We recently stayed at a pub in Duke of Marlborough, Woodstock, UK, and unfortunately, the experience left much to be desired—particularly in terms of customer service. I had mistakenly not selected the breakfast option during booking, and when I asked to add it on the day we checked in, staff seemed reluctant and unaccommodating.
Breakfast itself was disappointing. We requested a simple omelette, which wasn’t on the menu, and were told the chef wouldn’t make it. We opted for the eggs Benedict instead, only to be served hard-boiled eggs—not quite what we expected. For the price point, the quality just didn’t match.
Later, my son was very hungry and arrived at the restaurant at 5:20pm hoping to get something to eat. He was turned away and told to return at 5:30pm when service officially began. It felt unnecessarily rigid, especially given the circumstances.
Overall, the emphasis seemed to be more on enforcing rules and maximizing charges than on making guests feel welcome or cared for. A bit more flexibility and warmth would have gone a long way.
