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Pub owner’s brutal response to ‘entitled toddler’ customer who complained after ‘spending £700’
They might have deserved it though…
One pub customer, after attending The Cowshed at Hucknall, took to Facebook to leave a scathing review of the restaurant and its staff, only they weren’t ready for the owner’s response.
The woman, known as Jo, ‘checked in’ to the restaurant on Facebook to give a long complaint about the service she and her family received while celebrating her sister-in-law’s 50th birthday.
But the owner’s reply to the review provided an eye-opening insight in to what might have actually happened that night, including the party being sick and not abiding by social distancing rules.
Jo’s review began: “Went here yesterday for sister in laws 50th lovely little bar – spent approx £700 between us on drinks and pizza – to be served by some members of staff with awful attitude – to be told we must drink up and leave can’t come back because one member of our party was too drunk.”
The woman continued: “To be them apologised to because someone had told them we were all too drunk – take in to account the money we had spent – to be them told half an hour later the owners wanted us out as we had stood up – bearing in mind we were stood up next to our table away from anyone else…
“…and that we were barred – didn’t mind taking the £700 though I have never been spoken to in such a way / maybe they should open reviews and yes our family member was sick and YES WE CLEANED IT UP – so no members if staff were affected by this…
“…maybe a course for your staff in customer service wouldn’t go amiss – rude staff huffing and puffing because they had a large round to bring out !!! [sic]”
It’s quite the review and anyone who has ever worked in customer service has probably dreaded the moment they would get one like this. Any small business owner knows the damage such a review can do.
With that in mind, the owners and team behind The Cowshed did not hold back in their response.
They quickly put to bed the accusation of ‘spending £700’, by explaining to reach that amount the family would have to order 77 of the most expensive pizzas on the menu or 115 double gin and mixers.
The response said: “So let’s split the difference, seeing as you had spend the ‘£700’ on both pizzas and drinks.. you and your party would have to have ordered 39 of our most expensive pizzas and 57 of our most expensive drinks to have spent £700 at our bar. You ordered no where near this, Jo… not even close.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, the owners literally pulled out the receipts to prove it.
Adding: “So seeing as you are having trouble with your memory & maths, I went over our point of sale system this afternoon for you, along with viewing our footage of your party on CCTV and our copy of your receipts. What you & your party spent, Jo was a far more realistic and believable £280 (£225 on 5 rounds of drinks and £55 on 8 pizzas).
“If you are going to lie, embellish or try to fabricate a ridiculous narrative about your time at our bar… at least make it a believable one.”
The Cowshed, which has a five star rating on TripAdvisor, also had something to say about the claims their staff needed a ‘course in customer service’, and instead took to holding Jo and her party accountable for their behaviour towards staff and fellow diners.
The pub said: “With the ironic exception of the young adults that were in your group and one or two others, you all acted like belligerent, entitled little toddlers from the moment you walked through our gates.
“We allowed members of your party to bring in food from other venues to circumvent their food allergies. We cleaned up all the smashed pint glasses you broke and birthday cake you dropped and smeared all over our tables & benches, and tolerated the many loud family rows you were having with each other.
“Rather than treat our staff like human beings that are just trying to earn a wage, you decided to treat them like your own personal servants, clicking your fingers, shouting, swearing and barking your orders at them, to the point one was almost in tears and refused to deal with you any more.
“You were the loudest, most obnoxious group in the whole bar, just being a nuisance in general and other customers were starting to complain about you at this point. Then, for your party’s grand finale, the gentleman in the blue shirt headed into our bar from outside and decided to vomit everywhere but the toilet.
“Our staff stepped into to help, but you demanded to ‘deal with the situation’ and rather than clean up the mess, proceeded to smear it over an even wider area with our mop, whilst… once again, being loud, rude, sticking your hand in our staff’s faces and shouting over anybody who was trying to communicate with you or help.”
The restaurant went onto explain why they have reviews turned off on social media – as it only gives one side of the story.
