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From the
https://www.kentlive.news By Stela Gineva, 26 August 2019.
Saxon Shore in Herne Bay: We went to the worst Wetherspoons in Kent according to TripAdvisor.
Saxon Shore is found on the Central Parade by the beach.
Wetherspoons is synonymous with affordable drinks and meals in a
no-frills atmosphere.
Students on a budget go there for pre-drinks, families with children go
there when they need a quick, affordable meal.
It is a versatile pub chain that is many things to many people.
Kent boasts 22 different Wetherspoons branches, and a quick look on Trip
Advisor reveals that some might be less pleasant than others.
At the very bottom of the list is Herne Bay's Saxon Shore - a pub
located on the Central Parade by the beach.
Of the 305 reviews on Trip Advisor, over 107 ranked their experience
'Terrible' or 'Poor'. This means that, on average, every third person
disliked their experience in the pub for one reason or another.
There is a seating area outside the pub.
One of the more recent Trip Advisor reviewers had this to say about the
pub: "Took our grandson out for the day.
"Came to Wetherspoons as they have a children’s menu.
"Husband went and asked how long and was told an hour... Grandsons ham
egg and chips had no egg so had to be sent back when it arrived the egg
was over cooked but he was so hungry he ate it.
"Can’t express my disappointment strongly enough never had a problem
with the chain before. Several customers had to ask for their tables to
be cleaned... "
Long waiting times, unclean tables, rude staff were some of the things
that reviewers complained about.
So we decided to go and see if it was as bad as they say - on a bank
holiday no less!
On walking in at about 3pm, I found the restaurant completely packed.
There was one lone table I managed to find and I had to go find a chair
elsewhere as families had pulled up extra chairs to accommodate their
kids.
There was a massive queue at the bar. Why, I am not sure as one of the
best things about Wetherspoons is that it has an app with the whole menu
on it so you can just order from your table.
This is what I did.
I noticed a family at a table next to me got up and as it was a bit
quieter, I moved over. Already I was pleasantly surprised as a waiter
appeared almost immediately to clear away some of the larger plates.
Unfortunately, however, that's where the cleaning ended. The dirty
napkins and glasses remained, as well as the crumbs and other remnants
of food even after my food and drinks had been served.
Maybe it was because it was absolutely rammed, or maybe they were short
staffed as the waiting staff were definitely not sitting around. Polite
but efficient, they served food quickly and dealt with questions.
In all honesty, the worst part of my experience was the fact that the
table was not cleaned and this did detract from the atmosphere. No
frills is one thing, but not bothering to clean a dirty table seemed a
bit much.
The food was affordable and tasted good - something I have come to
expect from Wetherspoons.
I had the chicken and brie burger with onion rings and fries. There was
a cranberry sauce as well which worked really well with the brie I
thought. For a chain pub, they have some really creative food options!
I was worried it would take too long to get to me as per previous
reviews, but it arrived within ten minutes of ordering. Even on such a
busy day, service was astonishingly fast!
The burger and my drink - I went for water as I was parched, only cost
£6,10 - an absolute steal!
After the filling meal, I had a bit of a wander around the pub - it is
spacious with a decent sized beer garden. Although sadly no views of the
beach there.
As for the atmosphere, it's a lot like walking into any relatively busy
Wetherspoons pub anywhere in the UK. That's the thing with chain pubs,
they're reliable in their offering. Maybe the tables could've been
cleaner though.
So what's the verdict? Yes, the table was not cleared away but I am sure
if I asked they would have accommodated.
Service was fast on a busy day and the food was decent - about as much
as you can expect from a pub chain.
But if this is the worst Wetherspoons in Kent, I'm not sure we've got
much right to complain.
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