tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Just had a slating on tripadvisor, all mentioning an ex member of staff....
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Riverbank Restaurant - Stafford College
- Thread starter flossietoo
- Start date
Stafford College
Well-Known Forumite
Yes. It's very sad that the wonderful students who work there should see their amazing food rated as 'Terrible' and that meals which start at three courses for £8.50 should be seen as offering 'Terrible' value for money. It is undeniably disheartening for the students and for their lecturers, who work enormously hard, take incredible pride in what they do and delight in thrilling their customers. More than that, I will not say.
Perhaps anyone who does get one of the extra tables above, will give the lovely students an extra pat on the back?
Perhaps anyone who does get one of the extra tables above, will give the lovely students an extra pat on the back?
Stafford College
Well-Known Forumite
Thank-you, Proactive. I hope that you are right. It's hard not to mind on behalf of the students and the fantastic team of chef lecturers.
I'm so pleased you got a couple of bookings and am sure you'll have great meals. I can also reassure you, in case you were considering making a chilly dash from the car, we DO have coat racks and have had for months!
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Thanks for that because, to be quite honest, the coat rack issue was weighing heavily on my mind, as I'm sure it must do with most right-thinking people.
As for the quality of the food, never had a bad meal there since I first went in 1982.
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
To be honest I'd worked at the college for at least 2 years before I realised it was open in the daytime to the public!
flossietoo
Well-Known Forumite
That, Biggie G, is because there are quite enough people trying to get tables in the restaurant as it is!
Having read TripAdvisor I am appalled that anyone could possibly criticise the service in Riverbank. I don't even like teenagers and even I have wanted to adopt some of the students working there. They can be a bit nervous but they are polite, enthusiastic and charming. As for the colour scheme in the restaurant, as far as I can remember, the colour is white, isn't it?
Clearly, the reviewers are upset that the staff have changed but it's unforgivable to be nasty about someone, in print, for no reason. The new person was there last time we went. He was kind, lovely with the students and totally professional with us.
There were also a large number of coat racks. I don't remember what colour they were. Perhaps because they were covered with coats.
Having read TripAdvisor I am appalled that anyone could possibly criticise the service in Riverbank. I don't even like teenagers and even I have wanted to adopt some of the students working there. They can be a bit nervous but they are polite, enthusiastic and charming. As for the colour scheme in the restaurant, as far as I can remember, the colour is white, isn't it?
Clearly, the reviewers are upset that the staff have changed but it's unforgivable to be nasty about someone, in print, for no reason. The new person was there last time we went. He was kind, lovely with the students and totally professional with us.
There were also a large number of coat racks. I don't remember what colour they were. Perhaps because they were covered with coats.
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
As I've mentioned I'm possibly biased as I work there, but if I wasn't convinced by what I was saying I'd just stay quiet.
I've eaten there on four occasions now, taking 8 other people with me, and all rate it as one of the best meals they've ever had. The students do an amazing job, the food is incredible and the price is great too. I do admit that one user on trip advisor has a point in that they really didn't make enough of the surroundings, they could have had a glass wall looking onto the castle, but instead went for higher up smaller windows that feel a bit enclosed. But forget the decor, what about the meal? I witnessed a student be entirely professional with me, but then retreat with the card machine because she wasn't sure what to do. The guy in charge told her, and she returned again acting completely professional to finish the transaction exactly as told. This is a training restaurant, they are there to learn, but she seemed to have nailed the service side of things very early on and just needed to learn a few of the technicalities. And that is what they are there to do, I often wonder where they go afterwards as I'd like to visit!
They are students, they are not yet qualified yet are pumping out meals the moat house would be proud of. It is quite disheartening to see the work they do slammed by people that appear to be upset that something outside the students control has happened. Bad mouthing the place because they are upset a member of staff has gone is nonsense, hopefully they will now stop visiting and leave a few more tables for the rest of us!
I've eaten there on four occasions now, taking 8 other people with me, and all rate it as one of the best meals they've ever had. The students do an amazing job, the food is incredible and the price is great too. I do admit that one user on trip advisor has a point in that they really didn't make enough of the surroundings, they could have had a glass wall looking onto the castle, but instead went for higher up smaller windows that feel a bit enclosed. But forget the decor, what about the meal? I witnessed a student be entirely professional with me, but then retreat with the card machine because she wasn't sure what to do. The guy in charge told her, and she returned again acting completely professional to finish the transaction exactly as told. This is a training restaurant, they are there to learn, but she seemed to have nailed the service side of things very early on and just needed to learn a few of the technicalities. And that is what they are there to do, I often wonder where they go afterwards as I'd like to visit!
