Boss responds to customer who called him 'miserable' in scathing review of Wolverhampton pub
A pub goer has left a scathing review of a local pub and its manager, claiming she was served "virtually raw" food.
But the manager of the establishment has hit back by issuing what appears to be a very measured response on Tripadvisor.
The customer, known only as Janet, visited the Oaken Arms near Wolverhampton in June and gave the experience a one-star rating, calling the manager "miserable."
That's despite The Oaken Arms appearing to be a very popular pub with nearly 800 reviews and an overall rating of 3.5.
The establishment seems to get good feedback about its food and service a lot, with two people recently describing their experience "as excellent," one commending the service as "great" and another giving the thumbs up for both - titling their review "great meal and service."
But Janet didn't appear to share those opinions when she visited the pub, apparently not for the first time, earlier this summer, titling her review: "Miserable Manager."
Her full review read: "Booked in for a table today as the manager was unable to find me an adequate table the day before.
"We were hoping for a more pleasant experience than the day before however this was certainly not the case; the food was virtually raw, staff were rushed off their feet and when I asked for the manager to come over the table was greeted with a face of misery."
I can’t fault the other staff on tonight as I eventually received help with my complaint however the management tonight was appalling and were completely at fault for my bad experience," she continued.
The Oaken Arms' general manager, identified only as Mike on Tripadvisor, issued a rather measured response, apologising that Janet "felt the service was not up to standard this particular time."
His full response said: "I'd like to apologise if you felt the service was not up to standard this particular time.
"It is a busy week at The Oaken, and we have been fully booked most of the evenings, so if you have not reserved like you hadn't on Tuesday, then it's pretty difficult for us to find anything for you unfortunately, and likewise if you book and have no requests with that reservation, we allocate any table that is available.
"I have spoken to the supervisor on shift about this evening and we will look to make sure we can avoid any issue again."
"You have visited us on numerous occasions and been very complimentary about our food and service, in particular the lasagne; which we no longer serve on the menu but look to procure from wherever we can upon knowing you are visiting us to further improve your experience," he continued.
"So it is a shame you have chosen this one unfortunate event to leave your first review for us, and the first 1* star of my tenure here as manager, but you have seen us at our best before, and I am sure on your next visit normal service will be resumed and we can get a five star review as redemption."
Reviews like this appear to be very rare for The Oaken Arms, with the majority rating the pub as excellent or very good. The most recent review stated: "Excellent service from Chloe - food and drink reasonably priced in a lovely atmosphere."
Another customer, six days ago, described the experience as "excellent," writing on Tripadvisor: "Without a doubt the best food in the Midlands.
"The atmosphere, the staff are excellent and the menu is varied with the portions filling and satisfying.
"A special mention to Chloe our waitress who was attentive to pur needs and served us in a professional manner with a smile."
"We wil be booking up again very soon," the review continued.
The general manager also appears to respond to a number of customers, whether their reviews are glowing or not.
