had any money. You cannot buy ale or bottled cider if you dont have to money to do so, although its hard to know there was a fridge full of bottles if you have not been in.

For a number of months now the staff have been working under the immense pressure of knowing they could be out of work and unable to pay their bills given that there are not many jobs in Stafford, It is difficult to remain happy and motivated while under that much pressure.

One of the owners is local but has never had any actual input into the running of the business, the other went back to Turkey in September and hasnt been back since.

If every person who has made a comment either good or bad had continued to visit the pub then it may still be open now. It is a first class venue especially for functions upstairs and the staff would be really upset to read some of the comments that have been written as they did care more that you obviously realise but could only do their best with what they had.

Yes its true that things have slipped a little but as i said its hard to maintain a MacDonalds smile when you havnet been paid and know if you dont carry on theres no chance you will be. The management team were not the owners and as such had no financial control which has not helped but at the same time its also unfair to comment that one of the owners has fled and spent the money because this is not what has happened.

The closure was sudden although not totally unexpected but this does not take us away from the fact there are 7 people both managers and front of house staff who now do not have jobs and cannot pay their bills because they will not be paid on the next pay day.

The economy is to blame for most of the independant traders closing none of us have spare cash any more so we are watching were we spend.

While you are all chatting about the Pie and Ale and any of the other unfortunate businesse that have closed spare a thought for the guys who have no jobs, the suppliers who wont get paid and have lost business the general knock on effect.

If the comments had been passed to the pub while it was open they would have had chance to try to put things right at the time.

The phrase bolted gate comes to mind.

 

[andy w]

Thanks Your Round for your post and a view of an insider how the P&A was run, whenever a business closes there is always a human cost that tends to get overlooked.
Yes you are right when you say that customers should give honest feedback to the staff/management of an establishment but alot of people feel arkward or embarresed when asked how everything is and say it's fine when it clearly hasn't been.
Iv'e been a member of Stafford Forum for a few months and a lurker for a good few months before that and enjoy the varied posts and topics that are posted on here and I do wonder how much notice is taken by what is posted on here. As I post there is 7 registered users and 53 guests online and it makes me wonder how many people browse this site over the week.
I say this because I believe you need to be responsible when you make a post, of course make a honest opinion of your experiance but understand that people do take on board what is written. There is much debate about how Tripadvisor reviews can make or break businesses and increasingly the internet is forming opinion on the merits of products and services.
I believe that the vast majority of posters are positive and want to see businesses in Stafford sucseed and proprieters have done well out of being on here.

 

[ATJ]

Of course it's a shame whenever a venture closes, especially one that people liked as much as P&A. However, this is the second time that someone related to the closed business has come on to Stafford Forum and basically said that we're not allowed to say bad things about it because of the human cost, because people tried really hard and because it's our fault it closed because we didn't spend enough money.

Yes, it's not fair on the staff. Yes, it's a real shame that people tried really hard and lost a lot of money. Yes it's a bit circular that people stop coming, so you stop being able to afford good ale, so people stop coming etc.

Either way, people are entitled to their opinion and I would hope that the owners of these establishments would learn from them instead of lashing out at their old customers or feebly blaming the economy.

 

[gdavies]

its a shame for the staff who were in there serving customer and putting on a brave face for the public and yet were not getting paid if that is the case, i took my wife in for her birthday and had no idea the state the pie an ale house was in.

A shame the forum was not used in the run up to the closure people may of gone in more to support the hard working staff, alas little too late now though

 

[tek-monkey]

While most of your comments are supportive of the Pie and Ale House i would like to give you all a post from the point of view of the staff who have worked there for the last 6 months.

We can all complain about the lack of ales or quality of the pies and standard of service from the staff but unless you have actually worked in the environment they had its unfair to make negative statements.

I agree with most of that, apart from it being unfair to make negative statements. If we can't say the negative things we can't tell the truth, so it's pointless saying anything at all. I used to love the place, I'm not sure which member of staff you are (and I fully appreciate the forums anonymity rule) but if you've been there a while its only the last few months I've stopped visiting. You may know me, depends how long you've been there.

For a long time now staff have been paid late and have watched custom drop while Christmas approached and no one had any money. You cannot buy ale or bottled cider if you dont have to money to do so, although its hard to know there was a fridge full of bottles if you have not been in.

