The Crown - Halton

Visited for a birthday celebration last month and ordered from the Sunday menu. The first waitress, whilst she was nice, she was completely unaware of what drinks were available behind the bar and had to return twice to ask. I ordered a different drink than what I wanted to prevent her taking a 3rd trip back to the bar. A second waitress took our food order. After asking if the soup was suitable for vegans, she returned from the kitchen saying simply it wasn’t. We asked if they could make a vegan version and she said the soup was ‘just not vegan’ and there were no other dairy free/vegan starter options. A member of our group made a passing comment about unnecessary dairy ingredients being included in a tomato and basil soup due to frustration and pregnancy hunger following a long wait to place the order, which didn’t go down well. Later whilst at the bar, another member in our group overheard the waitress talking derogatorily about our table. I will say the Sunday dinner we did have was delicious and generously portioned, so we could not fault it. Presumably the response will be that they aren’t a vegan restaurant and don’t have to cater to people with dietary restrictions, but it doesn’t seem to be a logical business move to have zero vegan options for both starters and desserts, it resulted in 4 of our party not ordering a starter and all 8 not ordering a dessert, since the non-vegans didn’t feel comfortable ordering desserts without the rest of us. The main take aways from our visit were; lack of vegan starters/desserts and inexperienced staff (the exception being the more senior members of the team, as again we couldn’t fault them and they were very attentive throughout the rest of our meal).

Food is OK but the staff need some lessons in customer service miserable and made us feel uncomfortable

I’ll start off with the positives. The food is good- decent portions and home-cooked. Today I opted for the pie, which was delicious apart from the undercooked pastry on the top (which I left). However, the staff really let this place down. The waitresses today were cold and unwelcoming, verging on quite rude at times. We ordered some drinks to begin, and as soon as I’d asked for water for the table, the waitress started to walk off before I’d had chance to order the wine. It was as though I was inconveniencing her with my order. One glass of water and my wine then arrived (from a different waitress) and I politely stated that there should be one more water. She then abruptly said that she was about to bring it over. Unsure why three glasses of liquid couldn’t have been brought to the table in one go. No one checked back on us to see how our meals were, and despite asking the first (rudest) waitress for the bill, she opted to stand talking to other members of staff near the bar instead, meaning we had to get up and pay at the bar for our meal. Minutes later she was out in the beer garden enjoying a cigarette and a pint, so I think her priority was clocking off rather than tending to any customers. Not the type of service you’d expect from somewhere charging £20+ per main meal. I will be back for a drink in the beer garden, but it will be a long time before I’ll be dining here again.

Limited Sunday menu with many items sold out without prior notification. The waiting staff recommended pizzas as an alternative, only to find out they were also sold out when we attempted to order. Unfortunately, there was no apology from the staff and it seemed as though the blame was placed on us for ordering unavailable items rather than on the poor service for not informing us of stock levels. The main issue was the cold and dismissive attitude of the waiting staff on duty. I would not be pleased if I were the owner of this business paying these staff to represent it. The food served to our child was good, but ultimately the experience was marred by lackluster service and negative demeanor.

The Crown is a reliable and well-established venue. It is likely one of the most popular pubs in the area, and once again, we enjoyed a delicious meal from a diverse menu. The bar is well-stocked and we had no complaints about the food or drinks. We have become regulars this year, gradually trying out everything on the menu. We recommend booking ahead during peak hours to secure a table. There is plenty of parking available and it is conveniently located for taxis.