June 2022 by 76nigelw
Went for Sunday lunch?.about 10 in queue?took half an hour to get to the till?then told no Sunday roast today, despite no indication on counter or in the menu. Ordered Fish & Chips & a Lasagne instead?plus coffee & tea. Took 40 minutes for the food to arrive. Both meals enjoyable. Very badly managed?if managed at all. The staff did their best but all like headless chickens?given no direction at all. Till not attended at times whilst the young man took cakes out etc or disappeared into the kitchen. Utter shambles & Dobbies should be thoroughly ashamed to offer such poor service. Saw the Garden Centre Manager walk through a couple of times but clearly never gets his hands dirty to help out. No point speaking with him?have done previously, some months ago & is like talking to a brick wall.
June 2022 by suelW6270XS
I stood in the queue for 20 minutes to order drinks. There were 2tills and only one being used. I took a lunch menu back for my mum and friend who chose their desired lunch. I rejoined the queue to order lunch another 25 minutes of my life I won't get back! Our lunch was finally delivered 30minutes later. Never are we going to eat here again. The food was tasty and nicely presented. The staff were all friendly and helpful, there didn't seem to be a chief amongst all the indians, and were beavering away. There should have been 2 tills open and serving. The queue that I counted had 20 people at one point. It is not good enough, I myself have mobility issues and being diabetic needed to eat rather earlier than I was served. My mum and her friend will not be using the cafe again and certainly not recommending in the future as we have in the past.
June 2022 by Anna B
We arrived at the counter and was meet with some very friendly staff and our order taken quickly and drinks almost made by time we had paid. Amazing amount of cakes and homemade scones on offer. Nice outside area to sit in and everything cleared quickly. Overall a very pleasant surprise.
May 2022 by traceymander
Very very slow service girls behind till not knowing what doing. Young man behind till kept asking others if he can leave till. Latte cold my friend had to go back to ask where her toast was waiting on half hour than back again to ask for jam. In hour n half 2 hours we were there not one person cleared a table. It was very Unpleasant and visit
April 2022 by jerryjulie34
Arrived at the garden centre before 4pm arrived at the cafe to find small Queue at 4pm. I was refused service as they had just shut.. tough on us.. so bad.. with people still being served tea.
March 2022 by DorsetTerra
The service is the slowest I have ever experienced. The tables and chairs were not clean and it wasn't even busy. Must do better!!
March 2022 by TRACEY A
I decided to visit this garden centre for a cup of coffee whilst passing through to Weymouth & am so pleased that I did, it is so much bigger than I was expecting with lots of customer free car parking, they sell an enormous range of plants plus so many other items making me very disappointed that I only had several hours to spare. I queued up in the large & spacious restaurant that has both indoor & outdoor seating observing all the delicious cakes that they had on display, so when it was my turn to get served by the friendly young lady I asked for a large strong cappuccino & what looked like a large viennesse whirl & cheekily asked for the top one, in which she surprisingly smiled & didn't have a problem with my request, I waited for my drink to be made by an extremely busy lady that was making all the drinks, I didn't have to wait long at all which surprised me & I then went to find a table noticing just how clean & tidy everything was even though it was a busy lunchtime, I got myself organised then took a sip of my coffee & then a bite of my cake and I can honestly say that it was the best cup of strong, hot coffee & delicious fresh cake that I have had to date in any of the Dobbies restaurants that I have visited to date, they obviously use stronger coffee beans & care about keeping the cakes covered & protected to stay fresh, I can't wait to go back when I am next in this beautiful area and will make sure that I have much more time to spare, as I could spend the whole day browsing around with several visits to this outstanding restaurant. Sadly i was so eager to re-visit that i decided to travel back home this way but i left very disappointed, as they hardly had any cakes put out at 12pm with a sign to say that they will be closing at 4pm due to staff shortages, on this occasion i ordered a fruit scone with a strong cappuccino but the coffee wasn't very warm nor strong, plus i found the scone quite dry as i was only given one small butter for some reason, then to top it off i went back to my car to find my front tyre was completely flat with a puncture that a kind lady & man assisted me with from the adjacent business who i am forever thankful to, as unbelievably i managed to get back home to Hampshire.
