Stonegate Pub Reviews 

Don't part with your money before reading my review.

If you're looking for a Traditional Afternoon Cream Tea don't go to the Royal Windsor pub in Windsor

Four of our Grandchildren bought us Virgin Experience Vouchers to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which included a number of trips & events throughout the week and a Traditional Afternoon Cream Team with Prosecco at the Royal Windsor Pub in Windsor.

The Tea was advertised as being "A tiered stand of delicate finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and a selection of pastries" which is exactly what an Afternoon Cream Tea should be.

Unfortunately what we were served was on a single plate and not a "Tiered Stand" as according to the Manager, they hadn't been received.

The sandwiches certainly weren't "delicate finger" as some were dry and others were 'open' and served on thick dry chipata type bread

Fortunately we had two scones with clotted cream and jam, which is what we were looking forward to and were the best bit about the Tea. As for pastries we had 2 small doughnuts with a syrupy sauce poured over them, 2 pieces of chocolate cake and cheesecake.

It looked like the plate either hadn't been kept refrigerated or was left unwrapped for some time, as the chocolate was melting and with the syrupy sauce it was running and soaking into the scones and some of the sandwiches.

We spoke to the Manager who agreed with us and was extremely apologetic and said she hadn't received the tiered stands.

She offered us a bottle of Prosecco as a gesture of goodwill, which I took as being a gift to maintain a positive relationship, and a meal as an alternative,

My mistake on the day was not rejecting what we had been served and asking for a refund,

But my wife didn't want to ruin the day any more than it already had, so I accepted the Prosecco but rejected the meal and decided to salvage what we could from the Tea.

In which case the Manager said she would action a Virgin Voucher refund.

As I hadn't heard anything regarding the refund for several days, I emailed Customer Services and had a reply from Ailish, who was very apologetic and said the food had been freshly prepared earlier in the day and said the Pub had stopped using tiered stands as they had been stolen.

He made no reference to the proposed Virgin voucher refund and instead offered me £10 in pub vouchers.

I rejected his offer and asked him to either action the Virgin Voucher refund as proposed by the Manager, or send me pub vouchers or a cheque for the full purchase amount.

In conclusion, I'm waiting for a reply from Ailish but don't expect to get one as the lovely of after sales is, in my opinion poor and would recommend you take my review into account before you part with your money.

Quite possibly the worst company in the UK. Awful staff. Poor management. Greedy company.

We travelled from Aberdeen to The Stonebow in York and were looking forward to a nice lunch. After browsing the menu on the app, we ordered two toastie sandwiches with chips and a Hunter’s Chicken. Each meal also offered a drink for an additional £1.50, so we added those too.

I want to mention that Sosha, who served us, was lovely and couldn’t be faulted. She was friendly and helpful throughout.

Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended. When our food arrived, I genuinely don’t know how it could have been served with a straight face. The meals looked nothing like the appetising photos on the app. The portions of chips were tiny – you could almost count them on two hands – and the presentation was poor.

The Hunter’s Chicken was especially disappointing. The peas were dried out, shrivelled and had turned a pale white colour, making them look as though they’d been sitting for a long time. The overall quality was nowhere near what had been advertised.

We returned all of the meals, left our drinks half-finished, and were told we would receive a full refund. However, when the refund was processed, we only received part of what we’d paid because they deducted the full price of the drinks, despite them only being £1.50 add-ons to the meals and us leaving them behind.

This was our first meal on a week’s holiday, so it was a very disappointing start. While the service from Sosha was excellent, the food quality, portion sizes and the way the refund was handled were extremely disappointing. I wouldn’t return based on this experience.

Purchased a voucher with Stonegate as my favourite pub was part of the group. Was told by Landlord I had until the end of the month to use it up. So I booked a table for the 28th. I then got a call saying that the pub was closing and wasn't reopening as a Stonegate.
There is absolutely nothing comparable to this pub that is part of the group so, as i've done nothing wrong, I asked for a refund on my voucher! Been told not possible! Why? If there were similar options this would be a different story - but there isn't! And they've got my money! Such a shame they have such poor customer service. Dreadful ethics from a major Group.

Cant see why so many bad reviews. services was standard. Food reasonable n good atmosphere. neever great or bad.

All round 3 stars for me.

Staff were helpful 👍

We recently visited Roebuck, utley fir sunday lunch. Was ok but nothing special you only get 2 thinly sliced meats. Upon arrival at the pub we ordered 2 shandys went to a table and my mum was sat right near to a blairing speaker playing loud music at the top of the wall. For a establishment you wouldnt expect that you couldnt hear yourself think. We asked the staff to turn it down they did. The pub generally is nice. But the sunday lunches could have been slightly better and the starters could have too, one starter was cold so asked to send it back to the kitchen . maybe try something different of the menu next time. 😃 but the food shouldnt let this place down as it used to be a good pub local to everyone visiting Keighley

Just got totally ripped off at The Waterside Inn Ware. Do not use the MIXR app.
Ended up paying 6.30 for a 330ml bottle of Birra Moretti. Can't blame the staff but they were not exactly sympathetic. AVOID !