They are students, they are not yet qualified yet are pumping out meals the moat house would be proud of. It is quite disheartening to see the work they do slammed by people that appear to be upset that something outside the students control has happened. Bad mouthing the place because they are upset a member of staff has gone is nonsense, hopefully they will now stop visiting and leave a few more tables for the rest of us!
Glam
Mad Cat Woman
Tek-monkey, my no2 lad trained at the college a few years ago now (he's 28). He went from the college to The Gatehouse. From there he went to the RAF camp, working in the officers mess. He followed that with a stint at The Wayfarer in Filleybrooks Stone. And now, he is quite happy working at Foston prison. No doubt he will move elsewhere at some point. He has been back to the RAF camp 3 times now.
Withnail
Well-Known Forumite
Stafford forum... to the rescue!I've lived in Stafford for twelve years and nobody has ever mentioned this to me
Perhaps they weren't 'fur coat' specific - nice touch that i thought, it was enough to make me ignore her anyway.
ChrisLewis
Well-Known Forumite
I won't mention my frustration some Monday mornings at reading TripAdvisor reviews, needless to say you read between the lines, take a few learning points from it and then get on with everything else.
More importantly I'll standby the students at the college, they give 100% from my experience of them and considering we have given a the students work experience I feel qualified to make that statement.
Great to see you recognise the quality of The Moat House food at the college, it's only by having such a fantastic partnership with the college that we manage to sustained our business, so it does seem a shame that TripAdvisor has been used as the vehicle of complaint on this occasion.
Keep up the good work Stafford College.
More importantly I'll standby the students at the college, they give 100% from my experience of them and considering we have given a the students work experience I feel qualified to make that statement.
Great to see you recognise the quality of The Moat House food at the college, it's only by having such a fantastic partnership with the college that we manage to sustained our business, so it does seem a shame that TripAdvisor has been used as the vehicle of complaint on this occasion.
Keep up the good work Stafford College.
flossietoo
Well-Known Forumite
Hey it looks as if the last reviewer has picked up her fur coat and left the building. Go College!
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Well the review was a bit odd, mentioned a guy both being there and having left on the same visit. Suspect it was a review covering multiple visits, but why visit multiple times if it's a 1 out of 5 for both food and value?
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Another one star review, yet this time they only went to the office not the actual restaurant! Shame it brings down the overall score but makes the smear campaign more obvious.
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Is there no way of appealing to have the stupid reviews like that one removed?
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Probably, but I'll leave that to the staff involved with TripAdvisor already as it may just confuse things.
I can understand the frustration at turning up to be told they are closed, but from the what I've been told the college did contact all who had left contact details with their bookings. The students can't work without the staff, they are still being trained, I imagine this is very frustrating for them as it is a chance of experience lost.
On the bright side with all these people never returning we may be able to get an evening table again next year!
I can understand the frustration at turning up to be told they are closed, but from the what I've been told the college did contact all who had left contact details with their bookings. The students can't work without the staff, they are still being trained, I imagine this is very frustrating for them as it is a chance of experience lost.
On the bright side with all these people never returning we may be able to get an evening table again next year!
Stafford College
Well-Known Forumite
I tried, Proactive. I pointed out to TripAdvisor that the one on Friday was inaccurate on a large number of grounds as well as being inappropriate. It was taken down for a while but the reviewer is clearly determined to criticise because that review has gone up again, today, very slightly modified.
Tek is quite right. The latest one is actually reviewing a visit to the office. It has already been described as 'helpful'. Presumably by other people who were thinking of dining in the office??
I admit, I'm currently less than bouncy. What do we do? Remove our listing just because of this group of people? I'm leaning towards that because it just isn't fair to have the work of the students and staff caught up in this.
I wish I could review it. I think the place is fantastic and when I am lucky enough to get a table (it's no easier for me than for anyone else!) I am always really proud that I work at the College.
Tek is quite right. The latest one is actually reviewing a visit to the office. It has already been described as 'helpful'. Presumably by other people who were thinking of dining in the office??
I admit, I'm currently less than bouncy. What do we do? Remove our listing just because of this group of people? I'm leaning towards that because it just isn't fair to have the work of the students and staff caught up in this.
I wish I could review it. I think the place is fantastic and when I am lucky enough to get a table (it's no easier for me than for anyone else!) I am always really proud that I work at the College.
Withnail
Well-Known Forumite
Coat is no longer fur.
