A furious diner compared a restaurant to Fawlty Towers after she was charged £2.50 for just seven chips.
Leanne Williams slammed The Clock Face Pub and Restaurant in St Helens, Merseyside, for its meagre portion in a scathing review online.
Ms Williams, who had visited for a meal with her family, was shocked when she received a reply from the restaurant’s boss Jamie Fildes sarcastically thanking her for the’glowing review’.
Mr Fildes then quipped: ‘I count eight chips, I think someone’s had a sneaky one too, that makes nine’.
Leanne Williams was far from impressed with the meagre portion of chips served at The Clock Face Pub and Restaurant in St Helens, Merseyside
He then dared to comment on how much Ms Williams had chosen to eat, by saying he was ‘surprised she had room’ for the chips after having steak and ale pie and roast potatoes – prompting the customer to brand him ‘childish’.
Ms Williams, from St Helens, said: ‘It was like something out of Fawlty Towers, I couldn’t believe it.
‘We’d gone out for a nice family meal to celebrate my girlfriend’s grandma’s birthday.
‘We pre-booked and my partner’s aunt had ordered the burger and chips.
‘The meal was served on a small side plate with seven or eight chips on it – it looked like a doll-sized portion of food.
‘It was £5.50 for the burger and £2.50 for seven chips, I couldn’t believe it.
‘Her aunt had just had a stroke and is still struggling to speak. She didn’t feel confident speaking about so I waited until we finished our meal to write the review.
Ms Williams Facebook battle with restaurant boss Jamie Fildes, who quipped: ‘I count eight chips, I think someone’s had a sneaky one too, that makes nine’
‘When I saw the reply I just thought ”what a cheek”. I was a bit shocked by it and I thought it was disgusting.’
Ms Williams claimed the tirade upset her girlfriend’s family who have regularly visited the restaurant for the past three years.
She said: ‘We were going to go there as a party of 12 for Christmas Day but I’ve said if they decide to go I won’t.
‘I’d rather sit at home and eat cheese on toast than go back there and give them my money.
‘How do you expect to run a business with an attitude like that?’
Mr Fildes said that when the party pre-ordered their food they had requested a kid’s meal of burger and chips – which is why the portion was the size it was.
Mr Fildes, director of The Clock Face Pub and Restuarant (pictured) claimed the Facebook comments were ‘banter’ and he expected them to be taken in the spirit they were made
Mr Fildes also claimed the Facebook comments were ‘banter’ and he expected them to be taken in the spirit they were made.
The restaurant boss, 31, said: ‘It was a daft, flippant comment which was satirical and meant to be banter and wasn’t meant to cause any offence.
‘I hold my hands up, I should have been a bit more clued up, but I’ve learned a valuable lesson.’
Mr Fildes said the size of the meal, and number of chips, was down to an alleged mix-up on the order form.
‘On the pre-order it said it was a kid’s meal. Ideally they should have said something along the lines of ‘you have messed up here and given us a child’s portion’, and it could have been sorted straight away’, he said.
Ms Williams said she was ‘disgusted’ by Mr Fildes comments and vowed never to return to the pub again
‘It’s not a fair comment to make as our portions are big.
‘If anything I’m over reasonable and will do anything to make anyone feel comfortable.
‘Out of 265 meals served that day we didn’t get one complaint.
‘How can you come to a restaurant once a week for three years, leave a one-star review and then wait until she’d finished to put it all over social media?
‘For a table to leave a £10 tip, this suggests to me that the food has been good.
‘I never once said anything bad about them, I was trying to defend a review that was on my page, I was never nasty – I kept it professional.’