5 star hotel indeed, that's if you add up the medi...

5 star hotel indeed, that's if you add up the mediocre 3 star food and down right bad 2 star service. My wife's boss unfortunately booked us in here for Sunday lunch for her 40th, I cringed when I heard. We had a awful experience here before and low and behold nothing had changed if anything it's got worse. There are many better places to eat Sunday lunch in Manchester, grab a dart and throw it at a map of Manchester you will have better luck.

Response:
1) We were booked to have Sunday lunch in the River side restaurant not a function room upstairs, we were aware of the refurb but this doesn't matter as its not where the person who bought the gift thought we would be eating.

2) When I booked the table I was made to quote the gift voucher code, fair enough. Now being a 5 Star hotel YOU do the leg work, you contact the experience provider check the code is valid maybe get a little information, then when the client arrives you can be ready and professional instead of spending two minutes looking at a computer screen/seating plan. Then pipe up "Oh it's a voucher, well have you got it with you then?"

3) We weren't sat down 5 minutes until someone asked us if we were ready to order, I mean give us a chance to relax? An air of lets get these voucher plebs out of the restaurant as quickly as possible.

4) We didn't order starters as the choice was uninspiring to be kind. Our side plates and knives and starter cutlery weren't removed, laughable in a 5 Star hotel, waiting 101.

5) There was a party of about 14 having lunch in front of us I actually took a picture of one of the ladies getting up and pouring wine for table I couldn't believe my eyes.

6) A couple sat beside us and they had no glassware on their table so the server picked up glasses from another table, sloppy and unprofessional.

I'm not even going to go on to the food because I can't be bothered to waste any more of my time. Just know that as a ex-professional of 20+ years in the service industry I thought it was a shambles from start to finish and you ruined our day.