Frankie and Benny's

Spooner

Well-Known Forumite
Just wondering if anyone has been to F & B's yet and if so, is it any good?
It has been plonked at The Hough(by the new B & Q).
Reviews welcome.
 

Andreas Rex

Banned for smiling
I went to a Frankie & Benny's in Warwick about 6 years ago, and as expected the food was mediocre at best. They had an offer on cocktails at the time though, so we left with smiles on our faces (and tomato sauce down our t shirts...)
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
I am sure you will have a lovely works do Simon. As it's a chain it's pretty consistent, but rather formulaic and over priced for me.

New Yoik Eyetalian Diner, (if you say it with a Bronx drawl, it works, trust me) in a turn of the beautiful 1920's building, in Stafford, it just isn't right.
 

Biggin

Honourary Staffordian
I dont know, it sounds too much like a kids play barn to me. I appreciate that regeneration is needed in Stafford and it will help employ more people, but do we really need another eatery? Will it take trade off existing outlets and will those businesses cut their labour force in favour of an american style diner?
I don't like american food, Bush, policies on world economics, trade, heavy handed commercial aggression, plastic patriotism and self righteousness, self glorifying, obnoxious attitude towards other cultures and their forms of government. I don't like the lazy way in which they choose to spell Labour, by missing out the U, and other such words.
grrrrrrrr
 

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
F&B's in Liverpool were responsible for the worst meal hubby and I have ever eaten - certaily wouldn't go back / recommend it. Your much better off with Pizza express or even Bella Italia at a push. (and BI is ropey most of the time)
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
Biggin said:
I dont know, it sounds too much like a kids play barn to me. I appreciate that regeneration is needed in Stafford and it will help employ more people, but do we really need another eatery? Will it take trade off existing outlets and will those businesses cut their labour force in favour of an american style diner?
I don't like american food, Bush, policies on world economics, trade, heavy handed commercial aggression, plastic patriotism and self righteousness, self glorifying, obnoxious attitude towards other cultures and their forms of government. I don't like the lazy way in which they choose to spell Labour, by missing out the U, and other such words.
grrrrrrrr
:D

Agree with all the above, but I suspect that F&B's fare is prepared in Kettering by a variey of East European migrant workers, and then blast frozen before being driven to Stafford, blasted in the Microwave, before being flashed in an oven/grill in order to give that authentic New Yoik flava ;).
 

wildwood

Well-Known Forumite
I went there last weekend.

It was very very busy, if you hadn't booked a table there was at least an hours wait. there were people hanging around everywhere. The place looks huge from outside, but inside it's fairly small and cramped when busy, and the bar is tiny.

The drinks are expensive, and they had run out of all tap stuff but one lager when I was there, We switched to bottles, but they ran out of the one were drinking later on too.

Food wise it was pretty nice, meals came relatively quickly, waitress was very friendly and chatty (90% of the female waitresses were hotties!) I had Chicken and BBQ rib which filled the plate nicely, but someone else ordered a Pizza and although the pizza filled the plate, it came with nothing else at all. It was on the thinnest base too, and although by the end it was filling, it cost £7.95 which I thought was pretty steep.

Knock a couple of quid of each of the dishes and I'd say they'd be on to a winner, as it stands now, i don't think I'd be in a rush to go back again.
 

db

#chaplife
i can't wait to get in there and try it out - the menu looks amazing!!

bizarre as it sounds, your review is pretty much all good as far as i'm concerned, wildwood.. the minor niggles you had wouldn't bother me - i don't drink draught lager, i prefer my pizzas with a thin base, and if i ordered a pizza i wouldn't expect anything to come with it (it doesn't in pizza express, for example)!

me and ms. dirtybobby have been salivating over this since it opened, so we're defo going to check it out once the fuss has died down a bit and it's easier to get in.. maybe i've lived in sheffield too long, but i thought the prices look normal for a place like this - about a tenner per main course is exactly the same as you'd find in bella italia/pizza express/cafe uno/etc.. also, they have a lunchtime menu, which is only £7.45 for 3 courses! and some of it sounds divine..
 

victoriab

victoriaboyle.co.uk
The few times I've been to Frankie and Benny's it's been nothing to shout about.
It does seem a shame though that that's what they've done with that building - it didn't deserve to be converted to a chain restaurant!
 

