Chandlers Grande Brasserie

Good food but poor service.

When we arrived, on time, they seemed to ignore me, even as I stood in front of their desk with the two people behind it fiddling around with bits of paper. In the absence of an ‘hello’ or smile I announced that I had a booking. They seemed to know this without looking at their bookings. The man who I took to be the owner or manager, looked at me with something I judged to be just short of contempt, or possibly hatred, but we got our table. The remainder of the service was adequate, but a little below par for a restaurant which was only about half full. I remember thinking it was a little like café service, with for example no consistent server and no smiles.

All agreed the food was very well presented, tasted very good, the portion sizes were well judged and all courses arrived at good intervals. We all had the same desert and loved it. The reasonably priced wine we selected (without help naturally) was so popular we took the name of it and the liquor coffees after the meal were also good.

When our lunch came to an end I could not get any attention from the staff to take our payment. They all seemed to be having a chat around the bar and we were the last to finish. So I went over to the desk and there was the same discourteous man I encountered when I arrived, who was again fiddling with bits of paper. He ignored me. I placed our bill on the desk and waited, perhaps a full minute before he deigned to look at me. I have to say that if this man serves everyone like this he does not have the service ethic.

So, good or better than good food and drink, nice looking restaurant, but let down by substandard service and an owner or manager who seems to hate his job or customers. I have been there a few times before and always enjoyed it, but it seems I am now an irritant to them, what a shame, so I won’t be going back. If you are lucky with the service it is a very good restaurant.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Monday, October 06, 2008

A friend of mine visited Chandlers early Autumn last year. Excellent service, the best Thai fish cakes we've ever eaten, jam packed with tasty fish. The atmosphere at lunch was great, but the place clearly buzzes at night. We liked it so much that we're planning on staying over in a B&B in the summer so that we enjoy an evening meal!
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Krysia
Thursday, January 17, 2008

Chandlers is a lovely place, nice and warm with woodern floors and pleasant surroundings. The food is lovely. Over the years I have probably dined there over 50 times but the one thing that lets the place down (and I wish they would take note of this) is the fact that the waiting staff are a bunch of 16 to 18 year old kids who usually panic or get things wrong when asked for the dish to be done a little different or without dressing/sauces etc.

On a few occasions we have asked for a dish without the oil, and the waiter/ess has forgotten and we have had to send it back.

Chandlers, your food is great, the place is great. Stop paying the minimum wage to kids and it could be one of the Midlands finest restaurants :-)
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Matthew Walker
Friday, November 23, 2007

Not quite sure what this restaurant is trying to be. The prices are above average yet the service is below par and the seats would be better suited to a pub garden. You were never served by the same waiter more than once and eye contact was avoided. No one ever came to ask if the meal was OK...and it wasn't. Our sweet never arrived!! Would never return or recommend it. Bad service, poor food and above average prices.
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John Pritchard
Wednesday, March 21, 2007