I agree you can't buy it without money, but you can't make a sale without a product. Vicious circle, and how many times do you lend money before deciding its not working? I had been in recently though, maybe 3 weeks ago, and was told yet again that you wouldn't be stocking the drinks I liked anymore. Sorry, but thats me out. Much as I loved the place I don't earn enough to spend money on drinks I don't enjoy

If every person who has made a comment either good or bad had continued to visit the pub then it may still be open now. It is a first class venue especially for functions upstairs and the staff would be really upset to read some of the comments that have been written as they did care more that you obviously realise but could only do their best with what they had.

Agreed, but you can't make people spend money. You need to offer something others don't to stay afloat, or make your target market so large that you will always get an overspill from the other venues. That avenue is also dangerous though, as people form less of a bond with the place and its just another pub.

Yes its true that things have slipped a little but as i said its hard to maintain a MacDonalds smile when you havnet been paid and know if you dont carry on theres no chance you will be. The management team were not the owners and as such had no financial control which has not helped but at the same time its also unfair to comment that one of the owners has fled and spent the money because this is not what has happened.

The closure was sudden although not totally unexpected but this does not take us away from the fact there are 7 people both managers and front of house staff who now do not have jobs and cannot pay their bills because they will not be paid on the next pay day.

The economy is to blame for most of the independant traders closing none of us have spare cash any more so we are watching were we spend.

While you are all chatting about the Pie and Ale and any of the other unfortunate businesse that have closed spare a thought for the guys who have no jobs, the suppliers who wont get paid and have lost business the general knock on effect.

If the comments had been passed to the pub while it was open they would have had chance to try to put things right at the time.

The phrase bolted gate comes to mind.

Maybe I'm in a minority, but we did ask on many occasions. Crisps would have helped a lot, we like crisps, but despite a brief appearance they soon went again. I liked the pies but never fancied a whole one, and I had to be in the right mood for the cold meat platter. My usual problem - the ciders - I asked on many visits and was told a few times you'd run out but later that Bulmers was all you'd stock now.

Still, its all a bit moot now. I wish you all well in your search for new employment, its not a good time to be unemployed

 

[Jade-clothing]

I think we have all agreed its a great shame that the Pie and ale has closed down - but I don't remember any posts criticising the staff - I, for one, think the staff were great - and were till the end. From my own point of view though - after 2 or 3 disappointing visits - which were entirely down to the quality of the food/drinks being served and NOT the staff - I didn't go back again and I'm not sure I would have done even to show support to an ailing business. I'm very sorry you have all lost your jobs and do feel for you but I dont tend to frequent places once I've had a visit I wasn't happy with. I did give it 2 more chances after the first disappointment and agree we could all maybe have mentioned we felt standards weren't up to scratch but it's difficult once you have been friendly with the owners and also it wouldn't really have made any difference if anyone had complained if there were lack of funds - would it?

 

[Admin]

Hi Your Round, welcome to The Forum.

If every person who has made a comment either good or bad had continued to visit the pub then it may still be open now.

In fairness, I think you'll find most of the people have! Stafford Forum has been a huge supporter of The Pie & Ale house, and many of us have met both of the owners, as well as the other staff, on more than one occasion.

Please read the main Pie & Ale House Stafford thread for a full history of The Forum's relationship with the place. With over 61,000 views and nearly 1,000 messages posted, it is one of the longest threads on Stafford Forum!

Suffice to say, we're all very sorry to see it go.

 

[Kingy]

While most of your comments are supportive of the Pie and Ale House i would like to give you all a post from the point of view of the staff who have worked there for the last 6 months.

We can all complain about the lack of ales or quality of the pies and standard of service from the staff but unless you have actually worked in the environment they had its unfair to make negative statements.

For a long time now staff have been paid late and have watched custom drop while Christmas approached and no one had any money. You cannot buy ale or bottled cider if you dont have to money to do so, although its hard to know there was a fridge full of bottles if you have not been in.

For a number of months now the staff have been working under the immense pressure of knowing they could be out of work and unable to pay their bills given that there are not many jobs in Stafford, It is difficult to remain happy and motivated while under that much pressure.