They also added that Jo wasn’t barred on the evening, despite ‘clicking fingers, shouting, swearing and barking orders at the staff’, which lead one member of the team to tears.
They explained: “We don’t bar paying customers on a whim. You could have come back, apologised, been given the ‘don’t let it happen again’ speech we’ve all had at one point or another and we’d have all moved on, but no… instead you ran straight to the internet, played victim, and told a pack of lies.”
But it was bad news for Jo in the end anyway as the owners added: “So now consider this your official barring… don’t you or your group ever set foot through our doors again.”
The team ended the post with a statement that said the team ‘won’t be making any more comments or responding on this thread’, and that as far as they were concerned ‘the matter is now over’.
The response, littered with sarcasm, has racked up a few supporters with one person saying: “Congratulations Cowshed, you have won the internet today!”.
Another added: “Coming from a hospitality background having worked in many pubs and restaurants reviews like this can be so damaging and most of time (no one is perfect) extremely untrue and made up! When people read reviews like this they believe that the customer is right.”
A Facebook user added: “Read the review online & omg you nailed it, no establishment should have to deal with selfish morans [sic] like that…my guess is it’s going to give you more publicity. Well done guys”
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Once-in-a-lifetime ‘Mother of Dragons’ green comet set to be visible in UK skies tonight
Don’t forget to look up tonight!
A huge green comet dubbed the ‘Mother of Dragons’ is set to be visible in UK skies tonight, and here’s how you can see it.
A green giant – not the sweetcorn kind – is currently visible in the sky over the northern hemisphere, and this spectacular glowing rock can be seen shooting past us this evening (April 4th).
There’s a lot of cosmic goings on in the skies at the moment as North America prepares to witness a solar eclipse next week, plunging it into darkness for a moment.
Unfortunately, us Brits won’t be able to witness that one but the Mother of Dragons comet will certainly be an extraordinary spectacle to witness, and will look a bit like the Green Goblin is zooming past us high up in the sky.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has a nucleus approximately 10.5 miles (17 kilometres) wide – about the size of a city – and is thought to be bright enough to see with the naked eye, although astronomers advise using binoculars to get the best views.
The comet will be visible for the first time since 1954 and only passes by every 71 years.
It has been given its nickname because ESA researchers believe it is the parent body of the kappa-Draconids meteor shower, and of course it’s a cool pop-culture reference to Game of Thrones.
The comet also used to appear to have a pair of horns but they have gone now.
It is comprised of ice, dust and rock and looks green due to the presence of diatomic carbon molecules, which emit emerald-coloured light when illuminated by the sun.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is referred to as explosive due to its volatile activity as it is known for its spectacular outbursts of gas and dust.
The comet will reach its closest point to Earth in June 2024. However, by this time, it won’t be possible to observe the comet from the northern hemisphere. Late March and early April will offer the best opportunities.
If you’re an avid stargazer, astronomer in the making or would just like a chance to see this magnificent ancient rock light up the night sky, you will need to head out to higher ground away from light pollution where possible. Clear skies are best and binoculars may help you get the best views of this cosmic marvel.
Gregory Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told the MailOnline: “The comet can now be found in the constellation of Aries which is visible in the early evening, over in the west.
“It will only become visible after twilight and sets by around 10pm BST.
“While it may be possible to see with the unaided eye, it is best to try and observe with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.”
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks won’t be returning to our night skies until 2095, so make sure not to miss out on this one!
The rain may seem relentless but brighter days are coming for Manchester as the city is set to get hotter than Los Angeles later this week.
This rainy metropolis will enjoy a little break from the April showers as a mini heatwave is coming to kick start beer garden season.
So, dig out your shorts and leave your jacket at home as temperatures begin to soar from Friday afternoon, reaching 18C on Saturday – which will be hotter than LA in the Golden State of California.
As Friday afternoon (April 5th) approaches, the sun will make an appearance between any breaks in the clouds and temperatures will peak at 16C, according to BBC Weather.
And with sunset not until 7.52pm, there will be just enough time to visit a pub garden and enjoy a couple of mojitos to get you in the mood for the weekend.
