Police called to pub Mother's Day meal as row over £25.54 refund breaks out
Police were called to a pub after a mother’s day meal out descended into chaos over a £25.54 argument over the bill.
In chaotic scenes, a family of 20 had a run-in with cops at the Gables pub in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, after refusing to leave following a dispute with staff over the cost of their meal.
Toni Hulme, who was there to celebrate the special day with 19 of her relatives, described the “massive palaver” that ensued after the family finished their meal, ending with the police being called.
After issues with the booking followed by ‘terrible service’, Toni asked for a refund of £25.54 to cover the amount for two sides which she claimed ‘never arrived’ and a mix-up with two other meals, StokeonTrentLive reports.
However, the restaurant - run by Marston's Brewery - refused the refund and threatened to call the police if they didn’t get off the premises. Strongly believing she was in the right, Toni, 33, stood her ground.
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The family had gone out to celebrate mother's day but it ended up with a visit from the police (Stoke Sentinel/BPM Media)A short time later, three officers entered the pub, leaving Toni feeling 'humiliated' and her children 'scared'. Staffordshire Police confirmed no criminal offences were committed.
The family left the venue and attempted to make a formal complaint to management. The venue has since offered Toni a refund after the company were approached for comment.
The saga first began when Toni made the reservation for 11 adults and nine children. She was asked to pre-order the food with it being such a large party but couldn’t see the Mother’s Day menu online. She asked for a copy to be sent to her so she could arrange everyone’s orders but it didn’t arrive until the evening before the booking. At the meal, a mix-up meant the party was sat on separate tables.
They were able to order their food which Toni said then arrived in ‘dribs and drabs’. She claimed two of the five tables in their party had finished eating before other meals arrived.
As the food did come, Toni said extra cheesy garlic bread and Yorkshire puddings weren’t served until the staff were reminded. She also said side orders, which was one person’s meal, never turned up at all.
One adult’s roast dinner was delivered to a child, and when the children’s roast dinner finally did come out an hour later, Toni said the pub refused to exchange it for an adult’s portion following the mistake.
The family also understood mothers would be provided a free glass of prosecco on the special day. As Toni’s mum doesn’t drink, they asked if it could be swapped for coffee. The family had no complementary coffee or prosecco.
Toni said despite all the issues, the servers were trying their best. At the end of her booking, Toni requested a refund for the adult’s roast dinner, the two side orders and her meal. Although her meal was brought out, she was unable to eat it as she was chasing up the other issues.
Toni said: “It was a massive palava. When I told them I wasn’t leaving without a refund, they said they would call the police. We only wanted the money for the roast we didn’t have, my meal and the two missing sides.
“Three police officers arrived. Is this what taxpayers’ money pays for? I couldn’t believe it all.
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“You go out for a meal for the experience to sit back and enjoy, you don’t have to cook, there's time to chat and see your family. There was none of that, it was all just stress from the get go. It was humiliating and the kids were scared when the police walked in. It’s just ridiculous.”
A spokesperson for Marston's said: "We have reviewed the guest’s feedback, and this has now been resolved."
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