One of the owners is local but has never had any actual input into the running of the business, the other went back to Turkey in September and hasnt been back since.

If every person who has made a comment either good or bad had continued to visit the pub then it may still be open now. It is a first class venue especially for functions upstairs and the staff would be really upset to read some of the comments that have been written as they did care more that you obviously realise but could only do their best with what they had.

Yes its true that things have slipped a little but as i said its hard to maintain a MacDonalds smile when you havnet been paid and know if you dont carry on theres no chance you will be. The management team were not the owners and as such had no financial control which has not helped but at the same time its also unfair to comment that one of the owners has fled and spent the money because this is not what has happened.

The closure was sudden although not totally unexpected but this does not take us away from the fact there are 7 people both managers and front of house staff who now do not have jobs and cannot pay their bills because they will not be paid on the next pay day.

The economy is to blame for most of the independant traders closing none of us have spare cash any more so we are watching were we spend.

While you are all chatting about the Pie and Ale and any of the other unfortunate businesse that have closed spare a thought for the guys who have no jobs, the suppliers who wont get paid and have lost business the general knock on effect.

If the comments had been passed to the pub while it was open they would have had chance to try to put things right at the time.

The phrase bolted gate comes to mind.

I am desperately sorry for the job losses that have occured as a result of the closure of the Pie and Ale. I would imagine that much of the Pie and Ale's customer base was made up people from the forum. Nobody wants to see people made unemployed but I cannot agree with all of the comments made here. It is absolutely essential that negative comments are made on a forum like this or any review site. I for one base many of my decisions to visit food and drink establishments based on the comments made on here for Stafford pubs and restaurants and Tripadvisor for the rest of the country and abroad. If I am going to spend my money I want to know that it is going to be on something decent and review sites give a good indicator as to whether this is going to be the case. What is also important is that the owners of these establishments actively make a point of checking comments made by their customers and respond to any criticism. Surely if there was a drop in customers that would suggest something wasn't right and that they needed enticing back in some way. If you don't use it you lose it is true but owners of food and drink establishments need to be more proactive in making sure that they encourage customers to visit more often. More communication is needed on both sides and this and other review sites are an excellent way to have that dialogue. If people on the forum had been made aware of this sooner something could have been done about it in the short term if not the long term.

Sadly the phrase bolted gate also comes to my mind.

 

[AndyST17]

Very sorry to see PandA go, was looking forward to the evening on 25th.

 

[Withnail]

If every person who has made a comment either good or bad had continued to visit the pub then it may still be open now.

In fairness, I think you'll find most of the people have! Stafford Forum has been a huge supporter of The Pie & Ale house...

Please read the main Pie & Ale House Stafford thread for a full history of The Forum's relationship with the place. With over 61,000 views and nearly 1,000 messages posted, it is one of the longest threads on Stafford Forum!

N.B. The last comment on the ^Pie & Ale House thread is from November of last year - the last from anyone connected to it from October of last year.

I wouldn't for one moment suggest that the forum in itself could've kept the place afloat, but when the management were fully engaged in communicating what was going on (new menus, events etc), and in taking on board ideas and comments from people on here, things were quite groovy.

Then it sort of slipped off the radar - lack of communication may have translated to a lack of interest, we will never know...

Suffice to say, we're all very sorry to see it go.

Amen, brothers and sisters.

 

[Gramaisc]

The PandA House was a really special place. We shall not see its like again. It is the only place in this country where I have ever gone out on my own. To just walk up to the bar and say 'Give me a pint of something that I'll like' is something that I don't expect to do here again for a while. All of the staff that ever worked there were top notch.

This is the end of an era - but I'm glad that I saw it, while it was here.

 

[sybil29]

This is all very sad news if true. I have sampled a couple of times and always lovely.

Times are tough for businesses all round and think we should support as many as we can to keep our people in jobs!

 

[Lesley]

I had my other halfs suprise 40th here and it was great. Not only has a great venue closed but yet another customer of The Brand Warehouse gone.

I really wish the guys and staff well.

 

[Gramaisc]

Not only has a great venue closed but yet another customer of The Brand Warehouse gone.

Ah, the uniforms were yours? I remember being told that they were 'locally sourced'...