New pub opening - Hungry Horse in Stafford

[GraphicsMan]

Went in last night for a few drinks and the quiz. Great prizes for the quiz (we won a TV!) but it was roasting inside. The barman said they were having Air Conditioning installed in the coming week or so.

 

[tek-monkey]

Amazed they skimped on it when building the place, it was too hot on a normal day but I dread to think what its like in this weather!

 

[Gramaisc]

Amazed they skimped on it when building the place, it was too hot on a normal day but I dread to think what its like in this weather!

I was struggling in there last Sunday evening and I was sat by an open door...

 

[bpelectric]

Amazed they skimped on it when building the place, it was too hot on a normal day but I dread to think what its like in this weather!

Not really, like most chains they have a set foot print of plans.
They set a price for a build and the architect draws up the plans.
The only extras they allow are things such as ground works, some thing no body can say is the same on every build.
Plus we only have this weather for a few weeks maybe a couple of months a year.

 

[photography_bloke]

Went in for the first time on Friday - not bad really, very quick service, food what I would have expected for the type of place, although apparently the salad bar was out of action due to the heat

It was warm inside - the barman said that the air con was going to be installed in the next few weeks, but apparently they keep being told that...

 

[tek-monkey]

In the hope it will cool down!

 

[proactive]

Well when I went not long after it opened it was a cold day outside and it was still bloody hot inside the place.

People will accept being told that the air-conditioning is coming for only so long before they go elsewhere.

 

[Andreas Rex]

If your senses are numbed enough to make you think this is a good place to eat, then the heat will not be a problem.

 

[tek-monkey]

I challenge you to find me a better place where I can ignore the children for a bit

Seriously though, it's not a restaurant. It's a child feeding station where you can get a beer, and scarily it is the best food of any of them reachable without a car. I've been several times, and every time got very confused that some people in there weren't with kids when the likes of pastiche were in spitting distance.

 

[PeterD]

Its ok food for the sort of place it is, they have some good deals on and you can always find a voucher to use. We had our second visit there yesterday and had steak and chips, it was pretty good for a chain pub. Lots of kids but its not a dealbreaker for me when eating.

 

[littleme]

I dont understand why anyone would take kids there - tiny outside play area where unless you bagsey one of the 2 nearest tables you cant even see your kid! I would rather go to Radford Bank where at least I can see what shes doing...

I take my daughter to Pastiche Tek, they have no problem with (well behaved) kids

 

[United57]

Tek "ignore the kids" that's the issue parents who ignore the kids and they bother others.

 

[tek-monkey]

I had a winky face!

Again though, why go there if you don't have kids when there are so many better places to eat for similar money? Well, unless its a quantity over quality thing, they do serve large portions. The red hill has better play facilities but the food is worse than a drive through Maccy D's, plus its a trek without a car. The HH is the only place kids can do something other than sit at the table within easy walking distance of the town centre.

 

[PeterD]

As a side note on sunday they first seated us in an area that equated to to a conservatory but were happy to find us a different table when I asked.

 

[United57]

I wish we had more places with this policy http://www.oldfishermansgrotto.com/childrenspolicy.htm

 

[tek-monkey]

Lots of pubs wont allow kids in at all, restaurants have it a bit more difficult though as it would alienate a large customer base. I can certainly understand the no high chairs and strollers, they get in the way, but no booster chairs means no small kids at all so again you've lost a proportion of your customers. If that works for you then great, in a large town/city you can get enough trade to do this.

General rule of thumb I use is if I don't want to see lots of children I don't go to a place that has a childrens menu.

 

[United57]

It's not the kids, it's parents who let them run riot, pay no attention to them whilst they get get stuck in to the ale.

 

[tek-monkey]

Again, there are pubs they can't go to. Use them, they may need the trade or they'll start letting kids in too. You get the places you want by spending money in the ones you have, if something is profitable someone will cater for it.

Yet again though, the drinks are below par and the food is just canteen stuff. I have no idea why anyone without kids would go there? What is it you go for that someone else could do in a child free environment and profit from?

 

[tek-monkey]

Also I'm all for discretion, let the good kids in but not the bad, but again that is something no chain pub will do and only the single business type will. Support your local, the Greyhound for example very rarely has kids in at all and even then they are well behaved. At least when I've been in anyway!

 

[Floss]

Pubs aren't the same anymore anyone remember sitting outside with a bottle of Vimto with a paper straw you couldn't get the drink up and a packet of crisps? Great days! There was a sense of mystery about pubs then and you couldn't wait to reach 18 so you could go into one and order you first legal drink. Nowadays kids see and experience a lot of things adults do, there isn't such a great divide anymore between being a child and being an adult. I think the idea of dining out together as a family is great but should they be called pubs and serve alcohol? Monkey see monkey do and all that, why not call them family diners or something and have the pubs for the adults where they can relax and enjoy a drink and not expose the children too early to this environment children aren't children long enough anymore they grow up far too quickly.