Two mothers recently left blistering reviews for Sam’s Chop House, a historic Manchester pub, after a less-than-welcoming family dining experience. The mums visited the pub, known for its roast dinners since 1868, with their kids in tow. But things went south when the staff asked them to turn down the volume on their children’s iPads.
Heidi S, one of the mums, vented on Tripadvisor about the “disgusting service” they received. She wrote that the family was surprised by the lack of a kids’ menu, insufficient highchairs, and a no-pram policy. The final straw was when the staff requested, they quiet the iPads, which the mums insisted weren’t even loud. “We had to entertain them with iPads because the restaurant didn’t provide anything for children to do like usual restaurants, not even food menus for them!,” Heidi added, feeling thoroughly unwelcome.
Joanne S, the other mum, backed up Heidi’s claims, saying the roast dinner wasn’t worth the trouble. Meanwhile, Roger Ward, the pub’s boss, admitted the visit didn’t go smoothly and promised improvements. “
We do try, if we have got something wrong, we try to make it right. We take all complaints seriously and genuinely try to improve from it.”
“We didn’t perform that shift at our best, but have taken significant steps on all the issues they’ve raised and we thank the customers for raising them.” he explained, acknowledging that a high number of children visiting that day contributed to the chaos.
Ward also mentioned that the request to lower the iPad volume came after complaints from other diners, insisting they aim to be a family-friendly spot. The pub offers smaller portions of their adult meals to cater to children, even if there isn’t a dedicated kids’ menu.