On Saturday April 6th, Manchester will start off cloudy but into the late morning temperatures will begin to rise and Mancunians will get to enjoy sunny intervals with temperatures reaching highs of 18C, as meteorologists predict ‘above average’ conditions for this time of year.
However, the rollerbladers on Venice Beach will only experience temperatures of 15C. But while Los Angeles might be a little cooler than Manchester, it will still remain sunny while Mancs will have to put up with the odd shower here and there.
The Met Office’s outlook for Friday and Saturday reads: “Low pressure remaining dominant through this period, with further heavy showers and longer spells of rain.
“Turning increasingly windy too, though temperatures above average for the time of year.”
Now, we know it won’t be perfect weather but it will make a nice change from the constant freezing temperatures we’ve been having. A nice spell of warmth and sunshine on the weekend isn’t too shabby afterall.
No doubt we’ll all be flocking to our nearest beaches, nature spots and having a BBQ this weekend!
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Greater Manchester dominates top ten UK Vaping Capitals, according to research
Four Greater Manchester areas made the top 10 list of vaping hotspots
Greater Manchester dominates the list of Vaping Capitals of the UK, according to new research.
Wherever you go, you don’t have to walk far before you enter a sweet-smelling hazy cloud of vapour and feel as if you’re a contestant on Stars In Their Eyes.
Young people are vaping on the tram, your mate can barely construct a sentence without inhaling some of the battery-powered, synthetic cherry flavoured smoke, and every other stranger on the street is blowing out a cloud big enough to conceal an aircraft.
Replacing the old habit of cigarette smoking, it now seems as if vaping is taking over just about everywhere.
Online vape store Go Smoke Free, used GOV.UK’s Companies House advanced search feature to find businesses registered for the retail sale of tobacco products in specialised stores in the UK.
It then compared the number of these active businesses to each town or city’s population size to construct a list of the top 10 UK Vaping Capitals.
Unfortunately, Greater Manchester dominates the list of the UK’s Vaping Capitals with four areas named.
According to the research, Blackburn is ranked as the UK’s vaping capital, with 27 registered vape retailers serving its population of 119,707 residents. When accounting for population size, this equates to 22.56 vape shops per 100,000 residents – the largest figure for any UK town or city.
Second on the list is Bolton in Greater Manchester, with 20.26 vape shops registered per 100,000 residents in the town. Bolton has 41 registered vape shops in total serving its 202,369 residents.
Manchester ranks third, with 110 vape shops in total. However, the city’s larger population ensures this works out to 19.84 registered vape retailers per 100,000 residents.
Further down the list, Middlesbrough ranks fourth. Located in North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough has 12.43 vape shops per 100,000 residents. The town has 22 registered vape shops serving its 176,991 residents.
Rounding out the top five is Salford in Greater Manchester, which has a total of 14 registered vape shops, equivalent to 12.03 shops per 100,000 residents.
And Stockport ranks sixth, with 10.91 vape retailers per 100,000 residents.
A spokesperson for Go Smoke Free said: “Disposable vapes have gained popularity in recent years, due to their convenience, portability and low cost, which has made them an attractive option for those who would otherwise have been unlikely to invest in a more complex vaping setup.”
They continued: “The new disposable vape ban should help to discourage children from taking up vaping, while encouraging adults to shift to more sustainable alternatives, such as refillable vapes.
“This study highlights which areas of the UK are most likely to be affected by the upcoming ban on selling disposable vapes. The Greater Manchester area boasts its fair share of stores catering to vapers’ needs, with Blackburn, Bolton and the city of Manchester claiming the top three spots.
“These cities could see a significant shift in their vaping culture, with the ban impacting consumer behaviour, and existing vape retailers adapting their offerings to cater to the new legislation.”
The list of vaping capital of the UK, according to Go Smoke Free, is as follows:
- Blackburn
- Bolton
- Manchester
- Middlesborough
- Salford
- Stockport
- Doncaster
- Newport
- Peterborough
- Nottingham
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