Sofa

I'm a Staffooooooordian
Oh my! The menu does look so creative and original, like nothing I have ever seen before. And the way the vegetarian stuff is marked so clearly, I shall certainly be eating there for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
 

db

#chaplife
Sofa said:
Oh my! The menu does look so creative and original, like nothing I have ever seen before. And the way the vegetarian stuff is marked so clearly, I shall certainly be eating there for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
find me somewhere else in stafford where i can get BBQ chicken & ribs, or chicken parmigana, or sweet-cure bacon steak, or meatball calzone, etc. etc. - all on the same menu.. that's before you even look at their plethora of burgers, pizzas, and pasta dishes..

i think you'll find fairtrade lentil soup and organic humous shakes are a minority market :P
 

Andreas Rex

Banned for smiling
dirtybobby said:
Sofa said:
Oh my! The menu does look so creative and original, like nothing I have ever seen before. And the way the vegetarian stuff is marked so clearly, I shall certainly be eating there for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
find me somewhere else in stafford where i can get BBQ chicken & ribs, or chicken parmigana, or sweet-cure bacon steak, or meatball calzone, etc. etc. - all on the same menu.. that's before you even look at their plethora of burgers, pizzas, and pasta dishes..

i think you'll find fairtrade lentil soup and organic humous shakes are a minority market :P
Yeah...it's horses for courses innit...or is that a different restaurant? :teef:
 

Sir BoD

Well-Known Forumite
gon2seed said:
Agree with all the above, but I suspect that F&B's fare is prepared in Kettering by a variey of East European migrant workers, and then blast frozen before being driven to Stafford, blasted in the Microwave, before being flashed in an oven/grill in order to give that authentic New Yoik flava ;).
Frankie and Benny's is an English creation. It was devised by The Restaurant Group.

Off their site:

Frankie and Benny's celebrate their 10th anniversary this year. Created in 1995, Frankie and Benny's are now open at over 100 locations across the UK. Styled as a fun 1950's Italian American style restaurant, it has cosy booth seating, old black and white photography and a bottle-lined bar in each restaurant, most of which are located on leisure parks.
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
gon2seed said:
I am sure you will have a lovely works do Simon. As it's a chain it's pretty consistent, but rather formulaic and over priced for me.

New Yoik Eyetalian Diner, (if you say it with a Bronx drawl, it works, trust me) in a turn of the beautiful 1920's building, in Stafford, it just isn't right.
gon2seed said:
...but I suspect that F&B's fare is prepared in Kettering by a variey of East European migrant workers, and then blast frozen before being driven to Stafford, blasted in the Microwave, before being flashed in an oven/grill in order to give that authentic New Yoik flava.
Never let it be said I am unfair! Guess where The Venerable Mrs Seed decided to take me for my 45th Birthday feast!

In mitigation, despite all our encouragement, (probably beacuse of it, Ed!) to get our kids to eat heathily, the menu is just the kind of thing they love.

Well we didn't order humble pie, but perhaps I should have! Definitely better than last time I eat at a F&B (which was 4 years ago.), and even though I stand by what I said above, it is what it is, and in that sense, pretty good at what it does. We had an enjoyable meal, and a lovely time. (maybe you shouldn't be such a food snob, Ed!)

I had a Mushroom Calzone, which was good, in a gooey garlicky way, The Venerable Mrs Seed had the veggie nut roast, which sounds awful, but was really interesting and tasty. The kids devoured the Pizzas which were the very thin base kind. All in all we were satisfied, and my expectations were exceeded. Don't know why they don't mark Veggie meals, never seen that for years!

Staff were really friendly, and recieved an appropriate tip, surroundings were a bit naff but comfortable, so I have to give it a rather grudging thumbs up! Take it for what it is, and unless I was just very lucky I don't think you will be disappointed.

Note to self: Yes Ed you're right! I must stop being such a food snob. As the eldest Seedling said, "What's all the fuss about this 'Freshly prepared food', as long as it tastes good, I don't give a stuff!"
 

My Name is URL

Well-Known Forumite
I too have been to F&B's a couple of weeks back.

Can't remember what everyone else in the party had, but I had the 1/2 chicken and 1/2 ribs.... very nice, although the half rack of ribs was a bit on the small side (compared to Damons et al)

However overall my meal was VERY tasty...

Drinks were largly overpriced as I remember although I wasn't paying....

Service was fine, didn't see any hotties though... one yound lad serving there was giving me a few winks though....
 

tekkers

Well-Known Forumite
I went to Frankie & Bennys (Hough Retail Park) a couple of days ago and have to say it was brilliant.

Good vibrant atmosphere, excellent service, really nice meals,

Will definatley go again.
 
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