Drinker barred from Wetherspoons – because staff were rude to him

A customer claims he was banned from a Wetherspoons after staff were rude to him.

Nathan Priestnall, 32, says he has had a string of bad experiences with bartenders at The Green Dragon, in Leek, Staffordshire.

He claims workers have 'slapped' his change down on the bar – instead of putting it in his hand – poured his pint away, and even chased him out of the bar.

His latest run-in with the employees landed him with a ban from the pub, StokeOnTrent Live reports.

Mr Priestnall was having a drink on October 21, when he spotted a sign about a Halloween party.

He asked for more details at the bar, but claims he was met with ‘terrible’ service.

The dad said: “I went for a drink with my friend and the Halloween party poster caught my attention, as I have an 18-month-old.

“I asked at the bar for details and the response was terrible. I was met with, “f*** knows”, despite the fact the sign said ask at the bar for details.

“I wasn't happy about the response, so asked for the manager to come down. She was by no means as rude as the other staff, but still very rude."

It isn’t the first time Mr Priestnall, from Endon , has found himself walking out of the pub with a bad taste in his mouth.

He added: “One time, I’d been in with my little one for food. He’s been wearing a bib that catches food, but since he was only about 15 months old, he still made a bit of a mess.

“I tidied what I could, but the manager chased us out of the pub and asked if I would go to my parents for tea and leave a mess like that.

“I don’t mind about not being treated well, but I shouldn’t have to deal with rudeness.

“Another time, I asked for details of the beer festival, and got a similar response to the Halloween party.

“I have had my pint poured away over a plant by staff because they wanted to go home.

“Any change that I have from my drinks has never been given to my hand, it is always slapped on the bar. And if a drink runs out, the response is always ‘it’s gone, what else do you want’ – the staff just aren’t polite.”

Mr Priestnall was a regular at the Wetherspoons, popping in each Monday after playing darts.

But he’s now been barred from the premises after complaining to the new manager.

The drinker had posted on a Facebook group, asking people to discuss the customer service in the venue, which led to a threat of nearly 200 comments.

One person posted: “I never had any problems, until I was in there one mid-week lunchtime with my 18-month-old.

“The little one was crying a bit, nothing crazy, and one of the servers kept walking past with his hands over his ears, saying ‘make him stop’, which he did the second the food came.

“It was slightly embarrassing and rude, and I've not been back since.”

Another added: “I can remember when me and my daughter took my grandson in for breakfast, he was sitting in the high chair and got a bit of toast on the floor.

“After we had eaten, I got handed a dustpan and brush and got asked to clean it up. I’ve never been back since."

A third, who has hospitality experience, said: “I’ve always had loads of issues there. I left a Trip Advisor review once about when I went for food and it took ages for the food to arrive and it was nowhere near busy. 

“When it did arrive, it was the manager who was running meals out. She near enough threw our meals in front of us without asking whose was whose. 

“She went to walk away, so I asked for some mayo and she responded with, “I’m busy, find some yourself.” I went ballistic!

“She came back after about 10 minutes with one of their sauce racks and threw it on the floor next to my feet without so much as a word. 

“From experience, your staff are only as good as their management."

In an email to Nathan, Wetherspoons said that his barring was at the premises manager’s discretion.

It read: “We note your comments regarding your visit to the the Green Dragon in Leek. However, the manager has advised that they do not wish you to return to the pub due to your continued problematic behaviour.

"The manager is responsible for the pub and its licence and, while we appreciate that you are not happy with the decision, we will not be overturning it.”

A Wetherspoons spokesman said: "The person who set up this Facebook post is the same customer who was barred from the pub.

“We have every confidence that the pub is being run to the highest standards.”

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