3 months wasted and £700 down the drain. It’s such a shame because my prospective area manager was a really nice guy….
But I was allowed to apply for a pub when I realistically would not get it.
So 3 months applying, doing everything needed, which included a business plan recommended to a company by Stonegate, and then told nope it’s not for let now.
Poor system in place and completely wasted my time being honest. Be aware if you are planning to run a pub alongside these guys

Since the recent resignation of a 10 year spell of a well respected and well run management team and staff of the Bullring Tavern in Birmingham, in the last few weeks the quality of service, condition and clientel has reduced unfortunately to low standards. The people and fans very of the very much loved pub has been subject to repeat shop lifters and trouble makers which took much time and work to barr by previous management. The now staff are now posting on their fb page silly comments that there is now new ownership (ONE FOY YOU STONEGATE) As a long standing drinker of this pub it is now sad to see dirty conditions and unavailabe stock. @Stonegate. What a waste of a previously well run iconic pub for 10 years reduced to this in a matter of weeks. #Youneedtoreviewwhatyouvedone

The food was amazing
The staff great especially Max who goes that one step further to make your visit enjoyable

predatory business practices which makes decent establishments close.

Stonegate profits from pubs, not communities

I’m writing as a long-standing customer of Ye Olde Foundry in Dudley, a pub I’ve used for over 35 years. Under the recent landlord, Jake, the venue was finally thriving again. He invested his own time and money into improving the premises, rebuilt its reputation, brought in quality live music (often free entry), and created a genuine sense of community — including a memorial wall honouring local regulars who had passed away.

Despite this clear turnaround, the pub has now closed following Stonegate’s handling of the tenancy. Based on what has been shared publicly, this included escalating financial pressures, lack of meaningful support, punitive fines, poor communication, and ultimately the sudden loss of the premises licence. The outcome: a committed landlord pushed out, a viable business destroyed, and a community hub lost.

This isn’t just about one pub. Across Dudley alone, multiple pubs have closed in a short space of time. Stonegate may own the buildings, but it is local people who suffer when community venues are treated as disposable assets rather than protected spaces.

Companies like this often talk about “community” in their branding. The reality on the ground feels very different.

Stonegate should reflect seriously on how it treats tenants who are clearly doing everything they can to make a success of their pubs — because once the community trust is gone, it’s very hard to rebuild.

They are completely dishonest and promise everything and take you for everything. Appalling company.

The rose the landlord is a great honest man who should be greatly rewarded . He is honest hard working man who looks after his guest . He removes any unwanted guests for the safet of his customer

Just visited the Old Plough public house, Seaford for sunday dinner on the way home from Brighton, post Christmas shopping. Ordered two different roast dinners, that arrive within 10 minutes of ordering. On arrival they looked very nice, until noticing vegetables were raw and the rest of the dinner was cold. Staff on site were not interested as the oldest was probably in their early 20's. With that in mind I am warning other customers to avoid food late afternoon/early evening as in my opinion it is going to be reheated in a microwave oven, assuming g the staff understand how the microwave works and about food hygiene.

The Stonegate own the White Bear in Barrowford and to be honest i won't go in anymore as they are greedy the landlords have to put their prices up as Stonegate charge them a fortune I also used to go to Subbins Wharf and the people who took that pub on and put all they had into it are leaving I wonder why??? it's not rocket science with a totally greedy brewery like they are SHAME ON THEM HOW THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT I WILL NEVER KNOW!!!!!!!

Dodgy company with dodgy BDM is given by details. Incorrect details to incoming tenants, then trying to hit tenants with big bills. Totally corrupt stay away. Do not sign any agreement with stone gate .

i would give them 0 star but have to leave 1

Stonegate will not support their tenants and clients, they over charge for beer as an example black sheep from HB Clarks is £74 a cask Stonegate £175, these are all supplied by trade team, all Stonegate are is a property management company who will do you on the rents and alcohol, join Stonegate pub partnership as they call it and all you are doing is going through the grinder till the next victim is sucked in. The revenue they show is pre Covid and not realistic, at no stage can they show you the real accounts, don’t be a sucker guys keep away

Yates Halifax

The best customer service I’ve ever received from one of their establishment’s
The manager Martin is a credit to them and I’m sure he and his staff don’t get paid enough for the hassle they probably receive

The food was perfectly cooked by the chefs and presented well , credit also go to Samantha who made sure we had everything we needed