The Crabtree

Extensive pub menu food, with good vegetarian options. Amy, the manager is very personable and welcoming, and seating is well spaced. Plenty of parking provision. Now one of our regular eateries of choice.

We wanted to try Crabtree for a while, and taking advantage of the good weather and their nice outside space. Food was delicious, portions are spot on, service is fast, and everyone is very nice and polite. Definitely recommend, and will return. Food was so good that I forgot to take pictures of, just the drinks 🤣

We visited around early afternoon. Spacious sitting area, clean tables and nice parking facility. The chef must have had a bad day today. Ordered some burgers, the patty was very hard, dry and no juice at all; the edges of the patty were burnt that I had to leave it out. Other food was alright. They were served very quickly as well.
Waiter/bar tender (with tattoo) didn’t want to be there, I think 🤔 He didn’t look happy at all. No smile, no friendly service. It’s difficult to enjoy the food/service when staff members don’t look happy!
I will visit again to give another chance because in the past my experience have been not bad actually.

Even though the pub was empty inside they still wouldn't allow children, even older children up to 17, inside in the middle of the afternoon.
Outside hardly any of the tables had parasols on, on a hot day, so we had to sit facing the main road in the shaded area near the entrance. Service was very slow.
Food was cooked very well though.
Not really set up for families like other Ember Inns are.

Great service, tasty food, well priced with large variety of choice. Good sized outdoor seating area and U shape car park around the restaurant.

Well I read the reviews, some good some bad..
Well here's mine. Car park OK pub with a veranda at the front tables and chairs so nice for evening pint so if it rains you can watch it fall. Small area for your little ones fenced. Pleasing place as you walk in and nicely decorated. Taken to our table. Not to busy tonight but it's holiday season and kids go back tomorrow. We had to make our order at the bar although the table number stated order and pay at the table, but that's OK. Drinks did not take long to arrive and was fresh. The food we had ordered was quick also, but we had not been given cutlery which seemed odd. Food was hot and cooked well as expected my group was happy. We ordered afters and was really nice. My only grip although we had booked the table wasn't laid for our arrival which it should of been. Don't serve food before the cutlery. Staff we're friendly but not over powering which again was different. But if there busy senior management should look at your reviews and improve open them. I will say worth a visit food was excellent so was the drinks.

Unfriendly and very unwelcoming staff.

Absolutely appalling customer service received today especially from the so called manager named Amy.

On a previous visit I ordered the surf and turf which included in the meal is garlic prawns (pretty self explanatory when you order a surf & turf you expect to have included the steak & prawns) when my steak was brought out there was no prawns.

When I questioned the waitress where my garlic prawns were she wanted to charge me an extra £3 for the missing prawns which should’ve been included with my meal.

Nowhere on the menus does it state that you have to pay extra for the prawns. When I questioned the waitress who served me, her response was to roll her eyes at me and she became quite argumentative.

I asked for the manager who came over and when I explained the issue she wasn’t bothered at all by the customer service I received.

On today’s visit with my husband, again I ordered the surf and turf. When he placed the order he wanted to clarify with the server about the prawns and explained to her what had happened on our previous visit, she tried to put the order through then said she had to ask her manager as the till was requesting to charge an extra £3 for the garlic prawns. When the manager came over my husband was explaining what had happened on our previous visit and asked if she remembered, to which her response was that she did. She then asked my husband to “tone it down”.

At no point was my husband rude or aggressive with his manner, both myself and my husband laughed and questioned what she was saying in regards to “toning it down” as we were quite confused as to why she would say that. Her aggressive response was “not to my staff”

My husband then said he would pay for our drinks as we had set up a tab and we would leave it at that and not order food. We chose to drink our drinks outside but before leaving said to the manager we were shocked and appalled at her customer service, her response was to put her hand towards us and say she is not speaking to us or for us to to not speak to her.

We took our drinks and sat outside and contacted Mitchell & Butlers who actually own the pub to make them aware of the customer service we received.

Whilst I was on the phone to head office I went inside to ask for a menu and the manager’s response to me with a very bad attitude was “I thought you were leaving” again I asked for a menu and mentioned to her that I was on the phone to head office and was absolutely appalled by her behaviour and customer service skills that she lacked on. She then put her hand up towards me and said to not speak to her. Again, I told her how bad her customer service skills were and left still whilst on the phone to head office who dealt with my complaint efficiently.

Her customer service skills are appalling, she clearly needs training. She clearly didn’t have good management skills whatsoever!

Not one to normally complain, but no acknowledgement from staff when we ordered drinks and it was empty.. when we did get served staff were rude. I appriciate how stressful this time of year is but if it means it annoys someone so much they feel the need to review it might be worth popping a smile on.