March 2022 by Dorset-Blogger
Since last visiting the cafe has gone badly downhill. Would suggest avoiding visiting on a Sunday or choose something that doesn?t come out of the kitchen. Over 30 minutes queuing to order due to the slow service and then a wait for the drinks to be done. The wait for the food was even longer. Two roasts ordered; we think turkey! Tiny ?roast? potatoes that appeared to be tinned potatoes that just saw the heat. Poor substitutes for vegetables including brussel sprouts and a stuffing ball, all so overcooked you couldn?t cut them. Literally a drizzle of watery gravy. The tables were piled high with plates and discarded food. Felt extremely sorry for the young lady clearing the tables and bringing the food out. Food over the floor was ignored. About time they introduced self table clearing for the customers although would be an issue getting a clean table there. Toilets obviously had not been checked recently.
February 2022 by Ian S
This was not the worst Sunday roast I have ever had, but it was a close second. The roast potatoes were (probably) tinned potatoes shown a deep fat fryer. The vegetables we just about ok. How you mess up cooking a frozen Yorkshire pudding is beyond me. There was a drizzle of gravy. The meat was very good though. I used it to re sole my shoes! On the plus side the lady on the till (Kirstey?) was very pleasant as was the lady making the hot drinks. The older lady collecting the plates was pleasant. The mineral water and can of cola were as expected (slight sarcasm!) Don't bother going. Used to be great when it was Galtons. So disappointing.
December 2021 by TrailBlazer255931
We were excited to be able to visit with our little dog for a meal . We ordered the big breakfast so we got a sausage for our dog . Meal came No sausages but extra bacon . No apology just dumped on the table which had not been wiped. Ingrained bird poo on the table looking up cobwebs dirty windows everywhere needs a good clean disgraceful. will not be going again.
November 2021 by Holiday-Note
It has been a couple of years since my wife and I visited this Garden Centre, the café appears to have down downhill. We were here to buy some plants, as it was nearly lunchtime, about 11.40, we decided to have lunch here, that was a mistake. Should have known things were all to pot because when entering the café the hand sanitizer was completely empty. It was not very busy but the queue at the counter was moving very slowly, just one very young lady serving. After about ten minutes queueing my wife suggested that I should go and sit down and she would order the food, I went and found a table, there were plenty of empty ones but none had been cleared, all had pots, plates and bits of food on them. Judging by the about of food etc. on the floor it is doubtful that the café floor had been cleaned before opening. Fortunately, I had some sanitizing wipes with me so cleaned a table off. I looked over at the queue my wife had moved on a couple of places but I counted another 19 customers behind her. As for the food, forget it, it appears Dobbie?s have a staff problem, there were a number of staff wanted signs around the Garden Centre, so that might be the problem or might be just poor management. All the time were in the café not a single table was cleared or sanitized by a staff member, so much for Covid prevention. One place to avoid during the pandemic
September 2021 by Not I
DONT GO. Restaurant staff are foul, (bad management) Just sit at a table then someone will come over, wait for 10 minutes to be seen to, then food arrives(excellent food Tuesday to Saturday, Mark the chef is off Sunday and Monday. You have to ask for sugar, salt and pepper, which should be offered when you order.
September 2021 by markh593
Popped in for a quick lunchtime bite to eat. I worked in the cafe 35 years ago, and it was so busy and successful... packed out daily when it was Galtons then later Wyevale Garden Centre. Move forwards wait 5 minutes to be seated, wait a further 5 minutes to be given a menu... other tables getting up and leaving! Eventually a lovely young girl Paige served us, she appeared to be the only one working here... food arrived sandwiches were lack lustre, and fries were cold. Seemed to be not only a shortage of staff, but availability of stick as items crossed off the menu. Dobbies you appear to have ruined what was a thriving cafe, Paige you are a credit to that business and deserve better!
August 2021 by Libra_K1960
After unfortunately getting a puncture, we enjoyed tea and cakes here while a new tyre was fitted to our car at the garage over the road. Pleasant service, and a good choice of cakes.
August 2021 by Sara D
The outdoor space of the cafe, although being situated close to a busy road but you would know it as it is sheltered and you cannot hear the noise. The staff are courteous and very helpful. The food, although very simple, is delicious and is just about the right amount so that you do not feel overwhelmed. I have taken my mother on several occasions where we have had several different meals (sandwiches, soups, cakes) and they never fail to deliver.
