I was invited to the opening night, for friends and family, of your recently refurbished establishment. I have never been to 'The Pelican' in Altrincham before, however I am familiar with the Spirit Group chain.
Upon arriving at the premises, which we found effortless to find, there was minor confusion as to where to park. This needs to be sign posted, as where we did park, appeared to be attached to a different building, so as someone who is not familiar with the area, this could have potentially put me off. I think the first impression should be as straight forward as possible because the pub is on a busy main road, where you may only have a few seconds in which to decide whether you wish to stop at this, said establishment.
The entrance however was clear, there was a large and inviting front entrance, which was really homey. When we walked in we were greeted by a middle aged, well dressed male, who was happy, smiling and very polite. I was instantly pleased to see the variety of ages of the staff, this is really important to me as a Mother. We were seated by Rebecca who introduced herself not just to myself, but to my children as well. Acknowledging my children as customers goes a really long way, it is thoughtful and shows that every single person who walks onto that premises is valued as a customer. This is a rarity!
As soon as we were seated, Rebecca brought over a high chair for me. I was really pleased with this. I did not have to ask for help or assistance. It was just a given because she used her initiative and assessed our individual needs while she was introducing herself. Rebecca waited until we were seated to go and get our menus, I liked this because I did not feel rushed, reaffirming that value of my custom. She also brought two packs of crayons and some paper for both of my sons. Although my youngest child struggles to colour in, as he is only 13 months old, I was pleased that she did not overlook him because this would have lead to world war 3 between my sons.
Rebecca took us through how to order, and reminded us that if we did need any help or assistance, to just ask, and she would be more than happy to help. If I was dining with just my sons, I would have called upon her to help, I was made to feel very comfortable.
Ordering was of course very straight forward and easy to do.
Within 30 seconds of getting our drinks back to the table, my son knocked his drink over. A few members of staff came straight over and cleaned up the spillage before it had ran onto us. They were extremely understanding, and offered to replace his drink. My Son was upset, and thought that he may be in trouble, the staff were lovely to him and kept reassuring him that it was ok, and that they did not mind at all.
My food arrived quickly and smelt great. My Son got his food first, which gave me time to cut it up for him. The portions are excellent and he felt very grown up. We ordered a mini mixed grill for him, like his Dad usually has, and he was very proud of himself. My friend, who was dining with us on this occasion ordered the 10ounce steak, with a cheese and mushroom topping. The steak was cooked to perfection, exactly how she asked for it to be cooked. I ordered the largest meal on the menu, the burger challenge. It was also cooked to perfection. I would give the cooking a five star review, on par with my favourite Italian restaurant, where you would not get any change from £100.00 per guest. For this, I was really impressed.
All of the staff took time to talk to my sons and make them feel really special. Every single guest was happy, and the atmosphere was wonderful. This could have only been created by exceptional staff, perfect food and extremely satisfied and valued customers.
My eldest Son, who is 3 years old announced that he needed the toilet, and so we had to dash. Rebecca went immediately to get us the key to the children's toilet facilities. She leaned down and told Finn that it was the key to the V.I.P. toilet, only for special people. This re-leaved his initial apprehension.
All of the staff were lovely, but a few really stood out. I would really like to point out just how wonderful they were. There was a lady who was middle aged, with short hair who was just wonderful, lovely to talk to, really friendly and respectful. There was a manager with blonde hair, I think her name was Claire. My Son liked her so much that he gave her a kiss and a cuddle before he left. I did not think that he wanted to leave! Rebecca was our main waitress all night and as you have read above, she is a real asset to any company. There was also a waitress called Pip, who was also exceptional. And finally a waitress called Adele, whom both of my sons really took to, and she was fabulous.
Every member of staff was immaculately dressed, friendly and respectful and it was a real honour to visit this branch. I would recommend it to everyone who is dining with or without children. The Pelican could easily have been any of the award winning restaurants I have visited previously and it is head and shoulders above the rest of the Spirit Group establishments that I have visited.
I would recommend this place to everyone. Full marks!
